Selfie

Fascinating - Guardian
Brilliant - Evening Standard
Electrifying - Financial Times
So interesting that I literally couldn't put it down - Sunday Times

We live in the age of the individual. We are expected to be slim, wealthy, happy, extroverted, and popular. This is the image of the perfect self in our culture. We see this person everywhere: in advertising, in the press, on social media. We are told that we just need to follow our dreams to become this person, that our potential is limitless, that we are the source of our own success. But this model of the perfect self can be extremely dangerous. People suffer from the torment of this impossible fantasy. Unprecedented social pressure leads to an increase in depression and suicide. Where does this ideal come from? Why is it so powerful? Is there a way to break its spell? To answer these questions, "Selfie" by Will Storr guides us through.