The Authentic Lie

by Pandora Sykes

She has written for the likes of The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, ELLE, GQ and Vogue Australia. She is the co-host of The High Low, the UK's most popular women's podcast. She is a broadcaster, a brand consultant, and a parent.

But now Pandora turns her attention to authenticity.

In her intimate, thought-provoking essay, The Authentic Lie, Pandora explores ideas about womanhood, mental health, social media, celebrity and the things that 'define' who we are.

With the help of the brilliant author and journalist Elizabeth Day, who has written the foreword, we think it will get people talking.

Why? Crucially, Pandora has taken a risk: placing her own experiences at the heart of this piece, readers are given an insight into someone who is acutely aware of the pressures we all face to ‘keep it real’.

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays, Sociology

Paperback

Published March 14, 2019

About the author

Pandora Sykes is a British journalist and speaker. She's a former Fashion Features Editor of The Sunday Times Style magazine (2014-2017) and contributing editor at ELLE and ManRepeller.com, she has also written for titles including The Observer, The Telegraph, GQ, Vogue UK & Australia, Red, ES Magazine and The Cut. She contributed to Stylist’s essay collection, Life Lessons From Incredible Women, published in March 2018 by Penguin and to Comfort Zones, an essay collection produced by Sonder & Tell in March 2019.
In 2017, she co-founded the podcast The High Low with Dolly Alderton, a weekly pop-culture and current affairs podcast.
Her debut essay collection, How Do We Know We Are Doing It Right? comes out in July 2020.

Reviews

[Anastasiia Mozghova · Rating 5 out of 5]

what are we actually like? when are we honest with ourselves and others, and when do we perform? authenticity is such a tricky topic that has become extremely popular within the past few years. it was fascinating to discover pandora`s observations on the matter.

i cannot wait to read pandora`s collection of essays next year!

[Anoushka Hobday · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fantastic little book (or should I say essay?) to finish 2020 with. As we all know this year has been very different, traumatising and dark so this is exactly the kind of writing I needed to read in order to end this frightful year in a positive and hopeful note. Pandora has reminded me of what is real and what isn’t of myself and society by just making me stop and think deeply after every page, helping me make sense of the unfair and authenticity searching, social media obsessed world in which we live. A short but incredibly deep and important read that I believe to be very appropriate as the last book I will read and finish in 2020.

[Brooke Millhouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whilst nothing in this essay is actually new - it’s something that we all need reminding of in a society where social media is prevalent.

[Imogen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was good but also bad. There was some though provoking lines, some aspects I felt the urge to underline and remember, but for the most part, it was messy, unclear, lacking clarity, and totally unoriginal. There was very little here that was new or exciting, it just felt like a long opportunity for Sykes to reference everything she’s read without actually linking it to an overarching argument. I knew it was an exploration whilst reading it, but it still majorly lacked any structure or sense that I was following an overarching narrative.
I recognise this sort of writing because I recognise it in myself - not actually saying anything and saying it messily - and now that I’ve seen it of someone else, I’m even more eager to avoid doing it in the future.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Women are not fixed. To be our most authentic self, we must build a portable camp: in which we may contentedly dwell, at the center of our hypocrisies.”

[Megan Staunton · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a hyper-curated world of smoke-screens, slogan tees and social media, it’s understandable that we are hungry for truth, for genuine content, stories and observations. Trading in visuals and captions whilst trying to beat an algorithm and sparking a meaningful conversation has lead to a complex issue. Yet the paradox that in order to be authentic you must reveal your truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth is problematic. As Pandora puts it, “authenticity has become conflated with a fetishisation of flaws... whatever happened to just accepting them?” But after years of glossy, nipped and tucked and photoshopped images, can we blame an appetite for wanting to see what goes on behind the scenes? An interesting and smart unravelling of the power behind the latest buzzword.

[Claire Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

A small book which takes a rich deep dive into how we curate and perform the many (hypocritical) versions of ourselves. Sykes investigates the individualistic perceived notion of 'authenticity' and skewers through modern culture - referencing Kylie Jenner, psychology professors and Michelle Obama to make her point - with a shrewdness typical of her writing. With so many points made I feel I'll need to revisit it again and again - but that's not a bad thing!

[Natashaketel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sykes’ social commentary is on point. In this short but sweet essay, the journalist interrogates the nature of the real in our progressively ambiguous society where the likes of social media and reality TV prevail. Citing numerous experts and fellow journalists, Sykes is specific and astute and the outcome of her exploration is profound.

[The Littlest Klee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I find it ironic that in an essay about a quest for the “authentic self” Sykes basically just regurgitates what other people have already said on the subject with practically no original content of her own. I bought this pocket book as a tester before her actual book comes out, but will now likely be giving it a pass.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very relevant read that I plan on keeping next to my bed and referencing often. Pandora dives into the side of authenticity that we don't see in this social media-dominated world, which is that of a more private existence.

[Ellie Crisp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intelligent writing but didn’t blow me away

[M-L · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super little introductory essay on authenticity, particularly in relation to women, feminism and our sense of self. As per, Sykes is cool as.

[Amy Routledge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life goal: to be as eloquent as this fabulous female.

[Jenny Grebennikova · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just think Sykes is an amazing, intelligent and honest author and want to read more of her thoughts and opinions. Her perspective on simple everyday things is unique.

[Elizabeth Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great essay exploring the pursuit of authenticity of our modern lives

[claire mccullough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible and thought provoking essay !!! Would recommend every female read this

[Angharad Elin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought provoking and brilliant.

[Jasmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another of my favoutite read-it-twice-a-year-and-see-how-you’ve-changed-as-a-person-since-your-last-reread books. Short, sweet and superb.