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#Selfcare
From the Lambda award-winning author of Autonomous comes Annalee Newitz's Tor.com Original short story, "#Selfcare" In a near-future San Francisco where the gig economy has made work more precarious than ever, Edwina is an average twenty-something scrambling to hold down her job with a major skin care brand. Until her awful boss does something you should never do—angers the fae on social media—and the struggles of her job take on an even nastier shade.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
30 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 19, 2021
12 people are currently reading
295 people want to read
About the author
Annalee Newitz
62 books2,029 followersAnnalee Newitz is an American journalist who covers the cultural impact of science and technology. They received a PhD in English and American Studies from UC Berkeley, and in 1997 published the widely cited book, White Trash: Race and Class in America. From 2004–2005 they were a policy analyst for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. They write for many periodicals from 'Popular Science' to 'Wired,' and from 1999 to 2008 wrote a syndicated weekly column called 'Techsploitation.' They co-founded 'other' magazine in 2002, which was published triannually until 2007. Since 2008, they are editor-in-chief of 'io9,' a Gawker-owned science fiction blog, which was named in 2010 by The Times as one of the top science blogs on the internet.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
January 28, 2021
The fae turned her gaze on Edwina, and she felt a pleasurable tingle of . . . something. Was that magic, or was Agony just super hot? “I told your friend Alyx that I’d give you a few days before I burn this brand down.” Agony looked down and the tingle receded. “And for the record, I do feel bad about it. My boss at Witchy Wonders has this scorched earth approach that feels very 2020. You know? She’s from that extremist generation.”
i read this story on what several companies whose email lists i am somehow on informed me with their allcaps subject lines was something called selfcare saturday. i do not know how i was targeted to receive this information, as i am hopeless at makeup, get woozy in bubble baths, and still don't know what eyebrow threading is, but it was a fine instance of life's rich synchronicity. unfortunately, i had as little reaction to this story as i did to those emails; just as i clicked 'delete' without even opening them, so did my brain click 'delete' on whatever happened in this story. there's nothing wrong with it; it's three-stars-and-a-shrug, but it's just a case of something that, like eyebrow threading, is for people who are not me. of, which, i am happy to report, there are dozens.
read it for yourself here:
https://www.tor.com/2021/01/19/selfca...
come to my blog!
May 31, 2022
#Selfcare by Annalee Newitz - 2.5+/5★
Good idea and a rather strong start, but it fizzled out towards the end.
The short story is found in Some of the Best from Tor.com, 2021 Edition and can also be read on Tor.com.
Good idea and a rather strong start, but it fizzled out towards the end.
The short story is found in Some of the Best from Tor.com, 2021 Edition and can also be read on Tor.com.
January 23, 2021
Kind of a genre-bending piece that didn't quite do it for me with it's feel good message of workers uniting in a near future gig dominated economy where steady work is hard to come by and magical beings that can bless or curse your business may or may not exist.
January 24, 2021
Near future fae meets timely commentary in a future world that feels all too plausible. Fun and quick, though don't mistake that for shallow; Annalee Newitz definitely has a message in mind.
Free online here: https://www.tor.com/2021/01/19/selfca...
Free online here: https://www.tor.com/2021/01/19/selfca...
January 22, 2021
Saw a blurb on a Tor.com email newsletter, started reading out of procrastination, was blown away. Not at the characters or the plot, but at Newitz's ability to seamlessly blend today with tomorrow.
Wildfire season turned sunset a rotten orange that seeped in through the shop windows and spread across the floor in lurid streaks. Edwina leaned on the poured concrete counter, watching women walk past outside, pushing strollers whose fabric gently strobed with the names of their nannyshare agencies. Usually they veered off to buy groceries at Whole Foods, currently bathed in a hellish glow.
Just. The density of SFF protocol in these three opening sentences is breathtaking. I haven't read Newitz's other works, but color me impressed. "Wildfire season" may not be a household phrase yet (or maybe it is in California), but it's easy to extrapolate from the past two years that it soon will be. "Nannyshare" isn't a word, but "rideshare" is, and the rest of the sentence provides sufficient context to anyone who has been paying attention. But it's the third sentence of the story that really clinches it: these are people you know shopping at a store you know, in a world you don't (but soon will) know. The hellish glow is a product of wildfire season prima facie, but looking deeper, it is the emission of the hellish society in which the protagonist finds herself.
A cursory search on Newitz is enough to gleam that she is at the center of the conversation about society and technology, and it shows in her story. From outsourcing and the redundancy of human labor:
Her physical presence wasn’t necessary, but her boss Isobel wanted Skin Seraph to feel elite and expensive. That’s why she’d hired an actual human to stand here on the premises instead of outsourcing to Task Rabbits like Edwina’s cousins in the Philippines.
to the erosion of dignity in the workplace:
All the employees had to install this humiliating productivity app called MakeMeProud that tracked how many people they’d converted into loyal customers and pushed leaderboard updates to them every hour.
to augmented reality and smart vision:
Idly, Edwina wondered what time it was in Shenzhen. Was it morning there? She blinked up an interface in her contacts and searched for the answer.
to the anthropomorphism of corporations and personal ownership:
Talking to Alyx always made Edwina feel better. Maybe her job arranging appointments to revamp people’s faces was bizarre, but it was practically mundane compared to Alyx making tax payment apps into loveable personalities on WimWam. Edwina sent some music to her earbuds and wiped more coin into her streaming account so they could watch Fae Killers uninterrupted.
She bridges the now and the soon in a way I find sublime.
Alyx pulled their mobile out of a back pocket and unfolded it on the table between them. “So obviously fae aren’t real,” they said. “But it could be somebody in a costume fucking around with the camera, right? Let’s see if there are other reports like this on Nextdoor.
Shout out to Marc Maron:
The next day at work was a lot more fun than usual because Edwina finally had an office friend. Now she and Daisy could roll their eyes at each other when there was a particularly rude client, and she had somebody to grab a turmeric latte with at Martha & Brothers up the street.
Shout out to Tony Seba and precision fermentation:
Also they’re saying the frog milk line is made with endangered tree frogs or something?” Daisy looked dubious. “I’m pretty sure that’s not true. All this stuff is biomimetic. It imitates animal proteins, but it’s made in labs.”
Shout out to me:
That night, Daisy came along with Edwina and Alyx to an old bar in the Mission where the drinks were strong and grizzled millennials sat around debating politics with their thick phones propped on the tables next to their face masks. The wildfire smoke was back again.
I guess I'm just impressed with Newitz's ability to make contemporary references that don't feel forced in a story about the near future that was written today but reads convincingly as if it were written in the near future. It makes Ken Liu's The Perfect Match, which I enjoyed, seem amateurish. A tip of the hat to you, Newitz.
Shame you had to stoop to poop jokes though, now I can't refer it to anyone.
Wildfire season turned sunset a rotten orange that seeped in through the shop windows and spread across the floor in lurid streaks. Edwina leaned on the poured concrete counter, watching women walk past outside, pushing strollers whose fabric gently strobed with the names of their nannyshare agencies. Usually they veered off to buy groceries at Whole Foods, currently bathed in a hellish glow.
Just. The density of SFF protocol in these three opening sentences is breathtaking. I haven't read Newitz's other works, but color me impressed. "Wildfire season" may not be a household phrase yet (or maybe it is in California), but it's easy to extrapolate from the past two years that it soon will be. "Nannyshare" isn't a word, but "rideshare" is, and the rest of the sentence provides sufficient context to anyone who has been paying attention. But it's the third sentence of the story that really clinches it: these are people you know shopping at a store you know, in a world you don't (but soon will) know. The hellish glow is a product of wildfire season prima facie, but looking deeper, it is the emission of the hellish society in which the protagonist finds herself.
A cursory search on Newitz is enough to gleam that she is at the center of the conversation about society and technology, and it shows in her story. From outsourcing and the redundancy of human labor:
Her physical presence wasn’t necessary, but her boss Isobel wanted Skin Seraph to feel elite and expensive. That’s why she’d hired an actual human to stand here on the premises instead of outsourcing to Task Rabbits like Edwina’s cousins in the Philippines.
to the erosion of dignity in the workplace:
All the employees had to install this humiliating productivity app called MakeMeProud that tracked how many people they’d converted into loyal customers and pushed leaderboard updates to them every hour.
to augmented reality and smart vision:
Idly, Edwina wondered what time it was in Shenzhen. Was it morning there? She blinked up an interface in her contacts and searched for the answer.
to the anthropomorphism of corporations and personal ownership:
Talking to Alyx always made Edwina feel better. Maybe her job arranging appointments to revamp people’s faces was bizarre, but it was practically mundane compared to Alyx making tax payment apps into loveable personalities on WimWam. Edwina sent some music to her earbuds and wiped more coin into her streaming account so they could watch Fae Killers uninterrupted.
She bridges the now and the soon in a way I find sublime.
Alyx pulled their mobile out of a back pocket and unfolded it on the table between them. “So obviously fae aren’t real,” they said. “But it could be somebody in a costume fucking around with the camera, right? Let’s see if there are other reports like this on Nextdoor.
Shout out to Marc Maron:
The next day at work was a lot more fun than usual because Edwina finally had an office friend. Now she and Daisy could roll their eyes at each other when there was a particularly rude client, and she had somebody to grab a turmeric latte with at Martha & Brothers up the street.
Shout out to Tony Seba and precision fermentation:
Also they’re saying the frog milk line is made with endangered tree frogs or something?” Daisy looked dubious. “I’m pretty sure that’s not true. All this stuff is biomimetic. It imitates animal proteins, but it’s made in labs.”
Shout out to me:
That night, Daisy came along with Edwina and Alyx to an old bar in the Mission where the drinks were strong and grizzled millennials sat around debating politics with their thick phones propped on the tables next to their face masks. The wildfire smoke was back again.
I guess I'm just impressed with Newitz's ability to make contemporary references that don't feel forced in a story about the near future that was written today but reads convincingly as if it were written in the near future. It makes Ken Liu's The Perfect Match, which I enjoyed, seem amateurish. A tip of the hat to you, Newitz.
Shame you had to stoop to poop jokes though, now I can't refer it to anyone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 2, 2021
Stars: 3.5 out of 5.
This was a short and sweet little story about a future San Francisco. Interesting how even 40 years from now people will be obsessed with social media, followers and influencers. I really hope that it is not the future we are headed into though... this looks rather shallow.
As for the story, I like the main message a lot - sometimes you just need a small push to discover what you REALLY want to do with your life. Sometimes what you thought was just a boring job that paid the bills can become something more, if you put the effort into it and change your point of view.
It's not an Earth-shattering revelation, but it's a story that is pleasant enough to read. I also appreciated that there was zero romance involved and the women in this story had a genuinely friendly relationship.
This was a short and sweet little story about a future San Francisco. Interesting how even 40 years from now people will be obsessed with social media, followers and influencers. I really hope that it is not the future we are headed into though... this looks rather shallow.
As for the story, I like the main message a lot - sometimes you just need a small push to discover what you REALLY want to do with your life. Sometimes what you thought was just a boring job that paid the bills can become something more, if you put the effort into it and change your point of view.
It's not an Earth-shattering revelation, but it's a story that is pleasant enough to read. I also appreciated that there was zero romance involved and the women in this story had a genuinely friendly relationship.
November 20, 2024
A fantastic short story about what happens when you screw over certain people you shouldn't be screwing. There is also influencers, selfcare, making money, and plenty more! It was a bit spooky at times (given how the person looked and what they did). I loved the characters, especially Daisy I warmed up to as the story continued and I hope they have lots of fun opportunities. I loved the ending and I am so happy to see it end like this.
Fabulous cover btw!
Fabulous cover btw!
March 27, 2021
Vacillated between 3/4 for this one. There's a lot of unrealized potential here, lots of weirdness and science fantasy crossover potential that gets brushed aside –– I'd like to see this story longer, more brash and confident, and bolder in its social critique than what we got.
February 26, 2021
cool concept in theory, but ended up being kind of boring and weirdly paced
Read
January 21, 2021Annalee Newitz has published one novel I really enjoyed, and one I couldn't finish. Happily, this new story is much closer to the former, right down to its near future setting – though even aside from the wordcount, it's a far lighter prospect than Autonomous' world of corporate slavery and medical monopolies. Hell, at this point it's weirdly cheering just to read a near-future story, presumably written within the past year, which, while its 2040s are far from aspirational, depicts a world far better than the one I'm currently expecting to emerge if and when the Event ever ends. Granted, I'm distant enough from the business of influencers and high-end beauty treatments that I don't even know for sure how much of this is science fiction (snail-derived skincare is already a thing, that one I know – are turmeric lattes too?) but Newitz does a very good job of managing that tricky balancing act where a science fiction story gradually sees fantasy elements intrude too – from the inciting and irresistible image of a skinless woman tapping on the window of a skincare clinic, to the more deeply unnerving idea that underlies it: what if the Good Neighbours were on social media?
October 10, 2025
I love the play on SelfCare - elf, care for the elves you hire, don't go into their black book of debts.
Oh I need to book a spa day when I am done on my wilderness sabbatical. The opening page with Edwina's little monologue on Skin Seraph was just so aesthetically pleasing to my mind's eye. In the same breath, I'd also like to add that Skin Seraph is a nightmare. How delightful. Look at the dissonance.
One thing this book did was make me research Europa, the very earthlike moon of Jupiter and I am enamoured. Pack my bags and shoot me off into space one way please. Now back to Elves in the Social Media Business on a faraway San Francisco 2.0
I was so engrossed when the first infraction started and even more so with the shyte-smearing skinless apparition. Had me right in the hooks and then it veered into CW tv series territory of lowering the otherworldly horror and muzzling it to make it more middle school Fae who can be bargained with and has dreams of leaving her job and starting her own pop up skincare Spa ...
This is a me thing but I loved it at firstand then the genre shift came in the final act came and it was like releasing all the air out of the balloon and all the potential oozing out an the soggy balloon goes crazy in the air then plops down. Very much like a CW show.
That Characters: The skinless Fae in the first quarter
Favorite/Curious/Unique Scene: well, the gross 💩 scene
Favorite/Curious/Unique Quotes:none of that here
Favorite/Curious/Unique Concepts:
■Living on Mars or Europa, Jupiter's moon?
Cover because I'm a bird:Color blend is so vivid like Space
This book's whole vibe: oh no no, none of that
GR Rating:2⭐
CAWPILE:4
Re-read or Once-off nope
StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2027
Challenge Prompt: 150 Short Stories by 2027
Oh I need to book a spa day when I am done on my wilderness sabbatical. The opening page with Edwina's little monologue on Skin Seraph was just so aesthetically pleasing to my mind's eye. In the same breath, I'd also like to add that Skin Seraph is a nightmare. How delightful. Look at the dissonance.
One thing this book did was make me research Europa, the very earthlike moon of Jupiter and I am enamoured. Pack my bags and shoot me off into space one way please. Now back to Elves in the Social Media Business on a faraway San Francisco 2.0
I was so engrossed when the first infraction started and even more so with the shyte-smearing skinless apparition. Had me right in the hooks and then it veered into CW tv series territory of lowering the otherworldly horror and muzzling it to make it more middle school Fae who can be bargained with and has dreams of leaving her job and starting her own pop up skincare Spa ...
This is a me thing but I loved it at firstand then the genre shift came in the final act came and it was like releasing all the air out of the balloon and all the potential oozing out an the soggy balloon goes crazy in the air then plops down. Very much like a CW show.
That Characters: The skinless Fae in the first quarter
Favorite/Curious/Unique Scene: well, the gross 💩 scene
Favorite/Curious/Unique Quotes:none of that here
Favorite/Curious/Unique Concepts:
■Living on Mars or Europa, Jupiter's moon?
Cover because I'm a bird:Color blend is so vivid like Space
This book's whole vibe: oh no no, none of that
GR Rating:2⭐
CAWPILE:4
Re-read or Once-off nope
StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2027
Challenge Prompt: 150 Short Stories by 2027
February 7, 2021
In a future where social media is a way of life, getting good referrals via social media is important. So, when strange things start to happen at a shop of a health care brand that gets smeared horrifically both physically and on social media, it's up to the workers at the shop to work out that their owner had hired the fae people to promote the health brand, but has not been keeping up her end of the bargain. Now they have to figure out a way to keep their jobs while satisfying the fae who are targeting their particular shop.
January 5, 2025
After reading Finna, I've come across this genre of anti-capitalist, queer, sci-fi/fantasy short novel genre, which is a lot of fun.
The cute dream the girls had that were bigger than the corporations they worked for was lovely. It would definitely be a cute spin-off to see them run their own store.
The cute dream the girls had that were bigger than the corporations they worked for was lovely. It would definitely be a cute spin-off to see them run their own store.
February 15, 2021
I spotted this on Tor for free, and forgot I had opened the tab--but it was a fun read! I like the fantasy elements inside the more familiar San Francisco area. It seems like it's set in the near-future, there are just enough elements that I wasn't always certain what was not-yet-real and what was just very new tech.
I have a book by this author, I'll have to move her up my TBR list.
I have a book by this author, I'll have to move her up my TBR list.
May 11, 2021
I feel like “#Selfcare” is like an adult, queer, futuristic cousin of “Artemis Fowl” and I’m so here for it! The blend of magic fae, driven yet lovable characters, and scheming against Big Business just ticks some unexpected marks for me and I think Newitz has crafted something very special here. I’d LOVE to see more of this world!
May 23, 2021
"Her skin - it wasn't skin at all. There was no skin."
Damn.
The nightmare you don't want.
It's too short though.
Damn.
The nightmare you don't want.
It's too short though.
May 29, 2021
I went in with no idea what this short story was about and I really enjoyed it. Workers and fae, unite! They/them pronouns.
March 20, 2023
This one ended a bit suddenly but I like the ideas inside!
September 24, 2021
The too real fantasy of keeping a “good” job in today’s world as a millennial/gen z.
March 1, 2021
A barely-future sci-fi fantasy that involves some of my favorite things - fae curses and worker's rights. Iridescent and charming.
January 23, 2021
Short story about a couple working at a future beauty clinic, in a world where there may dubiously exist fae. Edwina's having to deal with a strange character causing havoc at the store. Compelling characters move the story along briskly.
March 18, 2021
Plausibly dystopian near future, future tech, workers organizing on a small-scale, actual business dealings with the Fae. For a short story, this is jam-packed with great elements and a message about consumerism, social media, and worker's rights. Great read.
January 23, 2021
Annalee Newitz is one clever writer! I loved their book Autonomous so when I spotted this story I dug right in. A near-future fantasy that looks at the gig economy, social media, and (dirty) business dealings. It’s short but fascinating. Makes you wonder where #selfcare is going next.
September 30, 2024
I liked the technology and the mixture of fantasy and science within the world of these pages, but the actual story ended in an abrupt and unconvincing manner.
April 1, 2021
People are inclusive, nice to one another, and work together? So unrealistic. Also, there's fae.
Story is bland, tidy, and forgettable.
Story is bland, tidy, and forgettable.
January 22, 2021
This Tor short is set in a near-future urban fantasy world, where pissing off your fae contractors is a sure ticket to a shitstorm for your business. Literally. Luckily, our protagonist just works there.
A fun and charming read, featuring some uncomfortably close-to-home tech-dystopia elements, the extremely relatable goal of "keep your job", and a diverse cast.
I stumbled over a few plot elements, hence the 3-star rating. Most notably, I felt the characters accepted the existence of fae too easily, for apparently not previously thinking they actually existed; I think it would have been stronger if the fae were simply an accepted, public part of the world. It wouldn't have required much explanation or extra worldbuilding, since the reader goes in expecting urban fantasy anyway. I also would have liked a little more character development for the side characters - we didn't get to know much about Alyx or Daisy, and their relationships with Edwina thus fell a little flat for me.
That aside, an enjoyable read, and I'd love to read more about this world.
A fun and charming read, featuring some uncomfortably close-to-home tech-dystopia elements, the extremely relatable goal of "keep your job", and a diverse cast.
I stumbled over a few plot elements, hence the 3-star rating. Most notably, I felt the characters accepted the existence of fae too easily, for apparently not previously thinking they actually existed; I think it would have been stronger if the fae were simply an accepted, public part of the world. It wouldn't have required much explanation or extra worldbuilding, since the reader goes in expecting urban fantasy anyway. I also would have liked a little more character development for the side characters - we didn't get to know much about Alyx or Daisy, and their relationships with Edwina thus fell a little flat for me.
That aside, an enjoyable read, and I'd love to read more about this world.
January 28, 2021
A quick fun read. Pokes fun at the beauty skincare spa industry and the women who go for these facial/body/skin treatments in some far off future - giggled at the depilating lip by caterpillar, snail treatment (which exists now in real life - snail mucus), K beauty products. Even more services have been outsourced including nannyshare. Newitz highlights the precarious position of those working in the gig economy. In this distant future, customer retention and recruitment, online feedback and social media influencing have grown exponentially. The online complaining review by an entitled Karen mombie was spot on.
Even the fae are under the yoke of capitalism. No pointy ears and ethereal pale beauty, I like this refreshing take. The ending was rather abrupt, would have liked to know what became of the worker owned co-op. Mentally, I would file this next to Nino Cipri's Finna.
Even the fae are under the yoke of capitalism. No pointy ears and ethereal pale beauty, I like this refreshing take. The ending was rather abrupt, would have liked to know what became of the worker owned co-op. Mentally, I would file this next to Nino Cipri's Finna.
February 5, 2021
“Okay, so you’re saying that fae are real, and they are brand consultants in San Francisco.”
A cute short story! Relatable gig culture issues. My only real problem is that it felt like the main issues were all put aside pretty much instantly without addressing any of the conflicts (). But still fun.
A cute short story! Relatable gig culture issues. My only real problem is that it felt like the main issues were all put aside pretty much instantly without addressing any of the conflicts (). But still fun.
December 22, 2022
Selfcare by author Annalee Newitz is a short story you can read for free on the Tor.com site https://www.tor.com/2021/01/19/selfca...
In a near-future San Francisco where the gig economy has made work more precarious than ever, Edwina is an average twenty-something scrambling to hold down her job with a major skin care brand. Until her awful boss does something you should never do—angers the fae on social media—and the struggles of her job take on an even nastier shade.
A fun little story about millenials who turn a bad situation into something positive for themselves.
4 Stars
In a near-future San Francisco where the gig economy has made work more precarious than ever, Edwina is an average twenty-something scrambling to hold down her job with a major skin care brand. Until her awful boss does something you should never do—angers the fae on social media—and the struggles of her job take on an even nastier shade.
A fun little story about millenials who turn a bad situation into something positive for themselves.
4 Stars
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews