Lies, Shame And Social Media: The Inspiration For Shame On You

In my novel, Shame on You, a much-adored Instagram celebrity, Holly, is the victim of a sudden, violent and unprovoked attack. Her legion of followers are shocked. Holly is the dream they all aspire to: healthy, fit, and beautiful. Every post of a yoga pose or smoothie bowl inspires envy. But as the world delves into Holly’s past, they realise that her picture-perfect life holds some dark secrets. As she falls from grace, she faces a flood of public shame.

I started writing Shame on You because of my own experience with social media. I am interested in healthy cooking, and started sharing my recipes with a network of friends and strangers. The more people reacted, the more I performed. Although I didn’t lie, there were many times where I caught myself framing my life to seem happier, or more glamorous than it really was. I only shared the recipes that photographed well, and neglected to show when a meal I had made had flopped, or the times I was exhausted and ate take-out in my car. In the world of social media, we are all editors, curating our lives to show only the things we want others to see.

This is human and natural, but I was fascinated by the toxic turn this takes in the world of celebrity, especially when it comes to the universe of ‘clean-eating’ celebrities. The recent news story of the Australian health blogger Belle Gibson captured my imagination. Belle famously garnered a following of thousands for her blog and app, based on the claims that her vegan diet played a central role in her remission from a serious illness. For years, her followers shared the ups and downs in her health, only for her to be revealed as a fraud.

While many have not stooped to such lows, I interviewed several Instagram stars, who all admitted to the pressure they feel to perform, the anxiety that pulses through them before they post a picture and the way they deliberately shroud the everyday mundanity of their lives in order to represent an ideal. Some showed me pictures of the tiny apartments they lived in, or told me of the times they promoted a product they didn’t believe in online because they needed the money. Yet, if you scroll the Instagram feed of any health or fitness blogger, you will only find perfection. According to the illusion we see, these women abide by the rules, they don’t indulge, and they go to gym religiously. A treat is a date ball. An indulgence – a vegan pizza. Clean eating is the new way for a woman to be ‘good.’

I imagined the scores of women consuming this content and feeling shame at their own habits, and the pressure to be better, fitter, leaner, and healthier. Even though we understand that these personalities can’t share every aspect of their day, it is natural to look at their edited feed and feel a little less confident than before. I pushed this idea to the limit – what if the falsity of social media damaged someone irrevocably? What if the fake-science and hype around clean-eating made a person make unwise decisions? And what if that person decided to stalk and injure that celebrity in the real world?

I was careful in my portrayal of Holly not to judge the decisions she makes or the world she lives in. I wanted to provide a window into the world of online celebrity, and reveal the unique pressures that arise when an ordinary person is thrust into the world of fame. The dynamic of social media – with its systemized quest for affirmation and its celebration of unrealistic ideals – is mostly to blame.

As the title suggests, my novel explores the shame that goes hand in hand with the lives that we live online. Later in the book, Holly is publically shamed when her past is revealed. This was inspired by all the times I have seen public figures being dragged through the mud online. Although every person should suffer the consequences of their actions, I have often felt uncomfortable when I have seen someone shamed online. The punishment always seems to outweigh the offence.

As readers follow Holly’s journey from revered Instagram star, to a fallen hero on the run, the question is asked: Shame on who exactly? Shame on Holly for making a mistake in the past, shame on her stalker for his constant threats and attacks, or shame on her fans, for building her up and putting her on a pedestal, and for forgetting that she is human?

Writing Shame on You has made me reexamine the way I engage with social media. As the holidays and New Year approaches, I remind myself that what I am viewing online is truly, only a highlights reel. I remember not to pressure myself in the New Year with restrictive diets or training plans, but to be a bit kinder to myself. Most importantly, Shame on You has reminded me to put down my phone more, and be fully present in the real world.

About SHAME ON YOU

Have you ever wanted to reinvent yourself?
Have you ever lied about who you are to get more likes?
Have you ever followed someone online who you think is perfect?

Meet Holly.

Social media sensation. The face of clean eating.

Everyone loves her. Everyone wants to be her.

But when Holly is attacked by a man she’s only just met, her life starts to spiral out of control. He seemed to know her – but she doesn’t know him.

What if Holly isn’t who she seems to be? What if Holly’s living a lie?

—
Amy is a writer and book blogger based in South Africa. She has been shortlisted twice for the acclaimed Miles Morland African Writing Scholarship. Her short stories and poems have published in multiple anthologies including Brittle Paper, The Kalahari Review and the Short Sharp Stories anthologies. When she is not writing her own fiction, she ghost-writes books and columns for global tech and financial companies. Her second novel is due for release in November 2019.

Follow her on Twitter @AmyHeydenrych

Category: Contemporary Women Writers, On Writing