Self-Help, LLC

Tara McMullin
Jul 19, 2023
Share

don't give up. You are not alone, you matter signage on metal fence
Photo by Dan Meyers on Unsplash

We’re inundated by self-help messaging no matter where we go.

It’s in the grocery store, the gym, the office, and anywhere we go online.

Self-Help, LLC is a special series from What Works that investigates how the medium of self-help shapes the way we navigate the 21st-century economy.

Each essay in the 8-part series is linked below. Or, you can listen to the series here:

How Advice Culture Turns Us Into Winners (And Losers)

Tara McMullin
·
September 7, 2022
How Advice Culture Turns Us Into Winners (And Losers)

Self-help is an $11 billion category in the US.
Many, many more billions circulate throughout the larger life improvement ecosystem. Despite the size of the market and the demand for new products, it’s a category that is often the butt of jokes.

Read full story

"She Looks Like an Instagram:" How Empowerment Became A Brand

Tara McMullin
·
September 15, 2022
"She Looks Like an Instagram:" How Empowerment Became A Brand

I’ve always loved makeup. I’ve gone through many phases with makeup over the years—and I’m sure there are many more to come! Over the last few years, though, my makeup routine has involved wearing less. Most days, I wear a tinted moisturizer, bronzer, eyebrow tint, and mascara. On a day I need to be camera-ready, I’ll add in some eyeliner and concealer.…

Read full story

Who Do You Trust With Your Business or Career?

Tara McMullin
·
September 22, 2022
Who Do You Trust With Your Business or Career?

Distrust is society’s default emotion. That’s according to the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer survey. It found that 6 out of 10 people report that their default tendency is to approach new information with distrust until there is clear evidence of its trustworthiness.

Read full story

What's Your Type? Why Self-Knowledge is Big Business on Social Media

Tara McMullin
·
September 29, 2022
What's Your Type? Why Self-Knowledge is Big Business on Social Media

Two types of content dominate my Instagram and TikTok feeds right now. The first is users talking about different personality and developmental conditions. The second is all about personality types and astrology signs. I’m sure some of the prevalence of this content can be explained away by my interest in both of those topics. Platforms naturally surface…

Read full story

How Influencers Change the Way We See Ourselves

Tara McMullin
·
October 5, 2022
How Influencers Change the Way We See Ourselves

I became a mom about 14 and a half years ago. It wasn’t something I’d ever thought about growing up. I didn’t fantasize about raising kids. I was never a babysitter. Heck, I didn’t really like other kids when I was a kid—let alone as an adult. So I knew

Read full story

What Does Power Sound Like?

Tara McMullin
·
October 13, 2022
What Does Power Sound Like?

In fourth grade, I auditioned for my elementary school chorus. I love to sing—but it’s not, let’s say, one of my more celebrated talents. So I’m standing next to an upright piano in our school auditorium-slash-gym-slash-cafeteria and singing along to my music teacher playing the accompaniment. I belt out what I imagine to be the melody, full of confiden…

Read full story

The Body at Work: Why Self-Control is the #1 Rule of the 21st-Century Economy

Tara McMullin
·
October 20, 2022
The Body at Work: Why Self-Control is the #1 Rule of the 21st-Century Economy

The first time I recognized that my body should be controlled was when I was eleven or twelve years old. Thanks to some particularly nasty asthma medication, my body was already well on the “after” side of puberty by that point. A large three-way mirror, inviting scrutiny, stood in our living room on account of my mother working from home as a seamstres…

Read full story

Hustle Culture: How did we get here? And what do we do about it?

Tara McMullin
·
October 26, 2022
Hustle Culture: How did we get here? And what do we do about it?

American culture is hustle culture. We place extraordinary value on productivity, efficiency, and the willingness to suck it up and squeeze more in. Our heroes are entrepreneurs and artists who put in the work. We are educated in hustle culture from the time we start school to the time we leave it.

Read full story

Share

If you like Self-Help, LLC, you’ll love What Works! Become a free or paid subscriber today!