Uncool Isn't Glamorous, But It's Real

As I read Don’t Buy What I’m Selling I thought about Almost Famous, when Lester Bangs tells young Cameron Crowe that writing about rock stars will never make him cool — and that the only real path is to be honest and unmerciful with his work. Author Lu Chekowsky takes the same tack in her book about advertising and obesity.

With advertising, Chekowsky doesn't so much pull back the curtain as tear it down. A creative director and copywriter for Wieden+Kennedy, MTV, Comedy Central, and Facebook, she lets us know that companies and networks don't love us, but seek to make us unhappy so we'll buy things we don't need. She once thought she could change the culture by pouring her human voice into things, only to find disappointment.

With obesity, she details a lifelong struggle with her uncool body. She battled not only food, but also the fact that she was too fat and girly to truly be accepted for herself and her talent in the world of hip marketing, or the world in general.

She lays out her experiences in raw and hilarious ways; her capacity to be human on the page is admirable. I enjoyed her stories about her mother, Rose. Rose was obese, but she was wise to advertising's ways even though she and Lu binged on its content. Lu knew advertising was mostly lies, but she wasn't immune to its pull. She experienced this feeling time and again as she worked with stars like Justin Bieber and Michael Jordan. It’s interesting to note that one of Nike’s most famous Jordan commercials had to be digitally enhanced because he read the copy with so little emotion — a small reminder of the tricks of the trade.

The book weaves the subjects of advertising and obesity well. However, because both are big topics, some readers might feel the book is too much about one or the other. Occasionally, the narrative will drift away from the subject at hand without a clear transition. Still, the book needs both to understand Chekowsky's story. If you want an insider's view of advertising or an authentic take on what it's like to be human, this book won't disappoint.

In Almost Famous, Bangs says, “The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you’re uncool.” Be proud of yourself for that, Lu.

I received an advance reading copy from NetGalley.