I Hate Myselfie by Shane Dawson

Synopsis from Back Cover:

From his first vlog back in 2008, to his full-length film directorial debut, Not Cool, Shane Dawson has been an open book when it comes to documenting his life. But behind the music video spoofs, TMI love-life details, and outrageous commentary on everything the celebrity and internet world has the nerve to dish out is a guy who grew up in a financially challenged but loving home in Long Beach, California, and who suffered all the teasing and social limitations that arise when you’re a morbidly obese kid with a pretty face, your mom is your best friend, and you can’t get a date to save your life. In I Hate Myselfie, Shane steps away from his larger-than-life internet persona and takes us deep into the experiences of an eccentric and introverted kid, who, by observing the strange world around him, developed a talent that would inspire millions of fans. Intelligent, hilarious, heartbreaking, and raw, I Hate Myselfie is a collection of eighteen personal essays about how messy life can get when you’re growing up and how rewarding it can feel when the cleanup is (pretty much) done.

Review:

The first YouTuber I heard about writing a book is Shane Dawson. After I read two other YouTubers’ book, I decided to read I Hate Myselfie.

Then I read some of the reviews on I Hate Myselfie. One star reviews filled my screen. The common issues with the book are racism, misogyny, slut-shaming, and fat-shaming. After following ShaneDawsonTV for a few years, I know that he has been criticized for racism and for attacking other groups. But his work is generally satire which means a lot of people are going to view it as something else. I can say that he is not fat-shaming, slut-shaming, being misogynistic, or being racist in this book.

The book was okay. I did not love it. Each essay showed his personality and maintained his usual conversational tone. I appreciate that each essay has a moral or satisfying resolution.

From page 29 of I Hate Myselfie

For appearances, I prefer titles that don’t cover the model’s eyes. Otherwise, I like the book cover. I also enjoyed the fan-made illustrations at the start of each chapter. Shane demonstrates his appreciation for his fans by including these. The picture on the right is my favorite. It was drawn by Sydney Levine.

What is a “myselfie?” As explained in the introduction of his book, myselfie refers to the way one portrays his or herself online. Attempting to show the world his authentic self, Shane mostly avoids writing about his online presence. He never touches on how he hates hisselfie. He writes about loving YouTube and about non-Internet events, but he never gets to what bothers him about his public image.

Shane wrote dialogue in script form. It shows Shane’s film experience as a director, actor and vlogger. This style shifts the setting and increases reading speed. I would have liked to read one essay that did not rely on script dialogue.

One part that bothers me is the organization of the essays. I believe it would fit together better if each followed his life in chronological order. There is a loose thread connecting pre-YouTube to now.

The theme is to not worry what others think of you. The haters will keep on hating. The good friends will not laugh at you for something you say or do.

Fans of Shane Dawson will benefit the most from this collection of essays.

Genres: Memoir, Essay, Biography, Humor

Rating: 3 of 5 Stars