ALL ABOUT EVE

What is the meaning of fragility? Look in the dictionary and it translates as 'to be easily broken'.  But I have always thought of fragile as gentle.  Sting sang about it, telling us life is fragile.  So life is easily broken. Everyone's life is easily broken.
But there are a few who have hardened, thickened so much they present a polished exterior to a hollow interior.  I talk of the gamut of celebrities and high profile people who are now writing self help books.   Royalty who are talking mental health issues. And even politicians on the band wagon of 'recovering'.  Recovering from what?  Overwhelming weight of ego and self obsession? They want to prove they are fragile.  They want to prove they are easily broken. They want to prove they are of the people as well as for the people. But they are neither.  And they are not fragile. They are as tough as old boots, hard as nails/diamonds/a hard thing.
So I have been bemused by the amount of celebrity or semi celebrity who have jumped on the bandwagon of writing self help books.  Everything from menopause (its been done before) to exhaustion, depression, self image, loneliness...   and reading them, I realise the only ones they are helping is themselves. These celebrity authors are attention and power seekers, with often ghost written books.
It would be better if they wrote about their attention and power seeking strategies.  Or rather more honest if they did so, but it would be a bit like standing up and saying 'Hello I'm horrible, but successful and this is what I had to do to be the person I am.   That would actually sell.   They wouldn't be liked but at least it would show some degree of integrity about having no integrity. But they are all playing now the 'poor little me' game to show they are sensitive.
So it was timely how I went to see All About Eve last night, which was wonderful. With Gillian Anderson (thin and beautiful) and Lily James (thin and beautiful) playing the star and the 'poor little me' wannabe respectively, they captured the mood of wanting to get on at any cost.
So take the self help books with a pinch of salt. They are not about you. They are not for you. They are giving an angle and a stage for another self obsessed celebrity to talk about themselves.  Each one is an adaptation of All About Eve, pinching the lines and advice of every therapist they have ever seen or listened to. These celebrities have probably caused more mental health issues by receiving the profile and prestige they have, than they resolve.  It is nothing to do with helping others. The book is About them. Not you. They are all Eves.  Whatever they have chosen to call themselves.
Go see the play if you are able to get tickets. It is very good (but I liked the Bette Davis version better).