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ILLUMINATION

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5 Ways I Can Tell You’re a Genuine Person or Just Faking It

3 min readJun 4, 2025

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A a well-dressed woman holds a digital tablet, her expression one of calm confidence.
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An ex of mine, caught lying, cheating, and being generally abusive, would still insist he was a ‘gentleman’ and everyone else who thought otherwise was just crazy.

In a narcissist’s world, the image they sell is everything, and they will defend it to their last breath. Without that mask, there is nothing underneath, so they will bulldoze through anything and anyone to protect it.

In the early days, he’d whine about why some of his close friends had distanced themselves. Later, I realized they were those who refused to be his flying monkeys. They noticed the gap between what he said and what he did, and it made them uncomfortable.

These days, ‘authenticity’ is a buzzword. Like someone I know who gets aggressively defensive the minute anyone suggests she might be anything but what she claims. Behind her back, everyone calls her “Doordarshan” — the old public TV channel in India — because of her gossipy nature. Ironic, considering her obsession with appearing spiritual and woke.

Then there are the attention seekers. Constantly tooting their horn about their success or a picture-perfect lifestyle. It’s especially common in cultures where worth is

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ILLUMINATION
ILLUMINATION

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Yana Bostongirl
Yana Bostongirl

Written by Yana Bostongirl

✨ Boston-based| 🖋️A memoir in motion| Indian American| 🌍Third culture soul| Not great at small talk, obsessed with big questions, and still figuring it out💫