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Our modern myths circulate around a singular idea: you are what you make of yourself. As Burton demonstrates, the story of the 'self-made man' reaches back much farther than the Kardashians.

From at least the time of Albrecht Durer and Leonardo Da Vinci, there has been a trending impulse of self-promotion and the elevation of the self to a divine status. Even within a nominally Christian society, the self is seen as Creator - or at least re-creator - so that the 'genius' and the self-made-man were synonymous. The obsession with the naked natural state in the Enlightenment, the placement of bon ton as an indicator of aristocratic fashionability in regency London, and the proliferation of Dandies in the late 18th century all contributed to a social imaginary of self-expression that has become all but unquestioned in our own day.

Though there were certainly benefits of freedom of self-expression, the unintended consequence was that moral value was now assigned to success. If you fail to gain prestige or pedigree, then you only have yourself to blame - because you did not create a new 'self' for yourself. Poverty now is perceived as a sin, and obscurity is no longer a virtue. The only thing transcendent in a post-Nietzschean world is the self's desire.

Whatever had been building up until the 1920's was about to be dwarfed by the rise of the 'Hollywood it-girl.' Actresses like Clara Bow exhibited a 'careless elegance' that led to capitalistic reward. The new American Dream was to become rich and famous by becoming a star. As Burton said, 'originality was now marketable.' If you can maintain a certain 'look' then you can sell products that show that you have 'taste.'

No longer is virtue or skill primary, but perception and projection take center-stage. In the infamous televised debate between Nixon and Kennedy, what became clear is that the American people did not want a president, but a performer instead. Unless you can show a carefully curated nonchalance, you would be left behind.

As promised, Barton began with Da Vinci and ended with the Kardashians. In light of the history that the author presented, the rise of Paris Hilton's closet organizer to ultimate celebrity now makes sense. But the 'enmeshed advertising' that the Kardashians perfected didn't stop with them. Now every child is a would-be influencer, willing to brand a 'self' and sell an identity to the masses.

But, in all of it, the question remains: can a 'self' really be created? Surely projection is possible, but a deep integration of the parts of one's 'self' seem to be innate. Though the cultural value of self-making is unquestioned, maybe it is time to put the spotlight on our assumptions. Self-expression might be a good, but self-creation will always be nothing but a 'myth.'