LARP to the Limit
What happens when we focus on who we want to be without acknowledging who we are?
By: Michelle Ottinot
On July 10, the musician J. Cole had an industrial crane lower his Honda Civic onto the stage for thousands of fans to see. Though he came off as humble, likely intending it to be a moment of connection where fans say, “I’m not so different from you,” the effort it took to hover a car canceled out Cole’s motives.
Where some see humility, I see a pattern that transcends J. Cole, relating to us laypeople: the difference between a pose and a highlight becomes blurred as we access more tools to curate an identity.
This begs the question, “Can you still be humble if you highlight it?”
Image Obsession
Curating an identity doesn’t end at subtle flexing. In fact, today one may simply order a helmet and start their National Football League career.
Daejon Love, a poser as a wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers, made millions from women with this method. Despite the controversial implications of his actions, he only rose to fame after being exposed. Though the technical name for an action like Love’s may be “fraud,” those online today would likely just say he’s LARPing.
A LARP, or Live Action Role Player, is a trending term for a person who displays a life they don’t live.
In tune with social media’s obsession with outward appearances, LARPers aren't interested in actually becoming the role — only associating with it. Though the scale of Daejon Love’s stunt isn’t common, there is now a wider shift focusing on how we can maximize our attributes to seem accomplished in public, even when it means minimizing true character. The members of this subculture find the more raw and turbulent process of development nonessential.
“Too many of us seem to be maxxing our way out of the experiences and perspectives that give us maximum meaning,” says Ian Bogos in The Atlantic.
In an age where content is delivered immediately by thousands of internet users, it’s harder to be patient with gradual processes. Running speed, career milestones and even slow internet networks test my patience. The truth is, I never had any patience to begin with, not since I’d been referencing the internet.
Contrary to appearances, though, LARPing isn’t performative, as being performative is motivated by social impressions.
Instead, LARP tries to close the gap between fantasy and reality using mere belief, putting external validation second. LARPing an identity may take less effort than building one, but it is harder to maintain without the experiences that make it authentic.
“Fake it ’till you make it” has long been a motto in hustle culture, however, it has a different objective from LARP. The former uses identity as a reference for making progress, while the latter lives as though that identity is already achieved. Both start similarly — playing a role — but only one centers effort to close the gap.
LARPing can help us take steps before feeling ready, but it’s important not to stop at believing the identity. The identity should go further, guiding the habits we develop and experiences we seek.
Social Media’s Influence
Standards are born, and die, everyday online. According to Jumper Media, most trends can peak in three days. Social media has become a big part of socializing, and its reach means we can all have a small town for an audience — a visibility humans were never meant to achieve.
As I understand it, social media benefits from some curation, especially under which users comprise their images based on their best moments or highlights. The progress after weeks in the gym, the first-place trophy after training, the story we finally wrote or the show we finally watched. I do it myself to connect with mutuals.
However, without acknowledging who we are, we lose the connections made through real experience. Overlooking your true circumstances in favor of only “maxxing” the superficial features won’t actually fill the gap between reality and the image that helps you feel fulfilled.
Aside from LARP, audiences still circle around content creators who are explicitly driven by external validation. Before he was put in jail, the “looksmaxxing” founder Clavicular built a platform based on the message that there is always something to improve about your appearance. But if every moment is spent planning to be someone else, when will there be time to exist?
Acknowledging who we are in the moment, uninhibited by external factors like algorithmic reach, doesn’t mean we can’t switch identities. It means that our journey will be motivated by what we want instead of what we think will be accepted.
We will establish the experience that makes us real, not role players.
Michelle Ottinot is a second-year Advertising major who loves running, mysteries and theatre. She also likes to discover new music.
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