The Slow Traveler

I’ve picked five books that are on my to-read pile this autumn, a good mix of fiction and non-fiction, favourite writers and writers I’ve never read before. I’m starting with her most recent book, Grand Union, a collection of short stories, mostly set in and around New York, with characters including a disgraced cop, an ageing cabaret artist, and a single mother on holiday with four kids. Suketu Mehta’s book is a defence of exactly that, of global immigration, arguing that the West isn’t being destroyed by immigrants, but by the fear of immigrants. If that sounds a bit vague, then this new book, An Emotional Education, does a better job of explaining the school’s aims.

This essay discusses the rise of Instagram influencer Sophie Hinchliffe (Mrs Hinch) and the subsequent debate surrounding the idea that, by glamourising cleaning, she is promoting archaic and damaging gender roles. In a poll in which Instagram users were asked to respond to Reid’s article by giving their opinion on the debate, all of the responses were from women and the majority of those women But Davis, like Hinchliffe, and many more women, is using Instagram to show how much work goes into these traditionally undervalued and increasingly frowned-upon roles. She compares Hinchliffe’s Instagram account to sexist advertising from the 1950s, failing to see the latter was an industry dominated by men and the former is an industry dominated by women.

It isn’t a book I’d usually choose for myself, but I’m absolutely hooked. But there’s a bit of everything here: fiction, travel writing, and brain-bending philosophy-type stuff. I’m always reading references to Chomsky so I’m keen to get stuck into this book and annoy people even more with my incessant meaning-of-life ramblings. It’s honest, hilariously funny and makes me feel better about all the stuff I usually squirm over when I think about my younger years.

This is her best-known work and, much like Ulman’s Excellencies & Perfections, it explores stereotypes created and perpetuated by the media, particularly stereotypes about women. And the opposite could be argued: using Instagram for art could force traditional art galleries to become more accessible to people from outside the art world. In Sherman’s case, it’s possible that what we see on Instagram is something closer to the real Cindy Sherman. Not only does social media make art more accessible to view, but it also creates more opportunities for artists to make work and exhibit work, reach a wider audience, and even make a living.