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poignant decision to give it all up to

spend more time with her family. When

she’s finished, the toastmaster of the

evening asks the group whether they

believe Sheila’s story. All hands in the

room go up. The toastmaster turns to

Sheila and asks whether it was true.

“I can’t even carry a tune!” she

beams triumphantly.

Sheila comes across as disingenuous,

but also oddly sympathetic. Like the

anxious readers of the 1920s personality

guides, she’s only trying to get

ahead at the office. “There’s so much

competition in my work environment,”

she confides to the camera, “that it

makes it more important than ever to

keep my skills sharp.”

But what do “sharp skills” look like?

Should we become so proficient at selfpresentation

that we can dissemble

without anyone suspecting? Must we

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