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Why Is Jesse James so Popular?
Who is the hottest ticket on cable TV? Many would agree that his name is Jesse James.
So who is Jesse James? He’s the heavily tattooed, foul-mouthed, chopper building, former criminal, married to a porn actress star of Monster Garage, a reality show on The Discovery Channel.
Jesse’s as famous as the $150,000 custom motorcycles he builds for customers. By his own account, his early life in the streets often found him on the wrong side of the law, but he developed his metal working skills in shop class and after working for some prominent West Coast builders, he launched out on his own. You might recognize the name of his business today as it includes a line of casual wear that seems to pop up everywhere: West Coast Choppers.
And viewers love him, me included. About the only thing Jesse and I have in common is a mutual love for motorcycles and hot rod cars. Otherwise, we’re at opposite ends of the lifestyle spectrum.
The appeal isn’t based on any kind of opposite attraction. What I like about Jesse James is this: He is who he is. What you see is what you get, the good and the bad, the admirable and the sleazy. You don’t agree with everything he says and does, but if you’re like me, you really enjoy seeing someone live out the Shakespearean adage, “to thine own self be true.”
What Jesse James is all about is authenticity. We’re tired of manufactured personalities and people who are more spin than substance. “Make it until you fake it” is dead. Nobody likes fakes. Give me a genuine jerk over a fake friend any day; at least I’ll know who I’m dealing with.
Authenticity is more than appealing, it is requisite for leaders, politicians, and anyone who communicates in a public forum. It is also a critical part of any branding initiative and all product development. Real is the deal.
Carefully craft your message, but make sure it is congruent with who you really are, and not who you’d like to appear to be. Take off the mask so people will know not just what they are hearing but who they’re hearing. One of the side benefits of authenticity is that is saves a lot of energy otherwise spent trying to be who you aren’t.
