Stop Showing Off is a project about children who want to be famous. Desire for fame is often interrogated by psychologists as rooted in low self-esteem, narcissism and neglect. But this research seeks to unpack a more nuanced view of this, one that questions whether some of the drive for fame is underpinned by completely understandable desires for children; a desire to live an extraordinary life, to feel important, to be good at something, to be loved, to be seen. Is that all so bad?

Particularly in girls, the order to ‘stop showing off’ feels common and venomous. How much of this is our discomfort with young women being too loud, too much, taking up too much space?

Stop Showing Off is in development and has been supported by Inverclyde Culture Collective and the Beacon Arts Centre. Sally hopes to keep this research going so please get in touch if you would like to discuss supporting this work.

Greenock Telegraph Article

Videos from Research and Development week here