Knowing how to present yourself by knowing how to recognize false true facts

Abstract

The presentation of self is a specific kind of knowledge of how to appear and speak publicly in the face of inferences of what can be drawn about how you have appeared and what you have said. As a specific case of the latter, there are things you cannot say publicly even if—or, in particular, when—they are true. This can be called recognition of false true facts. Of course, it could be claimed that knowing false true facts is just knowledge of a type of fact which does not require know-how but plain knowledge. In this article, we try to show that knowing false true facts is part of the presentation of self, which is based on know-how of telling false true facts from other facts (i.e., what you should never say publicly, however true it might be). Regarding our data, we analyze a videotaped interaction among a group of young females discussing what would be different in life if they were men. In their group discussion, they make a distinction regarding how a woman could answer that question and what could not be answered. Through defining what women could publicly say, the group performatively defines how women can present themselves. In that way, the presentation of self is based on know-how of the distinction between false true facts and other facts. At least on occasion, there does exist gender-specific expertise that delimits public performance of gender.