I’d never thought of Show and Tell as baby’s first building block of individualism, but seen through Sumaiya’s eyes, it suddenly seemed like an early foray into the culture of the self. The monogrammed towels, vanity license plates, and sloganeering tote bags would follow—a lifelong parade displaying one’s own distinctiveness. If Western culture has the laudable goals of speaking up and standing out, these values also bring collateral damage: the cult of personalization.
