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Would You Buy A Fake?
Would You Buy A Fake?
A lot of people aspire to the designer laden lifestyle but haven’t got the cash to back it up. You could scrimp and save for that luxury purse or pair of shoes or you could fake it. Instead of purchasing a Louis Vuitton purse for $1,000, you can buy a fake for $80 or less. Fake Rolex watches are so common now; it’s difficult to convince anyone that you’re wearing the real thing. The word Replica is being touted to give products a more legitimate image. It still means fake. However, you can still spend thousands of dollars on a Replica Rolex. If it’s a Lacoste T-shirt you’re after, you can buy a knockoff from a supplier in China with badly translated product descriptions.
If a genuine Van Gogh, which has graced your living room wall for years, were suddenly revealed to be a forgery, how would you feel? The sequence of emotions is likely to be shock, disbelief, and anger, followed by deep-seated embarrassment. The painting that has given you so much pleasure turns into an object of shame. Not just financially worthless but emotionally worthless. It looks the same but it’s a lie.
So many people crave luxury and they want the real thing. If it’s fake, they don’t get that adrenaline rush. They feel cheated. The Sex and the City gang drool over Gucci this and Prada that. The thought of shoes takes up 90% of their brains. Women emulate Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha. The girls who do lunch in their Manolo Blahnik creations.
In the episode Sex and Another City, the question of authenticity is explored. Samantha shows off her fake Fendi purse and Carrie decides she will buy one too. Off they go to the guy who sells them out of the trunk of his car. As she looks at his stock, Carrie decides she doesn’t want one after all. What should be a spiritual experience for her is reduced to a tacky trade. The link between fake products and fake relationships is made.
The only fake product that carries any status is fake fur. This used to be considered cheap imitation but now you can embellish a fun fur with a campaign for animal rights. That pink faux mink screams social conscience. Even Ralph Lauren has found a soul and backed fake fur.
We can also make choices about our bodies and whether we want them to be authentic or altered. Does a tummy tuck, a boob job or a face-lift make us a fake? Having a Botox injection or chemical peel is just the same as applying make up to some people. We own our bodies so it’s up to us to show our chosen version. We sculpt the truth out of what nature gave us. Our own label belongs to us.
We all have our deceits, our masks and little secrets. Look carefully at the stitching or the fabric and we are found out. Fakes are a billion dollar industry. We are judged by the products we use and if we can’t afford the real thing, we substitute. If we want the perfect body, we buy one. There’s a certain kind of tyranny in needing constant validation. If you’re just doing it for yourself and it feels good, it’s your money to splash out on the real and the not so real but beware; faking it can become a habit and start to influence other aspects of your life. You could become a replica of yourself.
Published: Jul 16,2008 09:30
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Andy Cowan
Andy Cowan, an award-winning writer, whose credits include Cheers and Seinfeld, regularly contributes humor pieces to the Los Angeles Times and the CBS Jack FM Radio Network.
Paul M. J. Suchecki
Paul M. J. Suchecki has more than 30 years of experience as an award winning writer, producer, and cameraman. He's written numerous newspaper and magazine articles. Currently he writes, produces and shoots for LA CityView Channel 35 and his more than 250 articles for Ehow.com are approaching half a million readers.
Coby Kindles
Coby Kindles is a freelance journalist, screenplay writer and essayist. She has been a staff writer at Knight Ridder and a regular contributor to The Associated Press.
Debbie Milam
Debbie Milam is a syndicated columnist for United Press International, an occupational therapist, family success consultant, and motivational speaker with more than 20 years experience. Her work on stress management, spirituality, parenting, and special-needs children has been featured in over 300 media outlets including First for Women, The Miami Herald, Elle, Ladies Home Journal, The Hallmark Channel, PBS and WebMD.
Dan Rafter
Dan Rafter has covered the residential real estate industry for more than 15 years. He has contributed real estate stories to the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Business 2.0 Magazine, Home Magazine, Smart HomeOwner Magazine and many others.
Jack Nargundkar
Jack Nargundkar has been repeatedly published in Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. He is also an author of "The Bush Diaries" published in July 2005.
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