Dupes and the cult of counterfeit chic – 07/16/2023 – Ronaldo Lemos

“Dupe”. If you’re active on TikTok or Instagram, this term has likely popped up in your feed.

A “dupe” is a copy of a product — an attempt to replicate or replace a more expensive or luxury item. With prices generally lower than the originals, “dupes” (short for “duplication”) have become a rage among social media users, especially among Generation Z.

What was once seen as blatant piracy, including infringing intellectual property rights, has now become an object of cult, especially among those aged 16 to 30. A curious cultural shift.

A lot of people today aspire to have more of the pirate than the original. Among lovers of “dupes”, there is a search for differentiating the quality of counterfeits.

On social networks, there are specialists in “dupes” who analyze whether the seams of a counterfeit were made in a back stitch, more sophisticated, instead of a running stitch, more common, and so on. This gave rise to the phenomenon of “collector’s copies”, which aim to be superior to the originals.

The phenomenon of “dupes” is not restricted to the online universe or the informality of the streets. Large stores, such as Ikea, offer copies of renowned designer furniture at much more affordable prices.

Fast fashion brands replicate the models of luxury brands and, in turn, are copied by dupe makers. And this logic extends to different segments: perfumes, makeup, accessories, electronics and more. What used to be shame is becoming ostentation.

This explosion in the cult of replicas is a symptom of a deeper and more disturbing phenomenon: the erosion of authenticity and authorship. With the arrival of artificial intelligence tools, this process has only accelerated. Today, there are companies that create digital copies of ourselves based on the data we generate, such as texts, videos and photos. These replicas can be used in Zoom calls, videos on social networks and even to respond to emails with our own style.

The normalization of “deepfakes” is another example of this phenomenon. Recently, Conar filed an ethical lawsuit in relation to the commercial in which a replica (“dupe”?) of Elis Regina appears singing Belchior’s famous song. That same resource is being used in Hollywood to rejuvenate actors and even resurrect those who have passed away.

In other words, we are entering the society of “dupes” of people, including ourselves.

The logic can become the same as that of pirated products sold on the ground in cities. Copies of us or others proliferating without control, diluting the idea of ​​identity. This is yet another symptom of the “great rupture”. Every intellectual and cultural creation becomes raw material to be reprocessed into content that is detached from its original meaning.

At the moment we are delighted with the multiplication of replicas. It’s an effect similar to the origins of cinema, when people would run out of rooms when they saw an image of an approaching train on the screen. But the spell will wear off. When this happens, the replica may have taken the place and function of the original.

It’s over The need for authenticity to flaunt luxury

AlreadyThe explosion of the cult of replicas and “dupes” in fashion and beyond

It’s comingThe proliferation of replicas of people, diluting the idea of ​​identity

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