Anyone else love a good dupe? We live in a world where “dupe culture” has become normalized. Once exclusive products become easily available through the mass production of their replicas. What looks like a one-of-a-kind product could all be yours for a fraction of the price. How are we expected to resist?
Adorno and Horkheimer, two key thinkers from the Frankfurt School, argue that mass culture has become a commodity under capitalism. They claim that cultural products have been mass-produced and formulaic to gain popularity, often diminishing the value of the original.
Products that once functioned as being unique and valuable are stripped of their worth through the rise of capitalism and mass-production. Adorno and Horkheimer wrote:“The commodity function of art disappears only to be wholly realized when art becomes a species of commodity instead, marketable and interchangeable like an industrial product.”
When products like art, and fashion become easily accessible to the public, the item becomes just another commodity.
This theory can be applied to the world of fashion and the trends it creates. Fast-fashion brands like Temu and Shein have changed the way we shop because of their mass-production model. They create an outlet where consumers can find a wide range of designer dupe products for a very low price.
Take Walmart’s viral Birkin' bag for example. Walmart created a bag that mimicked the Hermès style and made it accessible to the public by selling it for a very low price. The Birkin’ bag symbolizes social class and retails today for around $30,000. The Walmart version however, retails for the shocking price of $78 and looks identical to the original.
As this dupe gained popularity, more knock-offs flooded the market. This further validates Marxist theory in the sense that these products help maintain social control by reinforcing the idea of wealth.
In the end, the mass production of cultural products doesn't benefit anyone. It strips down a product's worth by making it easily accessible to consumers.
I know I’m definitely guilty of participating in dupe culture, but what about you? Have you ever bought something because it was a dupe of a more expensive product? How do you think “dupe culture” affects the way we view value?
This was a great piece that you wrote and I am ok to confess that I am guilty of buying the knockoff versions of expensive products I definitely give in to the "Dupe culture". I am sure that this is infuriating for the big companies, but the reality is I do not have $30,000 to spend on one bag that is considered to be a work of art or a symbol of high status. I am a practical and frugal consumer. I like saving money whenever I can so that I can spend it on more meaningful things like going on vacation.
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