Fakin’ It
-SJB
3 min read
As the days of summer flings are long behind us, we may find ourselves embracing the fall season by committing to something other than designer shoes:
Relationships.
To get a special someone for the fall season, the guidelines are brief, but mandatory. Firstly, look your best; let’s all admit that we’re a bit shallow. Secondly, laugh a lot; because who doesn’t love a good laugh? And lastly, stolen from the playbook of a 5th grade schoolgirl:
Pretend that you’re not interested.
Although this advice is usually a recipe for disaster (just say hi, okay?), it leaves us to question the environment that we’re in.
In a world of so much charade, how much are we really acting? How well can we, as business leaders say, “fake it ‘til we make it?”
Let’s talk faux: how popular is the trend of pretend?
In relationships, there’s countless factors you can “fake.” Having a fake career, lying about your current relationship status, and pretending you don’t still live with your parents are just three examples of show business.
But let’s go extreme: what about faking an entire relationship?
Celebrities are often accused of having “showmances,” fake relationships in order to generate publicity. Drake and Jennifer Lopez and Selena Gomez and Zedd raised some major eyebrows in the past, their relationships perfectly syncing up with their newest music collaborations.
The most recent suspects? None other than our Havana girl Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes.
Cabello and Mendes released a song collaboration in the beginning of this year, “Senorita,” and it quickly rose on the charts. Around the same time, they began dating, as paparazzi caught them passionately kissing on date nights. The stars’ MTV performance was anything but friendly: the singers sang mere inches away from each other’s lips. Their romance was so over-the-top and so romantic that Twitter only had one thing to say: PR stunt.
Metro Magazine recently interviewed Hollywood publicist Jack Ketsoyan about his experience with celebrity showmances. Ketsoyan revealed that celebrity agents actually make dating contracts, and that an upcoming star will be “set up” to date a celebrity in order to generate publicity.
But whereas some celebrities are in denial of their fakeness, others embrace the trend of pretend. In this case, the Kardashians aren’t ashamed of their plastic surgery—the ultimate faux style.
In 2016, Khloe Kardashian was asked about plastic surgery, and casually responded, “I think plastic surgery should be viewed almost like makeup...you’re changing who you are, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”
The Kardashian then acknowledged her face fillers on an episode of her talk show, telling viewers that she wanted more cheek structure. Kourtney Kardashian followed suit, telling interviewers about her decision to get breast implants. Kylie Jenner told fans about her lip fillers on her app: “I’m not against plastic surgery...If...I get to a point where I’m really uncomfortable with something on my body, I’m not against changing it.”
So is the trend of pretend really in style? Are the days of “stay true to yourself” in the past?
Should we partake in being fake?
In the fashion world, “fake” is usually synonymous with “counterfeit.” According to The Fashion Law, the counterfeit clothing and footwear market has grown to $450 billion industry, exploding among retailers like Alibaba.
But runway viewers were shocked when they saw the counterfeits displayed on their own premises: Gucci’s 2018 Resort collection.
When a model walked down the runway in a pink sweater that read “Guccy,” the reactions were priceless. Some viewers were irate, claiming that the brand was unfairly copying counterfeit items. Others were amused with Gucci’s cheekiness, and the brand’s acknowledgement of the counterfeit market.
However the sweater sold, Gucci’s point was a clear riff on counterfeit items. Gucci made its point: if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. And with one pink sweater, Gucci, or “Guccy,” joined the army of fakes.
To sum up: it’s time to stop pretending that we’re not all pretending.
