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News Mar 18, 2009 @ 2:49pm

Study: Does Carrying A Fake Make You Fake?

fendi spy bag.jpg There’s an interesting article in the New York Times this week about a study conducted by Duke/MIT professor that may color the ongoing fakes debate.

The basic idea behind Professor Dan Ariely’s study, Faking It: The Psychology of Dishonesty and Counterfeits, is that if you do it once (buy a knockoff), you’ll do it again, and it doesn’t just affect your style but your behavior as well. “The effect on morality, people don’t anticipate,” says Ariely. Harsh? Yes. So let’s take a look at the experiment:

Ariely took 250 people and split them into groups of two, giving each one the same pair of “designer” sunglasses. He then told one group their new sunnies were faux, and the other group that theirs were real. Everyone was then given the same math test. Out of those who were wearing the counterfeit glasses, 60% cheated on their test. But for those who were sporting the real deal, only 20% stooped to cheating. (And this was just one of a few different mini-experiments he used to gather his data.)

We’re not sure of all the details (Did any of the subjects know each other? Was one group younger than the other? Were these experiments conducted multiple times each, or just once? etc), but the main question remains: Does buying a Canal Street fake Fendi mean you’re more likely to cheat on anything from a test to a boyfriend? Or does this seem like a bit of a reach?

Ariely’s study basically asserts that buying a fake is a slippery slope, kind of like the gateway drugs from DARE. They can be cheap, they can be easy, and nobody pays attention to anti-counterfeiting ads anyway. But does it mean something more about you if you partake?

-CARSON GRIFFITH

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posted by guest

Mar 18, 2009 3:27PM

I don't know if I believe that buying a fake bag could lead to more sinister behavior, but I will admit (and I do realize it can be a shallow thought) that when I see someone with a fake I think that they are "fake". I just don't get the appeal of it, if you can't afford the real thing, just buy a different bag completely, or save up, there are tons of cute bags out there decently priced. I don't understand why you would choose a fake anything, are you buying it cause you actually like it? Or because your trying to impress others? Better to impress yourself, treat yourself to the real, or avoid it all together.

posted by guest

Mar 18, 2009 3:31PM

I have cheated on boyfriends and tests, but would NEVER carry a fake bag. So what does that make me? Answer: An asshole

posted by guest

Mar 18, 2009 3:52PM

i call b/s!

posted by darcykins

Mar 18, 2009 5:08PM

anymore its hard to find a purse that isn't atleast inspired by something else.
a cheap purse might not be a total knock-off or a fake but still resemble a bag that came before it.
i think the big thing isn't if you buy the fake bag but whether or not you admit it is fake. if you are carrying around a faux fendi and saying its the real deal, then you probably are dishonest about other things, but if you say with pride 'i got this fake for a fraction of the cost of the real thing' well you probably have nothing to worry about.

i'm so very ready to go home.

posted by guest

Mar 18, 2009 5:10PM

gateway bags, XD!!! most girls who have real Fendi spy bags are probably way past gateway drugs though, moved on up to the Bolivian marching powder...

posted by guest

Mar 18, 2009 5:24PM

I think some people have a double standard. I'm not a fake handbag toter,but I think some of those people who hold there nose in the air and "judge" other people for carrying a knockoff for whatever reason would acutally, and have watched a pirated film, or downloaded music from a "shady" source.....

so all you people judging CHECK YOURSELF!

posted by guest

Mar 18, 2009 6:07PM

Why is no one bringing up the fact that by buying a faux purse, you are supporting crime, child labor, and such in asia? These purses are usually made by children in foreign countries who are beaten and raped who have tiny salary that they use to support entire families. By carrying a fake purse, you may not become a "cheater" but you are giving these crimes and horrible conditions a stamp of approval and even though you pay only a little bit of money for these cheap bags, you are still endorsing these crimes. So who cares if a purse makes you cheat on a math test, when you compare that to the lives of those that made those purses!

posted by guest

Mar 18, 2009 8:01PM

I agree with guest #7.

The debate of fake handbags should die. There are several different reasons why people purchase fake handbags. I don't believe that this test can judge a person reasoning behind this unless they follow every individual outside of a testing center.

posted by guest

Mar 18, 2009 8:20PM

I completely agree with guest 8. NOONE is bringing up what really matters here. Fakes support everything immoral. If you really care about the fashion world, you could go buy the real thing or a KNOCK OFF instead of a FAUX handbag. They are two totally different circumstances. Designers constantly knock eachother off, that's why there's the word "Trend" but, buying a fake is lame. It's not about judging people because they have a higher "status" bag than the next, it's about what's in fashion...which fakes are never.

posted by guest

Mar 18, 2009 8:45PM

ha ha ha, guest 2, i love your comment. I feel the same way - i am an asshole - but the authentic one )))

posted by tahl

Mar 18, 2009 8:52PM

Last week, I bought a fake Gucci on Canal Street. This week, overwhelmed by the immoral sensations, I committed murder?

Listen, I love fashion. I love it *a lot*. But whatever my opinion on people who buy fakes versus people who don't, I find it very, very, very suspect that you can somehow "link" one's style choice to their overall moral behavior. Would you say that a person who wears only authentic designer clothes are ~more likely~ to be virtuous? You might, but people who would probably laugh at you. To condemn a whole person's ethical character based solely on THE CLOTHES THEY WEAR is the most judgmental, messed up thing ever.

Way to be shallow and exactly the people non-fashion people think we are, guys!

posted by guest

Mar 18, 2009 8:57PM

I think age/maturity is a factor as well. Coming from a family of hippies, I was not allowed to wear high fashion, so I didn't get into it until my early 20s. I used to carry fakes when I first got into purses (admitting this under the cover of anonymity here), but it was only because I was young and I didn't think I could afford a real purse. But they kept breaking on me! After I went through nine fakes in as many months, I realized that at $50 a fake, suddenly that $400 Marc by Marc Jacobs purse was not as expensive as I had thought. So I bought the real thing and I was so totally taken by the quality of the leather and the instant style gratification that I got rid of all my fakes and I haven't gone back! I carried that purse for three years before realizing that it had definitely paid for itself. Now I carry only Chanels, the real thing of course.

Anyways, when I think of fake bags and canal street now, I think it actually works as another kind of gateway. It's for people who want to experiment with fashion but don't want to get their feet wet yet. It's one giant advertisement for these brands. They are so copied because they are so loved.

I know it's hard for people to understand how anyone could buy a fake, but I don't think carrying one means you're a bad person. It just makes them slightly confused.

I am ashamed that I ever carried a fake bag, but I think I would never have gotten into purses without having had one.

posted by guest

Mar 18, 2009 9:01PM

#3, I agree.

Could the study perchance have been funded by a luxury goods brand?

posted by guest

Mar 19, 2009 1:50AM

I think this study is correlation without causation. Maybe people who are more likely to buy a fake bag are ALREADY more likely to cheat on tests/boyfriends, for whatever reason (because buying a fake does say a little about your personality) but AFTER you have a fake bag, I don't know if that would change anything.

posted by guest

Mar 19, 2009 2:01AM

# 14, I couldn't agree with you more!

As a psychology student, we learn and read about these kinds of studies all the time, and correlation is definitelyyyy not causation.

What is most important to consider is how the correlation is being addressed to the masses (like all of us reading Fashionista)and that more than likely a third variable is being worked in, which is way more interesting to look at!!

For instance, they say:

Buying fake shit --> You are a cheater in life.

When it could be:

Buying fake shit --> Personality Factor, such as high need for acceptance from others--> you are a cheater in life.

...god that was really elaborate but just trying to bring up something else that should be addressed! :)

posted by guest

Mar 19, 2009 8:44AM

Most people who buy counterfeit merchandise think it's harmless, but it's not! Here's an excellent article that will hopefully make people think twice about purchasing fake designer merchandise.

http://www.harpersbazaar.com/magazine/feature-articles/the-fight-against-fakes-0109_

posted by guest

Mar 19, 2009 8:44AM

14, while I agree with your comment as applied to people in real life...this study randomly assigned half of its participants to the fake group, therefore there should not be any correlation as you describe it in this particular study.

15, I truly hope you are a first year psychology student.

posted by guest

Mar 19, 2009 9:45AM

#7 you are absolutely right. #5 very funny- Fendi is very dangerous/ irresistible!

Lastly, fake bags smell- I remember I bought a fake LV wallet in 2002- not really knowing anything about the counterfeit industry.... I was so embarrassed of it that I never carried it & it smelled bad! yuck, I would never!

posted by etoilee8

Mar 19, 2009 10:05AM

When I see someone with a fake handbag, I just think they're kind of lame and not hard working. And before you go crying that I'm some sort of snob, take in account, that if this person were really in some sort of awful money pinch, they wouldn't be reading fashion magazines (promoting which bags were the 'it' bags) and they probably wouldn't have money to throw around on the fakes, which often end up being kind of costly too. I mean, if I really want something nice I scrimp and save and it feels great when it's finally mine. Why can't these people do the same thing?

But like two and ten, I've cheated on a test before. . . so I guess I can join the asshole club.

posted by guest

Mar 19, 2009 11:44AM

I really don't mind fake bags. As long as it is not blatantly a fake Louis or Fendi, etc. then I just see it as another purse.
I'm not sure how websites like Baghaus.com operate, I haven't bought a fake bag from somewhere like this, so I don't know...but if they practice the same abuses linked to the counterfeit industry, then I won't buy from them.

I just don't see the point of being a poor college student, but then spending cash on a several hundred dollar purse or sunglasses.
I still love fashion, and if I like a certain style, I want to try my best to emulate it without harming others.

posted by guest

Mar 19, 2009 1:11PM

I live in Los Angeles. I have to be fake or risked being killed.

posted by guest

Mar 19, 2009 1:53PM

Oh my god, this is hilarious! Listening to you 'confess' that you once bought a fake handbag. It sounds like the fashion version of AA or something. You sound so removed from reality it's unreal! Just to debrief you all on something - so called 'real' designers also use child labor (yes, including Marc Jacobs - child labor in China is part of the MJ package) and the so called ethical standards that they adhere to will still leave an average family starving on their minimum wage. I understand that in the fashion world, fake goods are seen as a violation of important principles, but please don't make them out to be a human rights abuse, especially when most high designer clothes adhere to exactly the same production standards at much higher profit margins. Please stop with this because it makes the real issues seem trivial.

posted by guest

Mar 19, 2009 2:05PM

THANK YOU, 22...

posted by guest

Mar 19, 2009 3:12PM

Sooo sick of all these articles about trying to justify spending thousands on a bag when you can get something that looks just like it for 1/10th of the price. As soon as you realize designer clothes and accessories are a scam and waste of money, you'll all be much happier!

posted by guest

Mar 19, 2009 4:22PM

22, I agree. You all should read the book Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster, by Dana Thomas. She goes in depth about how luxury brands (with a few exceptions like Hermes) now produce in China to increase their margins. So the luxury brand is actually paying the child laborer the same amount but making a lot more money!

Also in the book. Once LV or whoever uses a chinese factory, the factory has the design, so they can easily produce a couple hundred more and sell on the black market. In this case they are not fakes (exactly the same design and same manufacturer), but they don't have the real label. Companies protect authenticity by providing the exact # of labels to the factory, or sewing the labels on themselves back in Paris. However, if you know your luxury, you can easily find these "real" goods in Shanghai and other countries where the factories are.

The issue is intellectual property. And someone above said an interesting thing: if you've ever downloaded music without paying or bought a pirated DVD, you're doing the exact same thing.

All that said, I can't afford a $5K bag but I would never try to pass off a fake. It just seems so sad. I much prefer to buy a cool, well-made bag by an independent designer.

posted by guest

Mar 19, 2009 4:44PM

Does anyone else think that the group with fake glasses just thought "Hey, these researchers obviously don't care about morality and cheating, so why should I?"

posted by guest

Mar 19, 2009 5:35PM

25-So True

That book will confirmed what I had been suspecting for years. Another point is, aren't the girls carry the real 'it' bags just as clueless to fashion as the girls( and some guys)who buy the fake ones??

posted by guest

Mar 19, 2009 5:54PM

I would not go THAT far 27.

I feel that you are clueless if the only thing in your closet is a Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Coach...anything that blatantly shows the label, anything that must put have an LV, F, or C's on the bag for them to carry it. THAT is being clueless.

If you need that to feel like you are now fashionable then, yes, you are clueless.

But seriously, can't people just buy what they like? It sounds to me like you are doing those workers in Shanghai much more of a favor by buying the fakes than the real thing.

posted by etoilee8

Mar 20, 2009 1:20AM

But what the hell ever happened to saving for something nice? Why does everyone have to have the "it" bag just because? It all seems so spoiled and greedy to me. I mean if you can't afford the real deal, doesn't that mean you probably don't need it anyway? That's always been my mantra on things out of my budget. Anything with a loud logo on it screams "look how EXPENSIVE I AM" and that's just sad. And if you're a starving college student, you should probably focus on hitting the books instead of having some flashy bag. Call me crazy, but that's what I did in college. I mean there's plenty of fashion to go around, that won't cost you your first born. There's so many fake bags in the area I live in and it makes me want to barf. (And yes, they generally scream "fake" from a mile away). It just seems like we live in a throwaway society where everyone is just dying to prove their worth to the next person by toting some hideous fake bag. Guess what? If you don't have some killer shoes (or something which shouts 'not fake') to go with it, I'll just assume it's fake. (Meaning AE jeans and flip flops don't make the cut). Fakes are vanity. That's what they are. Be who you are people. Meaning if you can't invest $800 on a handbag (which is pretty stupid in this time of economic crisis), don't try and fake it. You just look silly.

posted by KatLuvsShoes

Mar 20, 2009 12:26PM

I have to confess to having a fake Chanel wallet, myself. It's useful, so I keep it. When I go on trips I want a cute wallet, but if anything happens I'd rather just be out money, instead of money + my Chanel wallet.

posted by darcykins

Mar 20, 2009 12:48PM

when i was little i had a nanny who used to work in a luxury goods factory in (I think) the philipines she saved up money to come to Canada by smuggling real purses out of the factory in pieces, finishing them at home the same way she did in the factory and then selling them.
This makes me think perhaps that sometimes fakes are real, just smuggled out of the factory by someone's future nanny trying to make her way to canada?

posted by guest

Mar 20, 2009 3:28PM

number 30 you are the only reasonable person!!! i would never buy a fake, but that makes sense, and gives a little justice to why you wouldn't buy the real thing.

posted by guest

Mar 20, 2009 4:59PM

oh god, you know if you actually read the study all those questions would have been answered, its in the method and discussion sections of the research study. fyi.

posted by etoilee8

Mar 22, 2009 5:48PM

Number 30, I hear your justification, but don't you think you're calling attention to yourself with a flashy Chanel wallet whilst traveling? I mean, I try to go as low key as possible. Flashing a bunch of labels might lead the average pickpocket to think you've got a wad of cash in there.

posted by guest

Mar 29, 2009 11:57AM

blah blah...I buy what I want to buy with my money and you can do your Dr. Phil observation elsewhere. About child labor most of the time these Faux Bags are made in the same company the real ones are made. With a little deffect here and there. Let's not judge people because like someone already mentioned most of these rich folks buying these overpriced bags are big time cokeheads. So let it go.....