If you’ve felt awash in a sea of Bottega Veneta Andiamo bags and Alaïa mesh ballerina flats, you are not alone. This week, Alyssa is joined by fashion writer Alexandra Hildreth to go deep into the world of dupe culture — on the For You Page and beyond. Alex helps break down the bleak vibes of Dupe TikTok, how we’re increasingly approaching our lives as content (and therefore must constantly feed the beast), the proliferation of contextless, algorithmic aesthetics, dupes vs. counterfeits, the collective mania to participate in a microtrend before the next one comes along, the general lack of concern for individuality and longevity among consumers, the sustainability problem, the natural evolution of the “look for less” recommendation structure, and whether we’ll ever be able to escape the need for instant gratification while shopping.

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