So many insightful comments here!
Here are my humble thoughts:
Fake / Moral / Gatekeeping
I dont buy fakes. I dont even buy second hand in worry that the item may be fake, and I am not the proactive type to get them authenticated. I also love the in-store experience. Because I can afford luxury items doesn't mean I forget where I came from. My parents were big on the idea that my sister and I become independent at an early age. Asides from getting my tuition paid from scholarships and remaining balance by my parents, I definitely was that college kid working 20 hours a week, going to school full time, and mind you, i had all the wrong priorities. I am now in a place financially where I am married, but I can still afford all the bills and daycare by myself and still have money leftover for luxury goods (not that I am burdened with all these financial responsibilities, and i am definitely NOT saying Im rich - i dont have unlimited funds, thats why i have priorities on how i spend my money). So yeah, as a broke college kid, I used to want Chanel. I used to want Louis Vuitton. I used to want to go out to steakhouses. And if someone was out there telling me "there's no shame, but if you can't afford it, don't try to act like you can afford it" it definitely comes off as gatekeeping and elitism. It's also often how the message is delivered, but really it's just a punch to your already broken
/poor ego no matter how nicely anyone says it. Just a disclaimer: I never bought a fake handbag because having that image was never my priority.
In regards to morals... Yes, one of the reason for me being against fakes is that they are almost always used to fund terrorism, made with unsafe working conditions, connected to child labor, etc. And i saw a comment about "what about phones? These chips are made with child labor" (paraphrasing). Well.. I need my phone, but I don't need a fake handbag. If there is a better alternative out there for products, I will definitely consider that. In recent years, we have seen an influx of social awareness that highlights dangers of fast fashion and sustainability. I am all for that.
Influencers (bullying?)
The reasons TFBS sounds harsh to me are 2 things:
1) the sass: "where did you get that"? While watching people be sassy is funny, if you pit yourself in the shoes of the accused, it definitely is mean. It's a mockery. They could get the same message across without the sass.
2) the reason why social media could be harmful is because of how big the platform can get, and it encourages the same behavior. As you noticed, if TFBS points out a fake, and say "where did you get that?" dozens of people also comment such things (and as some of you pointed out, sometimes falsely) on these influencer's posts. It's borderline harassment. And it is pretty shirt that it's the responsibility of the accused to provide burden of proof.
However. The pages they comment on is mostly influencers who are trying to sell their lifestyle to others. And the bigger their platform is, the more harmful that could be. We've seen the dangers of Kardashians weight-loss products that is proven to be harmful to young girls. And what did Kardashians get? Millions for their ads. Even if they're not selling these fakes, the image they are portraying to the big masses should come with a certain responsibility and accountability.
I do find posts from TFBS funny, though I admit they could be nicer, but I also think some of these influencers do not have the best intentions, and so they are facing backlash, and I'm kind of OK with that.
I couldn't care less of how people spend their money. It's all about their priorities. People definitely should be nicer though.
Edited to say: I liked the article. I thought it was so interesting to learn about TFBS, and it's cool
@Notorious Pink got to interview them! It's weird that there were so many people that were triggered by it. As someone said, at the end of the day, Hermes products are just products, that's it. Perhaps if you're so triggered regardless of which side you're on, you should look at why that is within yourself, and not bash the article or the author or TFBS.