Why Do People Buy Fake Designer Bags Or Fake Designer Anything?
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well, let's assume this "urban legand" of a filthy rich wealthy rich person existst who's walking around with a fake, in that case do we find that any more admirable than the elderly wealthy person you occassionally hear about on the news who ate cate food and refuses to heat their homes in the winter then after they die childless or estrnaged from their children leaving millions behind? The rich cat food eating person who refuses to heat their homes and the rich lady with the fake? hhhhhmmmmm. 
To my mind both those behaviors has some sort of unhealthy psychological impetus behind it....I'm don't know exactly what, but it doesn't seem "normal" behavior........:wondering
To my mind both those behaviors has some sort of unhealthy psychological impetus behind it....I'm don't know exactly what, but it doesn't seem "normal" behavior........:wonderingHaving plowed through most but not all of this thread, I'm thinking that the only people who can REALLY answer the question is someone who actually carries/d one. A few pp have admitted to doing so and explained why.
I saw a woman the other day carrying an AWFUL Coach fake--the "C"s were actually "G"s-- and the handles/trim were clearly vinyl. Maybe a child or friend gave it to her as a gift. Maybe she bought it knowing it was a fake, but thinking it looked good. Maybe she didn't know that it was a knockoff of a real bag and just liked it. I was on line behind her, bored, and these thoughts just ran through my head.
But of course I couldn't ask her, bc that would have been rude beyond belief.
I saw a woman the other day carrying an AWFUL Coach fake--the "C"s were actually "G"s-- and the handles/trim were clearly vinyl. Maybe a child or friend gave it to her as a gift. Maybe she bought it knowing it was a fake, but thinking it looked good. Maybe she didn't know that it was a knockoff of a real bag and just liked it. I was on line behind her, bored, and these thoughts just ran through my head.
But of course I couldn't ask her, bc that would have been rude beyond belief.
well, let's assume this "urban legand" of a filthy rich wealthy rich person existst who's walking around with a fake, in that case do we find that any more admirable than the elderly wealthy person you occassionally hear about on the news who ate cate food and refuses to heat their homes in the winter then after they die childless or estrnaged from their children leaving millions behind? The rich cat food eating person who refuses to heat their homes and the rich lady with the fake? hhhhhmmmmm.
in no way does this parallel make any sense to me. no, you might not think a person who knowingly carries fake bags is "honorable." however, i don't know that buying a fake makes one psychologically unsound in any way. i could see the argument for selfish or having a disregard for human rights and the law perhaps, but abnormal? that's pushing it.
i don't seem to understand what you don't comprehend about this. just because a person is rich does not mean he/she is willing to spend a lot of money on luxury goods: not all wealthy people drive bmw's, not all wealthy people have second vacation homes, not all wealthy people wear designer clothing or carry premier label handbags nor can they justify the expense simply because they have the means to afford it, so they see a fake handbag or a toyota camry as viable alternatives.
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Found this Chanel 4 documentary on the fake trade, really interesting veiwing. If not the right thread to post...please move to right thread. thank you
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5947862651880646162
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5947862651880646162
^ I don't want to knock anyone's reading comprehension skills but if you read carefully you'll see I did not say carrying a fake makes just any individual unsound. I am speaking specifically to the psycology that would cause this filthy rich person a prior poster described (can't bother to check who) to carry a fake when they can afford the bag several times over based on how filthy rich they supposedly are. let me repeat again - I am referring to this so called filthy rich lady carrying the fake - namely why would such a person do that? IMO, her behavior is similar to the lady eating cat food who refuses to heat her house in the winter who then dies leaving millions in the bank. Clearly something is psycologically motivating both these people's spending habits so they will not spend the money they can clearly afford - and that is *not* normal behavior. Perhaps they lived through the depression? Maybe they just have a fear of being poor or whatever - but there is some psycological problem there. So let me state this clearly for those who will again miss this key point, I am speaking about this so called *rich* person carrying the fake -not Joe average - who for obvious financial reasons, namely they simply cannot afford it - choses to buy a fake.
i understand the point you're making, and what i'm arguing is that unless individual preference and prioritization is a mental health condition, it's a little irrational to compare someone who is rich, but frugal to someone who eats cat food. i mean, who can really say why some people would rather not spend the millions they have or why some spend what little they have on non-necessities? the myriad of factors could include their past, varying levels of self-control, a strong sense or lack of responsibility, i could go on and on, but i apologize if i don't fully grasp your connection here. 
If it had 'G's' all over it it wasn't a fake, it was an inspired bag. A fake is when they copy the brand name, such as branding it Coach when it really is not.
Linda
well, let's assume this "urban legend" of a filthy rich wealthy rich person existst who's walking around with a fake, in that case do we find that any more admirable than the elderly wealthy person you occassionally hear about on the news who ate cate food and refuses to heat their homes in the winter then after they die childless or estrnaged from their children leaving millions behind? The rich cat food eating person who refuses to heat their homes and the rich lady with the fake? hhhhhmmmmm.
What? Are you really comparing carrying a fake bag to eating cat food or refusing to heat your home or being estranged from your children? Seriously?
Linda
So in other words your handbag gives you status?
Wow what has this world came to? Ppl really show their true colors.
A female can be a basic chick carrying a thousand $ handbag, and could have possibly received it as a gift from a male friend...Now she has this new claim "status"....
where have you been for the last few decades??? handbags are status symbols to some. same as cars or homes are to others. there are people who have very nice, very expensive cars and they live in the ghetto or trailer....or they live in a modest home.
as for your last comment: to unknowing onlookers, yes, she may have status to some.
as for your last comment: to unknowing onlookers, yes, she may have status to some.
well, let's assume this "urban legand" of a filthy rich wealthy rich person existst who's walking around with a fake, in that case do we find that any more admirable than the elderly wealthy person you occassionally hear about on the news who ate cate food and refuses to heat their homes in the winter then after they die childless or estrnaged from their children leaving millions behind? The rich cat food eating person who refuses to heat their homes and the rich lady with the fake? hhhhhmmmmm.
I don't see the connection....this makes very little sense.....
Maybe they just don't care? Why can't it be that simple? Being tooo cheap to buy human food or heat the house is very different from buying a fake. Whats not normal is that you can't see that.....
I don't know how you can even compare a person who eats cat food to supposedly save money vs. someone who carries a fake bag. What, is cat food free now? If I heard that story, I don't think "cheap" I think dementia. People get too worked up over fake vs. real, in the grand scheme of things it is really pretty meaningless. The links to terrorism/child labor are weak and they aren't any worse than the majority of products made in the third world or sweatshops or whatever. If we closed all the fake bag factories today, what do you think those people who worked there are going to do? Start working as doctors and lawyers? Guess what, they are going to walk over to the factory next door that makes vending machine toys or action figures or fake flowers and work there for the same wage. Over half the stuff the average person owns is made in the third world, so you may as well just accept it now and move on.