In a new social media campaign by Alexander Wang featuring a black, studded purse, four women "unbox" the product and showcase its features.
Initially, they appear to be Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Kylie Jenner, some of America's most famous women.
However, upon closer inspection, it becomes apparent that they are celebrity look-alikes, some of whom have built careers impersonating their famous counterparts.
The campaign, posted on Instagram and TikTok with the caption "100% certified authentic," promotes a purse called the "Ricco," reminiscent of Alexander Wang's popular "Rocco" purse from around 2010.
While the campaign aims to repackage a classic, fans of the original artists criticized Alexander Wang for using likenesses of the famous women without their consent.
Notably, two of the look-alikes, Paige Niemann and Ashley Leechin, resembling Grande and Swift, have faced criticism from fans of the respective artists.
Meanwhile, Beyonce's look-alike is Sur_bb, who only has 6 followers.
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Those who commented on the ad claimed this is just weird all over, and not something Alexander Wang should have pulled.
This controversy raises questions about companies using near-identical likenesses of famous individuals, especially women, in digital content to market products. Celebrity impersonators and look-alikes have faced increased scrutiny with the rise of social media and artificial intelligence.
The campaign's similarity to the original celebrities prompted concerns about publicity rights.
The Alexander Wang account also liked comments acknowledging the likeness between the models and the famous figures they resembled. Representatives for Grande, Swift, Beyoncé, and Jenner did not respond to requests for comment.
Notably, both Grande and Swift have previously addressed their imitators, with Grande pursuing a publicity rights case against a retailer in 2019 for using a model resembling her without permission.
Niemann, the Grande look-alike, boasts over 10 million TikTok followers and has been sharing videos and photos of herself resembling the singer for approximately eight years.
While her social media bio claims she is "not impersonating," Niemann frequently makes overt references to Grande in her content.
Initially, Grande commented on Niemann's "Victorious" impression, expressing that while Niemann was likely "sweet," her content was "definitely bizarre."
Niemann, in turn, expressed her excitement at being noticed by the star in an interview with Teen Vogue. Later, Grande referred to impersonations of her in general as "degrading."
Leechin, who resembles Swift, has amassed close to 2 million TikTok followers. In late 2022, Swift commented on one of Leechin's TikToks, revealing that her mother had mentioned Leechin and their shared resemblance.
Subsequently, Leechin participated in a viral "social experiment" organized by a YouTube channel, wherein she posed as Swift in public and incited a fan frenzy.
Describing the ordeal as "horrific," Leechin faced backlash from fans of Swift and Grande for what they perceived as an escalation in incorporating elements of the stars' lives into their own personas.
For instance, Leechin owns a cat resembling Swift's and has adopted aspects of Swift's style, such as red lipstick, while producing increasingly Swift-centric content.
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