I had a rather funny yet poignant conversion about how the world works today. Fake It Until You Make It is the modern lifestyle concept Impostor. Yet with this concept comes another term, “Impostor”. Those who can cover their skin with a piece of Fabulousness that gets them in the right place being around the right people wearing the right (usually borrowed) clothes to attract attention. To the untrained eye these Anna Delvey wannabees in waiting will pounce on any unsuspecting victim.
At an event in Berlin, one such Impostor reared the head. To some attendees the fake designer belt worn with a colorful statement jacket caught some interest. A peacock gets attention by displaying plumage. As the event continued to the evening my friend told me the background of this particular bird. A different cheap jacket for a different event is all it takes. The German Capital is not known for its high fashion trend spotting. A polyester blend menswear piece is all it takes to get noticed.
My blue jeans had more value than Mr. Attention Seeker’s entire outfit but my denim lacked the bling. You see, certain backgrounds in German need to fit in a box, this includes dressing. A Person of Color must have flair to reinforce the categorization. Stereotypes don’t fall so easily. Amazingly, the Impostor had longer and more conversations than the serious attendees, myself included.
Cotton Candy is a decorative sweet but not a meal. My photographer colleague related to me the story of Disco Super group Sister Sledge being in Berlin for a performance. The ladies were not GLAM GLAM upped enough to get noticed compared to the flaunting German Celebs. Only after the platinum selling trio hit the stage did the photographers and press realise their oversight. Luckily for my friend, he was the only picture taker who got Red Carpet photos of the singing trio. The advice he gave me, “You are Sister Sledge” to people. “Dressing in jeans and t-shirts is functional, not attention getting.” SNAP!
Should I become more of an Impostor? Dress extravagantly? Do I need to change to a flashy Instagram account to get more likes? Those are the questions.