I lost a make-up brush while moving. It was a generic cheap one I used with my highlighter. I got it as a gift in a set many years ago, and it was most likely made in China. Since I was in China, I thought it would be easy to find a replacement.
I don’t exactly put much shop in shopping for make-up brushes. In Russia, I would have gone to some make-up stores and got one; they are ubiquitous, really. In the US, I would have probably ordered one online, since I don’t have time to go shopping, and New Haven doesn’t have that many stores anyway. Either way, I would have gotten a brush that was made in China an forgotten about it until I lost it and had to buy a new one.
But it’s not that simple in China.
Almost every country has a signature shopping experience for its visitors. Tourists emerge from Thailand wrapped in sarongs and wearing Thai pants; it’s vodka and nesting dolls in Russia; lederhosen and teddy bears in Germany. In China, it’s fake stuff.
I grew up being told that pirated music and software and counterfeit goods are bad. So I stay away from fake Louis Vuitton and get my music off iTunes. That’s reasonably easy to do living in the states where pursuing a fake LV bag actually requires some effort (I came across an actual guide of how to go about getting one in NYC (http://www.nytix.com/NewYorkCity/articles/handbags.html) and my set-up iTunes account allows me to buy music with one click and my job lets me buy it without worrying about the cost.
But the problem with shopping in China is that it’s often fake or nothing.
So back to my make-up brush story. I went to a Sephora looking for one, but they did not have the kind I wanted (wrong size and shape; yes, I am picky about that). Other chains like Watsons didn’t have one either. At that point, it got ridiculous to be spending so much time to be looking for one small make-up tool, so I decided to go to some local store. I could see locals wearing brush, so proper brushes must exist in China!
At a large department store, there was an entire floor dedicated to make-up and beauty-related goods. And then I spotted what I wanted. It was perfect –small, light, convenient, and sized just right. But it had huge MAC logo on it — clearly and obviously fake. MAC doesn’t make the same kind of brush; MAC’s brushes are priced at 30+USD; that one was 2.5USD. If it had ‘Chanel’ or even ‘Coca-Cola’ on it, I would have wanted it anyway.
And so I bought it. And I somehow feel guilty about it. All those year of seeing ads against counterfeit goods and reading about how buying counterfeit destroys big companies have instilled guilt in me (good news for those PR agencies designing them, I guess). I like MAC, and have no intention of hurting their business: they don’t test on animals and even run a program that donates money to AIDS-related causes. I even volunteered for them several years ago. But I did not buy it for the logo — I would have wanted it anyway. See, when you buy a fake Coach bag, you usually do it for that design, right? In this case, I did not care about the logo; an it’s not like I would have bought a real one from MAC, because I don’t like their brushes. So they did not lose profit.
There are legal and economical implications of buying fake, but I only want to talk about the ethical ones this time.
Now, can you say it was unethical of me to buy that brush?
On the one hand, I did not have many alternatives. I seriously could not fin anything else anywhere. I could have bought one from eBay and had it shipped here, which would have wasted money and damaged the environment; I could have asked a friend to bring it over from the US, which is ridiculous, really.
On the other hand, I could have avoided buying one altogether and lived without using that particular make-up product (let’s face it, it’s not essential to my well-being). But I guess I am pretty spoiled as a consumer, because I am more or less used to instant gratification — you want the brush, you take out your debit card and buy it, whether on- or offline. And I could get anything else anywhere. And this consumer mentality is cultivated by the same multinational companies that complain about losing profit to fake goods. In MAC’s case, it’s Estee Lauder, who also owns the company that made the highlighter I wanted the brush for. I would have not bought the actual brush from MAC, since none is available, so they did not lose any profit. Since I will be using the brush to put on the make-up and will run out by the time I have to go back, I will buy more of the product, which will end up bringing Estee Lauder more money. So we all win — Estee Lauder will get better profit, I will have positive consumer experience, and some Chinese factory workers will not lose their jobs (provided they work at a regular factory and not a sweatshop).
And I assuage my guilt by readily admitting it’s fake when asked — this makes me feel like I did not by it because of the three letters on its handle.
The story of my make-up brush is not that exciting, really. But that one little brush represent an entire industry of fake goods — which is estimated to take up over 7% of all world trade! All these fake brushes so widely represented on eBay that there are even guides on how to spot them (
http://reviews.ebay.com/MAC-BRUSHES-Guide-to-Fake-vs-Authentic-MAC-brushes_W0QQugidZ10000000002525878
(http://proquest.umi.com/pqdlink?Ver=1&Exp=08-24-2014&FMT=7&DID=1095869571&RQT=309&cfc=1)
I will write about legal and economic issues accompanying counterfeit goods later, since I am still researching it. But you know something is wrong with a country where the only mundane household item of a decent quality you can find is a fake.
I lost a make-up brush while moving. It was a generic cheap one I used with my highlighter: I got it as a gift in a set many years ago, and it was most likely made in China. Since I was in China, I thought it would be easy to find a replacement.
I don’t exactly put much effort in shopping for make-up brushes. In Russia, I would have gone to some make-up stores and got one; they are ubiquitous, really. In the US, I would have probably ordered one online, since I don’t have time to go shopping, and New Haven doesn’t have that many stores anyway. Either way, I would have gotten a brush that was made in China and forgotten about it until I lost it and had to buy a new one.
But it’s not that simple in China.
Almost every country has a signature shopping experience for its visitors. Tourists emerge from Thailand wrapped in sarongs and wearing Thai pants; it’s vodka and nesting dolls in Russia; lederhosen and teddy bears in Germany. In China, it’s fake stuff.
I grew up being told that pirated music and software and counterfeit goods are bad. So I stay away from fake Louis Vuitton and get my music off iTunes. That’s reasonably easy to do living in the states where pursuing a fake LV bag actually requires some effort (I came across an actual guide on how to go about getting one in NYC!) and my iTunes account allows me to buy music with one click and the fact I have a job lets me buy it without worrying about the small cost.
But the problem with shopping in China is that it’s often fake or nothing.
So back to my make-up brush story. I went to a Sephora looking for one, but they did not have the kind I wanted (wrong size and shape; yes, I am picky about that). Other chains like Watsons didn’t have one either. At that point, it got ridiculous to be spending so much time to be looking for one small make-up tool, so I decided to go to some local store. I could see locals wearing blush, so proper brushes must exist in China!
At a large department store, there was an entire floor dedicated to make-up and beauty-related goods. And then I spotted what I wanted. It was perfect –small, light, convenient, and sized just right. But it had huge MAC logo on it — clearly and obviously fake. MAC doesn’t make the same kind of brush; MAC’s brushes are priced at 30+USD; that one was 2.5USD. If it had ‘Chanel’ or even ‘Coca-Cola’ on it, I would have wanted it anyway.
And so I bought it. But I feel guilty about it. All those year of seeing ads against counterfeit goods and reading about how buying counterfeit destroys big companies have instilled guilt in me (good news for those PR agencies designing them, I guess). I like MAC, and have no intention of hurting their business: they don’t test on animals and even run a program that donates money to AIDS-related causes. I even volunteered for them several years ago. But I did not buy it for the logo — I would have wanted it anyway. See, when you buy a fake Coach bag, you usually do it for that design, right? In this case, I did not care about the logo; an it’s not like I would have bought a real one from MAC, because I don’t like their brushes. So they did not lose any profits.
There are legal and economic implications of buying fake, but I only want to talk about the ethical ones this time.
Now, can you say it was unethical of me to buy that brush?
On the one hand, I did not have many alternatives. I seriously could not find anything else anywhere. I could have bought one from eBay and had it shipped here, which would have wasted money and damaged the environment; I could have asked a friend to bring it over from the US, which is ridiculous, really.
On the other hand, I could have avoided buying one altogether and lived without using that particular make-up product (let’s face it, it’s not essential to my well-being). But I guess I am pretty spoiled as a consumer, because I am more or less used to instant gratification — you want the brush, you take out your debit card and buy it, whether on- or offline. This consumer mentality is cultivated by the same multinational companies that complain about losing profit to fake goods; in MAC’s case, it’s Estee Lauder, who also owns the company that made the highlighter I wanted the brush for. I would have not bought the actual brush from MAC, since none is available, so they did not lose any profit. Since I will be using the brush to put on the make-up and will run out by the time I have to go back, I will buy more of the product, which will end up bringing Estee Lauder more money. So we all win — Estee Lauder will get better profit, I will have positive consumer experience, and some Chinese factory workers will not lose their jobs (provided they work at a regular factory and not a sweatshop).
And I assuage my guilt by readily admitting it’s fake when asked — this makes me feel like I did not by it because of the three letters on its handle.
The story of my make-up brush is not that exciting, really. But that one little brush represent an entire industry of fake goods — which is estimated to take up over 7% of all world trade! All these fake brushes are now so widely represented on eBay that there are even guides on how to spot them.
I will write about legal and economic issues accompanying counterfeit goods later, since I am still researching it. But you know something is wrong with a country where the only mundane household item of a decent quality you can find is a fake.
Author: Anna Ershova
I am a rising senior at Yale who is originally from Russia/Ukraine. I was mostly educated in Hong Kong and Germany, and now attend Yale University in the U.S. I blog on and off about things that interest me: Russia, China, politics, and law.
View all posts by Anna Ershova
I understand your feelings. I live in Ukraine and feel bad that if I want to buy a movie or software it’s pirated. Same with purses. I feel weird with a fake designer bag, but they are pretty much all that you can find here. They are stylish and surprisingly well made and cheap which is important because anything you carry here wears out fast. It is hard when you live in a country that supports fake trade to try and buy around it.
Hi, Michelle!
Nice to have you back on my blog.
I usually don’t go shopping in Ukraine, save for maybe some Western brands to get some basics when I am traveling, but I remember going to check out a rynok a few years ago, and most of the things they sold were fake Chanel/LV/Gucci/you name it, or ‘directly inspired’ by famous brands (meaning they had no label, but the design was easily recognizable).
When I am in Russia, it is often virtually impossible to find software that is not pirated. And it does feel stupid, to be honest: no one understands why pay $70 (an approximation) for Adobe PhotoShop when you can buy it for $5? Or even download it for free? But then, of course, most Russians cannot afford software that is $50+ a pop.
Thanks for your comment. It got me thinking about Eastern Europe and its similarities to China. Next blog entry coming up!
It’s nice to know that others undergo the same inward struggle when purchasing goods. As an atypical American (I like to think so, at least!) I do wrestle with such things and it tends to be the tip of the iceberg. If my moral compass isn’t bothered by such things as pirated music or software or “knock off” Sketcher shoes (my shoes are real Sketchers but beat to snot) where do I draw the line? Cheating on my income taxes? Lying in a court of law while under oath? The range here may be broad but I think it still points to a persons morals. I think there is also a difference between what we would never do and the things that we do out of necessity…you needed a makeup brush. No viable alternative was available (bad makeup brush marketers!)so you were forced to compromise your morals a little bit. Same with Michelle…it’s not the name that she’s buying but out of necessity and the lack of options…the need for a bag to stow her goodies in that is functional while still being stylish…I don’t judge! LOL! 🙂 It all sounds like a marketing problem to me!
Here in the US there is the added bonus of pressure to “Buy American”…buy from the independent stores that are being put out of business by WalMart (big one stop shop that undercuts prices by buying in bulk and putting small competitors out of business…or so the saying goes)Personally, I don’t have time to always try to do the right thing. Yes, as an Amercian consumer I’m pretty much screwed all the way around. Buy American (but foreign cars are superior)…buy “green” (how green?)…don’t buy from Walmart (all the cool kids are doing it!)…Free Tibet (sorry! had to throw that one in there seeing you are in China!)…don’t buy petrol from whatever gas station happens to be the whipping boy this month (they all suck!)…I have kids and a dog that require my attention. They love me more than Sam Walton ever will…
Hi Cory,
You are absolutely right — if one buys pirated goods, how far are is one willing to go to break the law?
I find it very strange that Western tourists here in China, who are perfectly law-abiding at home, are dying to go buy some fake LV bags once they land in Beijing. It’s not just ignorance or lack of education on the law and ethics; a Harvard undergrad just wishfully commented someone she knew got cheap fake Armani glass frames in China.
I am wondering if the fact that no one is likely to be penalized for buying fake contributes to how popular counterfeit stuff is. I guess that would really point that the human nature is really not as good as Western philosophers made us believe — the vast majority of us pay income tax not because we want to, but because we can get in trouble if we don’t. But buying fake bags is more like guilty pleasure — like subscribing to a gossip magazine; you would not buy it a supermarket, but it’s ok to subscribe to it and peruse it at home without telling anyone you do. Yes, we know it’s illegal, but since we will never be punished, we might as well go and buy that fake Gucci bag to make everyone at home jealous.
Unfortunately, as I mentioned, it is hard to buy certain things in China, because everything in that category is fake or the quality is so low it’s ridicuous. The only warm clothes that a campus store at my college here in Beijing sells are either ridiculously ugly or fake (Abercrombie and a few other Western brands). Now, I bet that most Chinese students don’t know what Abercrombie is (I believe it’s not offered in China), so they will go and buy that hoodie without any second thoughts. I, on the other hand, have to choose between something so hideous it could make headlines or said fake Abercrombie — because I am aware it’s a fake Western brand.
You are right about the added pressure in the states. Consumers should try to be responsible, yet, but there is no way I doing my research every time before I want to buy something minor. Say, I go get moisturizer, and then it turns out the company engages in animal testing. Well, I would rather buy from a company that doesn’t, but can one seriously expect me to look up every possible ethically questionably practices companies I buy from are involved in? If I buy a sweater, and it turns out the design was a ripoff from a popular Western brand, is it my fault? What if it is a fake one by a brand I did not know existed in the West: is it also my fault then? All these questions are hard to answer, right? I think the only viable solution would be to simply fight the industry that makes the fake goods.
On a different note, what dog do you have? Here in Beijing, dogs over one foot tall are not allowed, so we only get to see really tiny and short ones — I miss seeing all the nice dogs in the states.
Hi Anna!
It is amazing the lengths that Americans will go to in order to save a dollar while justifying doing something illegal, immoral or unethical in their own minds. I know that I had a good example and have been racking my brain trying to remember what it was but I do remember that it had to do with my grandmother being on vacation and buying something like a fake coach bag or something like that…something that she would normally never think of doing but felt that it was part of what one does while vacationing in another country.
As far as my dogs…I had Lakeland terriers for many years. A small hardy breed that originated in the Lakes District of England that was used for hunting badgers. They would fit in the catagory of dogs under one foot tall with an attitude of a big dog though. My last terrier passed away about a year ago and I am down to one dog…an Irish Water Spaniel who thinks he’s a little dog (wants to sit on my lap and is on every piece of furniture in the house!) He is about the size of a golden retreiver…big enough to check out what’s on the counter to eat and take up most of the bed.
So, why is it that dogs under a foot tall are not allowed in Beijing? Is it that they are literally not allowed or is it just that small dogs are easier to care for? You do know that this would never be acceptable in the states due to the fact that most men consider small dogs to be “girly dogs”. Many guys need a big dog as sort of a status symbol and the thought of having to walk or care for a poodle or chihuahua would cause them to feel as if they had handed over their manhood to some women. Typically, I find that these men are either overcompensating for some inadequacy or “shortcoming” or weak in moral character. Yes, each of us has our preferences but for a guy to say that he wants a “big dog” and not some “sissy dog” makes me wonder. “Not man enough to walk a poodle, big fella?”
Hi Cory,
Yes, it is interesting to see how morals often change once one crosses the country border.
“Yes, I am a good family man at home, but no one will ever know if I pay this underage Thai girl to have sex with me”
“I would not go to some scary part of NYC to buy a counterfeit Gucci bag, but if I bring one from China, I will feel just like a model in that ad. And my colleagues will be jealous”
I don’t agree though that these actions are motivated by a desire to save a dollar though: no one needs to have a Gucci bag. Get one on sale at H&M for $10. Buy one on eBay. Get one at a thrift store, for god’s sake.
Beijing authorities, following some twisted logic, decided that large dogs take up too much space. And then they decided that in dogs’ size, it’s the height that determines how much space they take up. This resulted in tons of weird looking short dogs that are still normal lengths and width — think of a short golden retriever that is normally-sized otherwise. They even breed them to fit that standard now.
You do see a lot of “normal” small dogs, and yes, men walk them, too. I think they are just not obsessed with the whole fake masculinity thing. Men here often sport hot pink shirts and cell phones with glitter on them and carry rather feminine purses at times. And also a small dog is much easier to fit in a ridiculously tiny apartment that most people dwell in.