A counterfeit-luxury scam, and what its ease tells us about status and visibility rather than about "materialism" in general
26 April 2027
Before the screening#
Watch the assigned episodes. Note one moment where a real brand name or a specific price does work that a vaguer reference wouldn’t.
In the screening#
We start from the mechanics of the scam — why it works, who falls for it – before moving to the harder question of what that tells us about status and visibility in the society the show is aimed at, resisting the easy “materialistic society” read along the way.
Afterwards#
Week 11 (beauty standards) asks a close cousin of this week’s question, about appearance rather than goods — keep your notes on visibility and status handy.
The spec
What you bring to the session. Written so a reader can tell whether it has been met without asking you.
- you have watched the assigned episodes before arriving
- you can name one real brand or price the drama uses to ground its fictional scam
- you can restate this week's caution in your own words --- a visible theme is not the same as a verdict on a society
Teaching team
- May Rhee — convenor