In a new Alexander Wang social media campaign for a black, studded purse, four women “unbox” the product and show off its features. At first glance, they appear to be four of the most famous women in America: Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Kylie Jenner.
A closer look reveals a twist: They’re celebrity look-alikes, some of whom have made careers out of their impersonations of their famous doppelgangers.
The campaign, posted by the brand’s official social media accounts on Instagram and TikTok with the caption “100% certified authentic,” is for a purse called the “Ricco.” It’s similar to a popular Alexander Wang purse from around 2010 called the “Rocco,” and using celebrity look-alikes to model it appears to be a play on repackaging a classic.
But fans of the original artists were quick to call out the Alexander Wang brand for marketing a product with the famous women’s likenesses, seemingly without their consent. Alexander Wang didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Two of the look-alikes, Paige Niemann and Ashley Leechin, who resemble Grande and Swift, respectively, have built successful social media careers off their similar appearances to the celebrities, courting criticism from fans of Grande and Swift along the way.
The campaign and its controversy mark yet another debate around companies using near-identical likenesses of famous individuals, especially women, in digital content to market products and get attention. Celebrity impersonators and look-alikes have a long history, but have been able to rise to prominence in a bigger and, to some, more concerning way with social media and artificial intelligence.
In May, actor Scarlett Johansson issued a statement in which she said the AI company OpenAI created an AI voice that sounded “eerily similar” to hers after she declined to provide the voice herself. OpenAI removed the voice in question and said it was not modeled on Johansson’s voice. Since 2023, multiple celebrity women and girls have been portrayed in sexual situations in ads for deepfake creation apps on platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
Robert Freund, a lawyer based in L.A. who advises clients on compliance with consumer protection laws, told NBC News the Alexander Wang post immediately struck him as a potential publicity rights issue.
“These are pretty clearly, I think, individuals appearing in this piece of content that are supposed to look like famous celebrities,” Freund said about the Alexander Wang post. “This is yet another potential celebrity lookalike issue, you see a lot more of those presented in not only disputes but in the discourse around AI and deepfakes. Can we mimic someone’s voice? Can we hire someone who looks exactly like someone else? Where’s the line?”
The official Alexander Wang account also liked Instagram comments that indicated the brand was aware of the similarity between the models and the famous likenesses they resembled. Some of the comments the brand liked included “These look alikes are hilarious,” “I can’t with the dupe Ariana! lol” and “Chat gpt Ariana kylie Bey and Taylor lmfaooo.”
Representatives for Grande, Swift, Beyoncé and Jenner didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Freund pointed out that Grande already pursued a publicity rights case, in 2019, when she sued retailer Forever 21, claiming that the company used a model that looked “strikingly similar” to Grande for a campaign that appeared to use lyrics and aesthetics from her “7 Rings” music video. The artist later settled the dispute with the company.
“The issue is that if you’re going to invoke the persona of someone else for a commercial purpose without that person’s permission, you potentially are violating that person’s right of publicity,” Freund said. “If you have a laundry list of evidence of people saying ‘Oh, this looks like Ariana Grande,’ it’s not a good idea to like those comments because it just adds ammunition in the event that somebody wanted to make a legal matter out of it.”
Grande and Swift have both publicly acknowledged their imitators.
Niemann, the Grande look-alike, has over 10 million TikTok followers and has been posting videos and photos of herself dressed as the singer for around eight years. Her social media bio says “not impersonating,” but she has continued to make overt references to Grande.
Initially, Grande commented on Niemann’s “Victorious” impression, saying she was likely “sweet” but that her content was “definitely bizarre.” Niemann told Teen Vogue that she was thrilled to be noticed by the star. Later, Grande referred to impersonations of her in general as “degrading.”
Leechin, who looks like Swift, has close to 2 million TikTok followers. In late 2022, Swift commented on one of Leechin’s TikToks, saying her mother told her about Leechin and their shared resemblance. Leechin has since taken part in a viral “social experiment” orchestrated by a YouTube channel, in which she appeared in public pretending to be Swift and caused a fan mob. She described the experience as “horrific.”
Fans of Grande and Swift have attacked Niemann and Leechin for what they characterize as increasingly pulling elements from the stars’ lives into their own personas. For example, in Leechin’s case, she owns a cat that looks similar to Swift’s and has copied elements of Swift’s style, like red lipstick. She has also made more and more content about Swift.
Now, the women each identify as an “Alexander Wang partner” in hashtags on their Ricco bag posts. Niemann and Leechin didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Alexander Wang first rose to prominence in the mid-2000s, with his clothes frequently appearing in celebrity street style. He was well-known for appearing at clubs and parties. In 2020, multiple allegations of sexual assault against Wang entered the public view. Initially, Wang denied the allegations. In 2021, he released a statement that said the individuals had a right to come forward and he regretted some of his actions, while he disagreed on some of the details. Attorney Lisa Bloom, who represented some of the people who made allegations against Wang, said they would be moving on. Wang made a public return in late 2022.
The real Jenner was one of his biggest celebrity endorsers following the controversy. She appeared as the central figure in his 2023 previews. Beyoncé, Swift, and Grande have each worn Alexander Wang designs in the past, before the allegations against him were widely publicized, but have not been nearly as closely aligned with the designer as Jenner.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
