Bethenny Frankel has been talking a lot about Dior bags on TikTok in recent weeks. This theme itself is not uncommon. The reality TV star and entrepreneur frequently posts about fashion topics to her 2.4 million followers. That includes a feature Frankel calls “Handbag University,” which provides reviews and tutorials.
But the tone of Frankel's post about Dior is markedly different from typical conversations about luxury goods. More Jason Bourne than Vogue.
Frankel suggested in a post Monday that there was a cover-up.
“I've received several messages about videos and sightings of Dior bags that obviously haven't been reported in the mainstream media,” she said.
The day before, Frankel said she had spoken to an anonymous source about the Dior bag situation, and that the person – the father of an acquaintance of Frankel's – had passed on confidential information.
“If our government tries to tell us that these bags are coming from China and we are the problem,” Frankel said, repeating what she was told by a source. He spoke in an incomprehensible manner. This is extremely worrying. ”
It's understandable that people who only watched one of the videos would be confused, but if you watch enough videos, you'll realize that a “Dior bag” isn't necessarily a Dior bag. In this case, Ms. Frankel is using the term to refer to drones that are reported to be flying over the eastern United States and elsewhere.
Is there anyone other than fashion-obsessed people who uses French luxury brands as a slang term?
“It was a spur-of-the-moment moment. It wasn't planned at all,” Frankel said in a phone interview. “I thought, 'The Dior bag is real. It's in the closet. Management doesn't want us to know.'”
Various government agencies have said most of the sightings were not drones, and a visual analysis by The New York Times showed that most of the sightings over New Jersey were of airplanes, not drones. Ta.
That wasn't enough to convince Frankel.
She said she initially had only peripheral interest in the story. Then an acquaintance of her father's with access to certain inside information – a man she only calls “Waterhammer” – approached her with a theory to explain the drone sightings. Frankel posted about this on TikTok in the days before Christmas. But while her posts typically get millions of views, she said the few posts that talked about drones “were getting 500 views.”
TikTok creators have long complained that the reach of their videos is limited because they touch on a topic the platform doesn't like: “shadowbanning,” as the alleged behavior has come to be known. It's difficult to prove that TikTok is suppressing content, but Frankel started talking about Dior bags instead of drones in an attempt to circumvent the algorithm and strict content controls. This diversion method is called “Argospeak.”
Frankel's fashionable way of speaking in code is gaining popularity. In fact, the reality TV star, her followers, and others who like to discuss the drone phenomenon and theorize about social media have created an alternative vocabulary built around shopping terms. For this group, “store management” means the U.S. government. Oscar de la Renta's product is a shiny object that some claim has been observed in the sky. And Prada's items are plasmoids, structures made of plasma and magnetic fields.
Oddly enough, the predominantly male audience who listen to podcasters like Joe Rogan and former Navy SEAL Sean Ryan have also adopted the term, using the hashtag #diorbags in their own videos. I am using.
“There were truck drivers in skull caps and guys on oil rigs talking about Dior bags,” Frankel laughed.
One group that isn't talking about this is obviously Christian Dior SE, the French company behind the Dior brand. Representatives for the company did not respond to requests for comment.
Frankel also hasn't heard from Dior, but given that the company may not want its name associated with an online community that shares outlandish theories about drones, it's unlikely. I wouldn't be surprised if it did.
“I can't believe I haven't gotten a call from Dior at this point,” Frankel said. She clarified: “We're not mad at Dior. This is exactly what I was using.”
The conversation surrounding the “Dior bag” is happening just as another handbag discussion is taking over social media. It's a Birkin-like bag sold at Walmart.
For those not familiar with Argospeak, conversations about actual handbags can suddenly become confusing. The other day, Mr. Frankel posted about “Why Walmart Birkin is so attractive.'' She quickly clarified, “This is legitimately about bags, not code.”
