Loves the look. Skips the homework. A complete guide to people who act like they're into something they're not.
poser, noun: someone who copies the style of a scene without caring about the substance.
Meet the speciesAm I one?Someone who wants the identity of a scene without doing the part that makes it a scene.
Music, skating, fitness, books, fashion, films: every community has them. The poser wears the right clothes, uses the right words and knows the right names, but only on the surface. It's about borrowing the look of passion without spending the time.
Dress the part, post the part and talk the part. They collect the symbols: the shirt, the board, the record, the shelf of books.
Belonging, mostly. A scene feels cool from the outside and learning it takes time. The costume is faster than the education.
Ask a second question. "Which album?" "Which trick?" "Which chapter?" The first answer is rehearsed. The second one isn't.
Fourteen types. Filter them, or hit Surprise me.
Tap any part of the figure to learn what gives it away.
Everything on this figure was chosen to be seen. Click around to find out what each piece says.
0 of 6 tells found
A poser always borrows an identity with a strong look. Here's the costume next to the real thing.
Tap a note to translate it.
LARP stands for live action role-play. Online, "larping" means playing a role as if it's real.
Copies the look to belong. The costume is the point, and a few facts keep it alive.
Plays a whole character to be believed. The props, the backstory and the confidence are the point. A very common one online: pretending to be rich on camera.
Real LARP is a great hobby. Everyone at the event knows it's a game, so nobody is fooled. The problem is only when someone plays the role in real life and hopes you don't notice.
Plenty of people with nice things are the real deal. The tell is when the story never adds up: no proof, just a link to buy something.
People mix these up all the time. They aren't the same thing.
Curious and honest. Says "I don’t know this one, where should I start?" Every proper fan began here, and they’re welcome.
Pretends to know. Dodges follow-up questions, keeps the look going and changes the subject when it gets specific.
Often knows loads, but quizzes people to push them out. The opposite problem: the knowledge becomes a wall instead of a welcome.
Posers have a lot of cousins, and so do bad arguments. Search for a word.
The cure is simple: listen to the album, learn the trick, read the book. A poser becomes a fan the day they do the homework.