平替
释义 DEFINITION
平替是"平价替代品"的缩写，主要包含两层含义：
- 字面指价格亲民且功能相似的商品（如美妆产品、电子产品等）
- 衍生指用低成本方案实现高端体验的行为（如用投影仪替代电视，用民宿体验酒店服务）
在当代网络语境中，90%以上的使用场景特指美妆个护领域。随着Z世代消费观念转变，这个词逐渐成为"精明消费"的代名词，反映了年轻人追求性价比的消费哲学。
词源故事 ETYMOLOGY
平替文化的兴起可追溯到2018年中国美妆博主的"大牌替代"企划。当ColorKey镜面唇釉以39元的价格实现YSL黑管唇釉的妆效时，相关测评视频在B站获得超百万播放，弹幕刷屏"平替之光"。
2020年拼多多"百亿补贴"期间，平台联合完美日记推出"大牌平替套装"，首日销量突破10万件。小红书随即出现#万物皆可平替#话题，累计浏览量达3.2亿次。网友开始挖掘平替旅游地（比如用洛阳龙门石窟平替敦煌莫高窟）、平替家具（宜家产品改造实现设计师款效果）等新奇玩法。
2023年央视财经调查显示，78%的95后消费者会主动搜索平替商品，其中美妆个护类占62%，数码产品占24%。典型的应用场景包括：
- 职场新人用UNNY CLUB卸妆膏（59元）替代EVE LOM经典洁颜霜（630元）
- 大学生选择Redmi Pad（1299元）作为iPad（3599元）的学习平替
- 租房族用投影仪（800-1500元）代替电视机（3000元+）
这种现象背后，反映着中国年轻一代从"炫耀型消费"向"精明消费"的转型。他们用"平替不是将就，而是智慧"的口号，在消费降级中寻找升级的可能性。
DEFINITION
Pingti (literally "affordable replacement") has evolved into China's version of dupe culture with unique characteristics:
- Initially popular in beauty communities for finding budget-friendly alternatives to luxury cosmetics (e.g., a $5 lipstick performing like a $50 designer one)
- Now expanded to tech (Xiaomi phones as "Apple dupes"), travel ("Guilin of the North" scenic spots), and lifestyle choices
- Embodies Gen-Z's value mindset - not settling for cheap knockoffs, but demanding quality at accessible prices
Unlike Western dupe culture that focuses on lookalikes, pingti emphasizes functional equivalence with price-performance ratio as key metric.
ETYMOLOGY
The rise of pingti culture began with China's beauty influencers in 2018. When local brand ColorKey's $6 lip glaze duped YSL's $38 Vinyl Cream Lip Stain in performance, comparison videos went viral on Bilibili with viewers hailing it as "the holy grail of dupes".
The movement reached new heights during Pinduoduo's 2020 "Billion-Dollar Subsidy" campaign. Its collab with Perfect Diary on a "luxury dupe kit" sold 100,000 units in 24 hours. Xiaohongshu's #EverythingHasADupe hashtag soon accumulated 320 million views, expanding beyond cosmetics to travel (dubbing Luoyang's Longmen Grottoes as "the Mogao Caves dupe") and interior design (hacking IKEA items into designer furniture lookalikes).
A 2023 CCTV Finance report revealed 78% of Chinese Gen-Z actively seek dupes, with 62% focusing on beauty/personal care and 24% on tech. Classic scenarios include:
- Office workers using UNNY CLUB's $9 cleansing balm instead of EVE LOM's $92 original
- Students opting for Redmi Pad ($180) over iPad ($500) for note-taking
- Renters projecting Netflix on $120 portable projectors instead of buying $450+ TVs
This isn't mere bargain hunting - it's a generational shift from conspicuous consumption to what youths call "smart splurging". As Douyin influencer @MakeupChef puts it: "Pingti isn't about settling, it's about outsmarting the system."