Decoying: Theory and Practice
The practice of decoying is essentially little different from the profession of celebrity lookalike, in which people mimic famous entertainers whom they resemble. The only difference is that the 'lookalike' presents an acknowledged artifice. The decoy must conceal his or her imposture from the 'audience'.
In 2001, Poland hosted the first-ever doppelganger convention, to which lookalikes from across the country turned up, offering the unlikely spectacle of Joseph Stalin hobnobbing with Elizabeth Taylor. Nearly all the doppelgangers at the event had complemented their resemblance to a famous person by costume.
The famous incident in which Charlie Chaplin (at the height of his fame) failed to get through to the final selection in a 'Charlie Chaplin Look-alike' contest suggests that preconceptions by observers can be just as important as any physical resemblance when it comes to impersonation.
Some 'lookalikes' actually stop mimicking their targets and start pretending to be them. Comedian Robin Williams is one such victim, whose identity was allegedly 'stolen' by professional look-alike Michael Clayton, for financial reasons.
Read more about this topic: Political Decoy
Famous quotes containing the words theory and/or practice:
“Many people have an oversimplified picture of bonding that could be called the “epoxy” theory of relationships...if you don’t get properly “glued” to your babies at exactly the right time, which only occurs very soon after birth, then you will have missed your chance.”
—Pamela Patrick Novotny (20th century)
“It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either of them.”
—Mark Twain [Samuel Langhorne Clemens] (1835–1910)