Doop: What TikTok Users Mean ByThe Term

Hobbyists have used the term “dupe” for decades. It’s short for “duplicate.”

For example, a baseball card collector might be disappointed to open a new pack of cards to find that they already have five of the cards they just bought. They’re all “dupes.” People who collect stamps, coins, or almost anything else are familiar with the frustration of winding up with lots of “dupes” instead of exciting or rare finds.

Many of those who deal with large amounts of data also have to deal with duplicate entries on spreadsheets. They have to find and eliminate the “dupes” before the data set can be used.

In more recent years, the word “dupe” has taken on a slightly different meaning: a less-expensive version of a brand-name product, knock-offs, but perhaps with higher quality. You can easily find dupes of high-end Gucci or Versace goods on online marketplaces, particularly ones based in China. (You can also buy dupes on the streets of many big cities.)

People now use the term in other ways, too. A recipe that purportedly replicates a beloved product like Mrs. Fields chocolate chip cookies, or a website created to look just like a well-known one, is often called a “dupe.” Artwork in the style of Picasso or Rembrandt could be described as a dupe.

So, what’s the deal with “doops?”

What Doop Means on TikTok

The ubiquity of social media platforms in the 21st century has led to a stream of videos in which shoppers show off their latest discoveries and the huge bargains they’ve found.

These show-and-tells became commonly seen in TikTok videos once the app became popular. People do elaborate unpacking of the boxes they’ve bought from Shein or DHgate, and model the Prada and Chanel dupes they’ve bought dirt cheap.

That’s given birth to a new trend on the platform: parody TikTok content that shows off “doops.”

In “doops” videos, content creators record trips to random chain stores like TJ Maxx or Marshalls, grab random clothes that couldn’t possibly be mistaken for high-fashion, luxury items, and excitedly hold up a hideous pair of shoes while excitedly describing them as “gorgeous Chanel heels,” or a poorly-made vinyl handbag while exclaiming “I just scored a Birkin!”

Surfers in the know are ready for what they’ll see when they come across a tongue-in-cheek TikTok post about “doops,” but many others are baffled because they’ve never learned the different meanings of “dupe” and “doop” on the app.

Now you’re in on the joke, too.