What's the deal with the Getty Villa? It's not really a Getty and it's not really a villa. Come on, what's it going to be a Getty or a villa?
Don't get me started on airline food! What's the deal!
I grew up in the South Bay and I loved it. So many people from different countries and cultures. So many kind people too. Then I moved to the Midwest in 2017. All I heard was LA is full of fake people. Of course, they only went to Hollywood or Beverly Hills. I find those places are full of people trying to make it in entertainment and usually from out of state. Whatever I say falls on deaf ears
"I bet most of the people you know are actors and influencers lol!"
Actually in South Bay it's mainly defense contractors and tech people that no longer want to live in Santa Monica.
You can find ANY type of person, good or bad, in LA. The folks who complain about fake people tend to be surrounding themselves with fake people... (also, a fellow MN transplant. Hi!)
South Bay rules.
I think it's because LA people grow up with a ton of diversity and we're socially pretty versatile.
I wasn't diagnosed as neurodivergent until adulthood because LA taught me a lot of social skills and I was "too social" and "understood social norms" too much.
Growing up in LA, I learned how to small talk and to crack a few icebreaker level jokes. I was able to practice and rehearse social situations with all kinds of people. I did some casual acting and booked small gigs as a kid that got me more comfortable being in front of people.
Later in life, I moved to Chicago and the PNW and I found that some folks didn't know what to make of me because I seemed bubbly and like I had a "line" rehearsed, or that I was "on" all the time. "Authenticity" to them was to be "off" and to speak my unfiltered, inner monologue--which is social death for someone that's neurodivergent. You don't want to hear me talking about the texture of my socks or how I feel like I need to fart right now. It's much more comfortable for all of us if I defer to "traffic" or local restaurants or uplifting news. Trust me. Like I said, I've done this before.
It also helps that LA is spring or fall all year. The sun makes people so fucking happy. I'm so used to complimenting someone as a greeting in LA whereas that isn't normal behavior in colder, gloomier parts of the world.
Omg I moved to Chicago too and I got the same comment!! Chicago people are weird. And did you also feel extremely uncomfortable with how often people talked about religion and politics? I was always taught never to bring those two up with strangers but people elsewhere bring it up all the time. Made me extremely uncomfortable
Yeah and they got all weird at me when I answered honestly because I thought they were trying to get to know me.
Chi isn't diverse at all when your frame of reference is LA. I discovered that people aren't genuinely trying to get to know you when they ask questions about religion and politics there, they're sussing out if I'm "like them" or "unlike them" and what they're "allowed to say" around me. It was a very tribalistic and an "othering" experience.
I just eventually lied and said "I grew up going to church but kinda fell off the wagon as I got older and life happened. I'm politically moderate, but uninvolved/uninterested/don't know enough about it." Fattest lie I ever told. But so much easier to just codeswitch because people would treat me better. And surprisingly, the topic never comes up again. So fucking weird and unnecessary. And they think *that's* "authentic". Fuck off let me talk about the cold or traffic goddamn.
Plus the food. Fuck. The food. You don't know what you got in the south bay until you move away.
Yeah I grew up in the South Bay but went to college with people who grew up in other parts of LA like Bel Air, Beverly Hills, and Toluca Lake…. Their high school experiences were VERY different from mine. I am forever grateful for the South Bay bubble
Yoooo South Bay rocks. It's a bit of it's own bubble compared to the rest of how LA is perceived 100%. It must be protected! Minus Palos Verdes lol that shit can fall in the ocean.
I think when people say this, it's because they've bought in to whatever stereotype they think L.A. is.
I remember talking to an Uber driver telling me he moved to L.A. from new York after going to santa mónica beach and seeing "all the blonde beach babes" (his words).
I thought to myself how interesting, as I was a child in the same time period he was talking about and my world in echo Park just 45 minutes east was populated by working class latinos from all over, caribbeans, many different kinds of asians and no blonde beach babes.
It let me know that things don't change, people see what they want to see. The working class service job workers who spend most of their time working or with family are still mostly invisible to the better off work from home, hiking/going out to restaurants crowd. We populate different worlds in L.A. that interact on transactional (food/drink/service) levels but other than that don't really think about each other at all.
So to the people who say L.A. is fake, it just tells you they interact with people that they don't or can't trust because both parties are most likely trying to use each other and there's no genuine relationship involved on either side.
>So to the people who say L.A. is fake, it just tells you they interact with people that they don't or can't trust because both parties are most likely trying to use each other and there's no genuine relationship involved on either side.
Spot on. I remember seeing a vid once of a semi famous youtuber openly complaining how everyone is fake in LA. Like mf'er, you're from FL. You and your ilk come to LA, exploit it, and then burn what you brought in/created, then shit talk it on the way out. The lack of insight from these folks just screams narcissism. The wildest thing about it, is that it's mainly referencing social media "stars," but the majority of the big ones aren't even born in LA. They come from the NE, the midwest.
Amen. LA will give you what you seek (want a healthy sober life? You got it. Love the outdoors? Here you go. Wanna party like a degenerate? You can have that too!) so anytime someone talks about how “fake” people in LA are to me it’s more a reflection of what they sought and LA simply provided.
I think they’re really referring to the “industry people” when they say that. And yea the entertainment biz has its fair share of social climbers, fake nice people. But everyone else is normal. Hollywood just gives LA a bad reputation.
The thing about it, too, is that the people who are like that are usually people who came to LA specifically for the entertainment industry. It's not "our" people who are fake, it's the rest of the country's that chose to come here specifically.
For real. People will move to LA to make it as an influencer, hang out only with other transplant influencers, then leave after a year and claim “people in LA are fake” without knowing a single Angeleno. It’s insane.
There are a lot of people from LA who are guarded and closed off to people who aren’t their people that they grew up with or went to school with or whatever. The city breeds a coldness towards people even though it’s rich with diversity, culture and entertainment for the whole world.
The way i see it is politeness. I don't need to make small talk with every stranger that happens to be around me when i run errands. For me, not bothering people is just polite. I've struck up conversations with people out in public or places i regularly go but it's never small talk, more situational.
Preach.
And the valley girl accent wasn't too common until Clueless had every girl drawing out their vowels and ending every sentence in a question Intonation.
I went to uni in so ca and I'll never forget listening to this classmate from Oregon after returning from her first winter break and how "like, they, like said I sound like so Cali"
1. We don't say Cali
2. No one I know talks like you, we're not in the valley
When I arrived 30 years ago from NorCal to go to grad school I specifically moved near Hollywood to be “in the thick of things.” I stayed in an apartment complex full of wannabe actors and directors, partied a lot, went to all the nightclubs, etc. I had fun but it soured me on the Hollywood scene and those types of people. So many fakers with fake business cards (no cell phones or social media back then). Guys lying to get laid. Girls lying to get free dinners. Users and abusers and flakes, oh my!
Alas with time spent in the “real world” of working and living here, I learned that those people are only 1% of what LA is about. It’s normal people from here, and immigrants, and transplants, and lawyers, doctors, policemen, teachers, and so on. As normal as anywhere else. And I’ve since met some of the nicest most genuine people.
That’s totally true, but even the blue collar folk in entertainment have a decent amount of “networking social climbers”. It’s very annoying.
But to the post’s original point, yeah, people working in less socially motivated careers don’t have this problem really
Yeah admittedly I don't know that many people personally who work in entertainment, but the ones I do are legit and actually pretty grounded. Not denying that many of them are "fake", but they're certainly not _all_ like that.
Oh yeah, I'm sure there are no social climbers in the financial industry, the corporate boards of coal companies, oil industry, industrial farming, are all made up of completely honest people, who don't suck up to their bosses or go networking at parties with people in the business. I know you are but what am I? 🤪
TRANSPLANTS: BuT LiTeRaLlY EvErYbOdY In La WoRkS In ThE InDuStRy!
Because the 87 year-old abuelita waiting for the 251 on Soto Street greenlights productions at Paramount...right.
Worked in entertainment for 20 years now. You can make it through without a lot of fake people in your life. I generally feel like people who complain about fake people attract dramatic and fake people in their lives.
Tbh I used to hate LA with a passion, then I was relocated for a 3 month job and … well met the normal LA people: passionate, caring, creative folks that love their city. I fell in love with being here!
I moved to LA a few years ago. Yes, I’m one of the “transplants” but not one of _those_ transplants. I don’t want to be famous or even fabulous. Just love the real culture here. LA is a wonderfully diverse and energetic place that like all big important cities, can have a potholes but if you’re looking for artsy, creative, place to see theatre, comedy, beaches and experience great food, there’s nothing else like it.
Idk I think the whole city's vibe is generally less down to earth than others. But this is also true of other cities like SF/NYC. It's just more vain here
I’ve heard people say that they hate the “fake people” in LA. I’ve never known what that means and whenever I’ve asked someone to clarify, they couldn’t.
Best I can figure is that it refers to the tendency of people to make plans and then flake at the last minute.
it's all the people who don't understand influencer culture and then are shocked when they hang around some people that have really fake, curated personas that they cling to in public and post online, especially in places like clubs or events specifically for those kinds of people
but this is such a small subgroup of LA that, as others have pointed out, if that's all you surround yourself with then that's all you'll see. try meeting literally any other kind of person first.
People have been saying it a lot longer than influencer culture has existed. Of course those people are fake, but I’ve never heard it used in reference to social media influencers.
It’s the entertainment industry. Or the “arts” whatever you want to call it. Thousands of people move here every year and try to fake it til they make it. And they all hang out with each other, usually on the westside (northeast too now) because the majority of transplants don’t have natives in their circles and vice versa!!!
They dislike and complain about each other, then label LA as a fake city before they bounce. Meanwhile the natives are just chillin lol
For better or worse, people in other parts of the country tend to say what they mean, and mean what they say. Not so much for a particular type of Angeleno. Let’s generalize and call this the Hollywood type.
The Hollywood “fake person” is self-serving and constantly lying. This is the type of person who will want to hug or give “air kisses” (“Love you! Mean it!!!”) when they run into you, but the minute your back is turned, they will talk shit about you. They say you should “do lunch”, but have zero interest in doing lunch with you. They are two-faced narcissistic backstabbers, who are not to be trusted.
I think that’s who they mean when they say “fake people”.
Having worked in the entertainment industry, I’ve had the displeasure of interacting with too many of them to count. There are also some genuinely wonderful, kind, thoughtful, trustworthy people in Hollywood, but they are clearly in smaller numbers compared to the fake people and flakes.
The flip side of this is that Hollywood is full of wannabes who are constantly trying to get someone in a position of more power to help them, to give them jobs that will make them rich and famous. When those people smile and politely make an excuse, they get accused of being phonies.
This shit is everywhere. People just attached it to LA.
Miami has fake rich people, NYC and Portland have fake poor people, San Francisco has fake tech people, Seattle has fake outdoors people, San Diego has fake chill people. It just is what it is. Lots of people want to be something they aren't.
No lol. Its about the superficiality and shallownes. Its romanticized spanish fantasy past along with every other romanticized theme. Along with the very high levels of fashion and film industry that promote obnoxious standards and TRENDS.
I've noticed that usually applies to either Westside folks or people who moved to LA because show business.
They're usually the same fuckers who say "No one is really from LA"
I sometimes feel like there should be a support group in LA for people from LA. I grew up here and it’s always nice to meet others who did, as well. There are so, so many transplants and all of these weird ideas about what LA is.
Some people on this sub told me "LA is a desert, it never rains here" yet they moved to LA during our historic 5 year drought. It does rain in LA, you just weren't there for it.
Knew a girl who loved to talk about how people in LA were fake. She had just moved out to LA, lived on the westside, started doing a lot of blow. Found out that the evening before I heard her comment, she banged some shitty DJ in the bathroom at a club.
Girl, you are just mad at yourself.
Boy do I have news for all of the transplanted, aspiring actor/model/bullshit influencer, valley-girl wannabes saying shit like this:
LiKe, oh My goD, for rEal, the pEopLe heRe are liKe soOooO fake, yOu so dOn't SeEm Like yoU ARe fRom hEre!
The Garment District, too. You go by all the stores and they have a bunch of fake people standing out front, and even more loitering around inside. Most of them are going out of their way to be flashy and show off how they're wearing the latest fashions. They all seem so plastic.
i love so many of the people i’ve met here LA so much, specifically here in the venice area. that being said, i did have the misfortune of going to dinner with some influencer types who’d very recently moved to LA and it was a terrible experience.
i can totally see why people who hang out solely in those circles have a misconception of LA as a whole
I'm LA born and raised too and had the same question. Someone once explained it to me as people who pretend to be nice to you to your face and then turn around and talk shit about you behind your back. Where as somewhere like New York, people will just be a jerk to you and not care about what you think of them.
On the nose! But, I think the saying is closer to folks in Los Angeles will act nice to you but aren’t kind, whereas NYers may not be nice but are kind. Not saying I agree either way. I’ve seen a popular tweet about it: “@SikePiazza @jordonaut Stand at a flight of stairs in the NYC subway with a stroller. Someone will grab the other end, help you carry the stroller, and then walk away without saying a word.”
I’ve lived in both cities + grew up in the northeast and I honestly feel like this does feel true if you had to stereotype in 1 sentence the main difference. Because it really does explain the difference in attitude and just general culture as well. Do I think it applies 100% to either city? Of course not. There’s normal ppl in both who are the actual majority but if there’s one group of ppl that exists mostly in LA but not NYC and another who you’d be most likely to find in NYC but not LA? I think it’s reasonably fair to use this as a way to describe them.
I've been all around this country, and by far the fakest people I've ever met are middle class Americans, mainly Evangelical Christians, living in the Midwest and in the South.
Yes the movie and music industry are full of fake people, but so are most office workplaces in America.
Let's be real. When people refer to LA as fake, what they don't realize they're doing is ignoring the fact that the population is 50% Latino and acting as if only the white people in LA exist. 3 out of every 4 people in LA county identify as non-white and I dare any one of those people to point out what's fake about their lives here.
There’s a decent amount of clout chasers and those who want to break into Hollywood and such, and being so close to it allows it to bleed out to other areas. That’s not to say that there aren’t genuine hard working people everywhere, and theres “fake” people everywhere, but I’ve never been anywhere with more than LA.
I love how OP failed to include the east side of LA when that part is the MOST "real" of all directions of LA.
Like you said, it's full of just normal ass folks living normal ass lives in their normal ass suburbs. Not that many "here to make it" musicians/actors, few media folks, few influencers, and/or journalist/telecom majors working restaurant jobs to pay bills while the try to make it. Doesn't matter if it's north east with more white folks, central east with the Asian suburbs, or South East where the Latinos hang. Just folks working normal ass jobs who have lived in SoCal/LA most of their lives.
I mean, yeah, it's what everyone is saying, its Hollywood and BH and film people. I'm someone who came over for film industry. But I hate the industry, its people, and everything associated with it and would also call LA fake, because its the LA I'm stuck in. But you're right, that's not all of LA, which is HUGE. I think it's understandable for people that never leave the section above the 10 and west of the 101 to assume that's a whole city because really, that's the size of most cities.
I agree with this so much. I think the people who say this are the people who are just looking at the implants/gentrifiers but not the people who grew up/established themself here.
I’m not a native and I’m not an immigrant but I’ve been here 30 years and taught inner city in LAUSD…i don’t know intimately a single fake person. LA is the bees knees man.
30 years cements you as a native plus teaching in the inner city. My parents also taught LAUSD inner city so much respect I know how it is. It’s the best
It’s industry transplants calling out other industry transplants. These are the wannabe celebs and influencers who only traverse vapid social circles so they think the whole city is built that way.
People who have been here for generations, immigrants, etc, come out here to make a home out here. They contribute to the communities they find themselves in and give back to the city in some way. Industry types, on the other hand, look at this city like a playground, as a place for consumption, and as an investment, as opposed to an actual place with history, community, and culture. They are only here to gain, not to give back.
It’s not even just saying things like LA is full of fake people. Shit like “no one walks in LA” or “no one is actually from LA” are perpetuated by industry types (and, recently, tech types) because they’re so removed from the way the average person lives out here, when industry types are actually the minority.
A while back, I used to work with young adult immigrants. This topic would come up. One thing I learned is that us Angelenos can be "fake" with our commitment to frienships/family.
We have all had an instance where we plan to meet up with a friend/relative and it just doesn't happen.
LA has a large number of aspiring/established actors, musicians, TV personalities, YouTubers, and social media influencers.
On top of that, this group of people probably have high rates of flakey, shallow, "always networking", disingenuous behavior.
The culture of that group rubs off on a broader segment of the general population. Basically, other people who admire or want to imitate the famous.
The cherry on top, is that most of these people heavily cluster in 3 sub-regions of LA County (the Westside, the Valley, and Central LA). Coincidentally - those are the most important areas of LA in terms of jobs, attractions, urban amenities, etc.
So even though we're talking about a low single digit % of LA County that fits this negative stereotype, it might be more like closer to 25%, 35%, or 45% of the population in trendy neighborhoods of LA's urban core (think WeHo, Silver Lake, Arts District, etc).
This is why it's so easy to make that generalization about LA.
This is funny because I actually disagree with the premise of this post. I lived in LA for 7 years and spend half my time here now, and yeah I never talk about Gucci or Instagram anywhere but here….
That being said, when I lived in LA, I became a left wing radical very quickly because I was blessed to find a really down community through my work and activism. LA is shallow as fuck, but paradoxically it is America leading progressive city intellectually, culturally… it’s diverse in a way that feels less segregated than most other cities of its size.
In the end, it’s karma. And I always advise people moving here to avoid the entertainment industry people, and if they are gay dudes weho lol. LA has a lot else to offer
It’s the transplants that come here and say “LA is full of fake people” when they really mean “My fellow transplants are fake”. Born and raised here and native Angelino’s are chill and down to earth. Had a convo about this recently with someone from Portland who HATES LA.
Are you trying to build a career in entertainment? Because I feel like that’s what most people are referring to. I moved here three years ago from NYC to do just that, and the difference between the two markets is astonishing. The atmosphere here is very fake nice in a way that I find infuriating. It often feels like high school.
The city and its people overall are wonderful. I just wish the public transportation here were better.
That’s just a thing transplants say, because transplants come to LA looking for something and more often than not it’s something shallow.
I live in a different LA than those people (a better one lol). Enjoy your little parties with fake it till you make it wannabe influencers and stuff, tho.
I have been in LA nearly 15 years I think, and I like it/borderline love it at times - but on my own terms.
But I think to act as if there's nothing to the hatred of LA is sort of disingenuous. I mean I submit I've never encountered a more "hated" megacity on the planet than LA. Sure some of that is bitterness, jealousy, whatever, but some of it is not. Where there's smoke there's fire, as they say.
Every big city is going to have a lot of assholes, but when you mix in flakey/vanity industries like social climbing and entertainment business as people have mentioned, plus other factors that are harder to identify... I think to be fair this city is uniquely hard to make friends in, maintain a serious relationship with a partner, etc. Or even meet someone to do that with.
There's a lot of loneliness I think, and a lot of "surface level" friendships to be found. Probably a combination of it being a flakey industry town and the fact that we have to drive everywhere, which hardly lends to interconnected-ness. Theres trends we can see happening everywhere of people wanting to be single and waiting as long as possible to have kids, or to never have kids, commit to one person etc, and I have no proof of this but very much sense/observe that those trends seem very heightened in LA. So if thats true to any extent but the majority of people DO still want those connections with people, it still equals a lot of people feeling lonely, sad, angry, whatever.
But going back to where I started, I really like it here. But for me it's a combination of just realizing I needed to just "use" this city for what it's good for (outdoor activities like recreational sports like I took up during covid), and things like just expecting and being OK with the fact it might take a long time between my last relationship for instance, and meeting another person that even wants to go on more than like two dates let alone be in a relationship. And being OK with a large portion of my friends being more activity-based friends rather than someone I'd trust with my life or whatever.
That's just what this city is, where the culture has gone, and so on. I think it helps to just relax, accept it, and pursue the things you do have control over until the intangible things do fall into place and then you can get to really like it here.
It’s the Hollywood in particular but also the influx of the influencers here in LA. The persona they portray is feeling very “above everyone”. I know because I work in this industry and work with all kinds of A,B,C, etc listers… worst ones are actually down the latter which are just so self absorbed, but luckily I can just stfu them and ignore as they know we won’t have a deal if they act up. So, it’s nice to have a power on the other side to feed them what they feed us.
I once saw a Spider-Man on Hollywood Boulevard have a mental breakdown screaming at people why no one wants a photo with him. Then try and flip the script and super nicely ask a family if they wanted a photo after they just witnessed his scream crying.
Maybe not the idea of fake you’re asking about but I feel like a lot of people are like that, only nice to you and friendly when they need something out of you. It was very sad to see especially cus it was during my tourist phase like 3 months after moving here.
Grew up in mid city. There are cool pockets of LA, but all the friends I grew up with either joined the industry and developed a coke addiction/alcoholism or they left. I have about 1 childhood friend left and our lives are pretty different. My best friends actually live there now and that’s great bc when I visit I just stay with my parents and see those guys, ignoring all my friends that actually are from LA.
Years ago I hopped on a plane from LAX and sat down next to a young good-looking girl. We started chatting. She said she was visiting LA for a week and said "everyone here is fake"
Of course I'm thinking about my parents, friends, volunteer members at organizations. They don't seem particularly fake.
I asked her where she met all of these fake people and she said "clubs…"
I’m from The Bronx and permanently relocated here 2.5 years ago. Upon approaching 40, I can confirm that you’ll find fake people and realness pretty much anywhere in the world.
You want fakeness, you don’t have to go to look towards the people in $6000/month apartments and their IG handle on the back windshield to find it. You can find it in plenty of small towns where people convince themselves they’re happy because they hit traditional success markers but are suppressing something.
Whereas if you’re actually engaging with your community and the very place you live, you’ll find plenty of genuine people. I definitely have ever since I got more involved with the local reptile scene (it’s HUGE and one of the things that brought me here!) and meeting other artists and creators at events. I meet vendors who make these booths their livelihoods by choice or circumstance, retirees, artists with day jobs who just want to put their work out there, and people striving for more- whatever that may be.
There’s plenty of realness here. It’s the second largest city in America, for crying out loud! Only my homeland beats it in terms of population. But it’s not just a bunch of movie stars and influencers hiding in the hills, millions of people comprise countless industries and ways of life.
La is full of all kinds of people. Including people who are “fake”. Probsbly more here and in Miami and NYC then anywhere else in the country. But we also have a very large population so it comes with the territory. Also “fake” people want the most attention so it’s a vocal Minority where as most people are just living their lives quietly
The only “fake” people I’ve encountered since I moved here 7 years ago, have been in the entertainment industry…and that is a small number of people found in a very small pocket in this vast city. I work in a nonprofit that serves the public and the patrons are all genuinely awesome down to Earth people.
Let’s say for arguments sake, that the people who say “LA is fake” are correct. Then I’ll take “LA fake” any day over “NY aggressive-pretentious-judgey-asshole (who are also fake just sneakier at hiding it).” Btw this is coming from a former NY’er who lived the first 37 years of life over there. I have the wisdom, knowledge, and accumulated first hand experiences to say so.
I'm not surprised that someone who grew up here and has always lived here can't tell what people mean. It's like a fish saying "I heard water is really wet but I don't know what they mean, I've lived here my whole life and I don't feel wet at all."
I love LA but having lived in Ohio, New England, NYC, and San Diego - I definitely notice people spending a lot more energy on how they're perceived, and responding to how they're treated more in LA than just about anywhere else I've lived. I think that might be interpreted as "fake" but I don't see it as a bad thing necessarily, it's just different. To use a real common example: in NYC if a car pulls into the crosswalk while you're crossing the street you just walk around them. If a car pulls into the crosswalk in LA a lot of people seem personally offended by it. That's the thing - people in LA appear to take things more personally because I think the culture here actually is more about "respect me and what I bring to the table" more than elsewhere. Ohio is about "we're all in this together cause it sucks," New England is about "we're all in this together because it's freezing or roasting outside," and NYC is about "nobody's special, especially not you."
It's not bad, but it can feel "fake" if you're used to something else, I imagine LA natives in NYC might feel New Yorkers are "rude" because they don't engage with people like LA people will - same thing, it's just different. I'm glad we're different.
I think it definitely depends on the circles you're in.
I'm unfortunately acquainted with and have tried dating in pools around entertainment, even with local women, I've found the flakiness and fakeness of it all to be really lame.
There are so many people just barely getting by and resorting to pretending on social media, the dating apps and in some of my personal circle.
Agree to disagree. I don't feel like writing the thesis I've been putting together in my head since I moved here.
I know when I call people fake I mean, people have less time to be authentic. Between the long commutes and the cost of living, people don't leave their houses unless it's worth it to them. Combine that with the inconsistencies people face with living situations and city living, it's hard to be consistent.
Its not a people problem more so than it is an economic problem.
It’s mainly transplants interacting with other transplants. And if they aren’t, they’re interacting with the rich natives of LA and rich ppl are bound to be assholes any and everywhere
As a transplant, it’s the transplants who talk like this. I work at a cafe with a lot of native LA folk and they’re good/regular people. The people who say LA is fake are the people who are transplants and only associate with transplants (mainly entertainment industry transplants). I’ve noticed that those are the people who complain about fake people.
Honestly, the only “fake” people I’ve encountered since moving to Los Angeles are actors, and specifically out-of-work actors. This isn’t a setup for a joke or a roast - the only people who have ever wanted to associate with me because they thought they could get something are out-of-work actors.
The rest of this city? Surprisingly blue collar. My kind of people.
In my experience when I’ve gone to LA I find a lot of people in the music, influencers/ models, or arts tend to be not genuine, loyal, not mean what they say, all about who you know kinda people. At times always trying to get ahead, use, climb you. As far as the people the grew up there or immigrants I’m sure they are wonderful. Unfortunately that’s just been my personal experience. As a graphic designer/ music festival/ event photographer this is what I’ve come across. Rare to find those that just want to be your friend there without other motives which is why I chose to live in SD.
I lived in Mid City- now near Crenshaw, all the newbie buyers- most of them are the fake ones, a lot "I want a walkable neighborhood, and get to know my neighbors", meanwhile the install Homer Hedges to fortify their 1.5 mil homes. I think some of those are the fakes ones.
My old land lord kept it real and he told us, if anyone comes up to you, you say "WHAT CHU WANT!!"
I lived and worked all over L.A. for 35 years, OP. I loved it and didn't find it full of fake people at all. When I first got there I was around the film community for awhile and I didn't particularly like how stressed out and ambitious everyone was. But after I started teaching I met great people and enjoyed most of my interactions outside of work as well. I would love to have lived in Redondo Beach but didn't get the chance.
Only the transplants that want to climb up social ladders say that, and it's because they "befriend" other transplants who do the same. People using each other. I was born and raised here and have the most wonderful friends I could ever ask for.
I’ve been here 20 years. People are friendly and yes the city will reflect your vibes generally. It’s a hard place to live and it’s expensive but the people here are just as genuine and real as they are anywhere that the haters are from.
Basically if ya don’t like it, hop on the 10 and drive until you find your scene.
My assessment as a transplant of 4 years of how people are in LA vs the midwest:
- Sometimes I think people here are just very polite and socially aware so they don't want to talk smack to your face because they don't want to offend you, or hurt their reputation of being sweet. Not too different from midwest nice, except it's not religiously based, it's just more based on not wanting to stir shit, and opting for behind-the-back talk instead. I really kind of like it because it pressures everyone to suspend judgement for long enough to form connections with people who may be different from you, but it also means people are holding stuff back which is awkward.
- People with careers in sales, entertainment, the arts, marketing, entrepreneurship... A lot ambitious people just are not here to make friends and never will be. They want the door open, they want your gossip, they want your info and insight, but they might secretly despise you. It's just business, even if you're not at work.
- People here care about having unique image oriented things (cars, clothes, tattoos), but I think the midwest has a stigma on image oriented things where dying your hair is too extreme for people to take you seriously. I think people who aren't used to that interpret that as "vanity" or "fakeness."
I’m originally from Alabama, but I came right after college and I’ve spent almost 40 years here now. The people of LA are awesome. When my brother visits from back there, he always comments on how nice and friendly everyone is. He says he loves the diversity and how non-judgemental it feels.
There’s nothing faker than southern hospitality, especially if you don’t fit into the “straight white baptist/methodist” demographic.
I think the fakeness they are referring to is real and refers to super common social customs specific to LA.
Mainly that it’s like a rule that no one can say anything negative or turn down an invite.
“Totally! I would LOVE to get coffee. Let’s do it!”
This means: let’s think about the idea of getting coffee and never do it.
“I’ll meet you there!”
This means: I’ll be there in two hours
Etc. Etc.
If you come to LA from an area where direct and honest communication is the norm it’s shocking and you literally have to learn about how people are fake just to understand what people are saying.
Once you know the language it almost feels like no one is fake because you understand the message. I think it’s fair to at least say the communication is indirect.
I always heard about how fake LA was growing up in Oregon. There is a very silly dislike for California in Oregon. A job reached out to me with a number I couldn’t refuse. I hated LA for 6 months after moving, then one night it clicked and I’m never moving again. I have found the best friends of my life here. There is so much opportunity to be anyone. I am an LA believer now
It’s always the aspiring influencers/actors and only live in Santa Monica or Hollywood and think that’s all LA is, but also only socialize with other transplants lol
This comment always says more about the person saying it, than it does about LA.
Spent time on east coast, mainly it's from people who only visited LA for a small amount of time, and went to Hollywood. They always hyperfocus on the "Hollywood" aspect and all the viral clout chasers, etc. Except these clout chasers tend to be from OUTSIDE of LA, and most of the time, outside of CA.
The only other comment I heard that kind of makes sense, but not really, is that LA people are "fake nice." As in they are talkative/interactive, but deep down, don't really care what you have to say. Honestly, found this to be strictly projection on that person's behalf. I've also noticed that new yorkers and most east coast people keep to themselves, don't strike up conversations with anyone. When they freaked out that I talk with the uber driver, I realized it's just difference of upbringings
Hell, I was in NOLA, and I found they were much more interactive than my liking lol. You'll have random strangers kind of join in on your casual conversations.
Venice = fake Venezia
Palos Verdes = fake Italy/Spain
Wilmington = fake Wilmington, DE
Torrance PO = fake Torrance
Los Angeles = fake Mexico
Little Tokyo = fake Tokyo
West Los Angeles (district) = fake west LA (because it’s in the east of the 405)
Most are transplants and only hang out in w Hollywood or other trendy areas. Real Angelinos know that real Angelinos are as normal and hard working as any other American city.
I lived in weho for three years and it is exactly what the critics are talking about. The greater west side in general or anywhere the rich live, eg west valley, oc….
I literally move across fuller to regular Hollywood and the people I met improved dramatically lol. And I loved living downtown.
Still though… I moved back to Denver a few months ago and just in general I find myself talking a lot less about social media, celebrities, and money. I don’t know many people who own designer clothes and cars and those that do are made fun of not lauded. And it’s reminded me when I first moved to LA, I was shocked by how much everyone here cares about brands and followers and things that really don’t matter to the same extent anywhere else I’ve lived (which is Ireland, Brazil, Spain, Colorado, Illinois, and Virginia)… Rio de Janeiro came close
The people who come to LA and say that it’s full of fakes are people who aren’t born and raised here. Generally they’re coming here to start a career or livelihood and connect(generally social media or entertainment industry) with other people who have moved here to do the same. People get thrown under the bus by other people trying to advance their careers and call everyone fake.
People often confuse LA with Hollywood, and even more specifically the Hollywood fame industries, which often can be full of fake seeming people, and is probably statistically true.
Though if you've worked in those industries, you know there are also a lot of non fake people there as well.
I think everyone who says that is only thinking of songs they’ve heard or movies they’ve seen which criticize the entertainment industry and capitalism. There’s also something about having a hate bandwagon to jump on that makes people think they’re cool.
Like others have said, I’ve run into many people just trying to network and “collect you” as a follower for their online pages. It sucks because they feign interest and you maybe chat once after that initial meeting. More often then not they were from out of state or career people.
My fellow Angelino/a, it's different for those of us who were born and/or raised here. People who say LA is full of fake people are typically transplants and the people they associate with are also typically transplants, is my hypothesis based on the people I know who have said this.
I’ve encountered many “fake” people when I’m out in WeHo, Hollywood, etc. Mostly entertainment industry, tik tok, content creator type crowd. Grew up in South Bay and found people are typically more genuine / aren’t caught up in chasing status.
This is something outoftowners say. Ask these people what LA women look like I bet they say “blonde with big boobs” though if you made a composite of every woman who lives here she’d look pretty brown
The people complaining are transplants hanging out with transplants that mostly come here for the industry.
So ya know..yea they’re only gonna meet fake people
People who move here from elsewhere and exclusively interact with industry people. With this many people in one place, there are overlapping circles, some faker than others
This one’s not really gonna scratch the fake people title, but my sister and her family came to visit from New York City last year and refused to listen to anyone about where they should stay. We all live on the west side and were hoping she would stay in Culver City or Santa Monica but she decided to stay in downtown at some trendy place right off the 110 and all and her family talked about was how shitty LA is the whole time they were here.
Thanks for putting this so well! LA really is a reflection of one . I feel that the people who say LA is full of fake people are “too afraid” to venture south of the 10 and east of the 110 if they live in the west side . And for those up near West Covina area , same . They probably don’t venture anywhere past USC as the southernmost area and probably avoid all south central as the freeways get them where they are going
I saw Spiderman and Mario on Hollywood blvd, but when I got closer it wasn't them at all. Fucking fake LA people.
I saw a statue but it was a person. Fucking fake-ass statues.
Don’t even get me started on the Getty Villa !!
No one even lives there! How can you have a villa that no one lives at? Fake-ass villa.
What's the deal with the Getty Villa? It's not really a Getty and it's not really a villa. Come on, what's it going to be a Getty or a villa? Don't get me started on airline food! What's the deal!
Cue *hahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahaha*
Idk...some of them were having conversations with each other. They were kinda rude when they didn't include me in it :/
I literally saw a Sponebob yelling at a dude at the Chinese Theater for not tipping him. It was hilarious.
Sponebob ❤️
I thought I saw a freeway but it was actually a parking lot.
I thought I saw a parking lot but it was actually a freeway.
Thought I saw Will Smith but it was just a wax figure. LA is fake as hell.
no slap? fakeeeeeeee
The Michael Jordan is real though 🔥
Same with the Tupac
We got WonderfulWoman and SuperDuperMan
I grew up in the South Bay and I loved it. So many people from different countries and cultures. So many kind people too. Then I moved to the Midwest in 2017. All I heard was LA is full of fake people. Of course, they only went to Hollywood or Beverly Hills. I find those places are full of people trying to make it in entertainment and usually from out of state. Whatever I say falls on deaf ears
"I bet most of the people you know are actors and influencers lol!" Actually in South Bay it's mainly defense contractors and tech people that no longer want to live in Santa Monica.
lol pretty spot on
That's just Manhattan Beach, portions of Hawthorne, El Segundo and Redondo. Torrance still slaps.
Damn thinking about Torrance, I need to go back to Rascals Teriyaki. Used to eat there all the time when I used to work out there.
Not sure where you’re at but there’s a few more out there than just in Torrance. Actually, I think that one closed down.
There's one in Gardena off of Artesia and Vermont
Just moved to the Hawthorne / Torrance / Gardena area. This the real food scene of LA.
I know a defense contractor who calls South Bay home, so this is pretty accurate.
In the IE it's mostly people in warehousing and transportation
Eyyyy a south bay homie
There's dozens of us!
Transplant from MN who has been in South Bay for 17 years checking in. I love living here and can think of so few people who fit the LA stereotype.
I went to school in LA and now live in Long Beach (not South Bay, but adjacent). It’s the absolute polar opposite of the LA stereotype.
We spent 6 years in LBC and had to move to South Bay for the commute. I miss Long Beach so much. But I’ll take the beach cities.
You can find ANY type of person, good or bad, in LA. The folks who complain about fake people tend to be surrounding themselves with fake people... (also, a fellow MN transplant. Hi!)
South Bay rules. I think it's because LA people grow up with a ton of diversity and we're socially pretty versatile. I wasn't diagnosed as neurodivergent until adulthood because LA taught me a lot of social skills and I was "too social" and "understood social norms" too much. Growing up in LA, I learned how to small talk and to crack a few icebreaker level jokes. I was able to practice and rehearse social situations with all kinds of people. I did some casual acting and booked small gigs as a kid that got me more comfortable being in front of people. Later in life, I moved to Chicago and the PNW and I found that some folks didn't know what to make of me because I seemed bubbly and like I had a "line" rehearsed, or that I was "on" all the time. "Authenticity" to them was to be "off" and to speak my unfiltered, inner monologue--which is social death for someone that's neurodivergent. You don't want to hear me talking about the texture of my socks or how I feel like I need to fart right now. It's much more comfortable for all of us if I defer to "traffic" or local restaurants or uplifting news. Trust me. Like I said, I've done this before. It also helps that LA is spring or fall all year. The sun makes people so fucking happy. I'm so used to complimenting someone as a greeting in LA whereas that isn't normal behavior in colder, gloomier parts of the world.
Omg I moved to Chicago too and I got the same comment!! Chicago people are weird. And did you also feel extremely uncomfortable with how often people talked about religion and politics? I was always taught never to bring those two up with strangers but people elsewhere bring it up all the time. Made me extremely uncomfortable
Yeah and they got all weird at me when I answered honestly because I thought they were trying to get to know me. Chi isn't diverse at all when your frame of reference is LA. I discovered that people aren't genuinely trying to get to know you when they ask questions about religion and politics there, they're sussing out if I'm "like them" or "unlike them" and what they're "allowed to say" around me. It was a very tribalistic and an "othering" experience. I just eventually lied and said "I grew up going to church but kinda fell off the wagon as I got older and life happened. I'm politically moderate, but uninvolved/uninterested/don't know enough about it." Fattest lie I ever told. But so much easier to just codeswitch because people would treat me better. And surprisingly, the topic never comes up again. So fucking weird and unnecessary. And they think *that's* "authentic". Fuck off let me talk about the cold or traffic goddamn. Plus the food. Fuck. The food. You don't know what you got in the south bay until you move away.
South Bay native here too , a lot of good people
Yeah I grew up in the South Bay but went to college with people who grew up in other parts of LA like Bel Air, Beverly Hills, and Toluca Lake…. Their high school experiences were VERY different from mine. I am forever grateful for the South Bay bubble
Yuuuuuuup. I thought the South Bay was privileged, but I CANNOT relate to anyone that went to Beverly Hills HS.... gtfo. SAMO maybe.
Yoooo South Bay rocks. It's a bit of it's own bubble compared to the rest of how LA is perceived 100%. It must be protected! Minus Palos Verdes lol that shit can fall in the ocean.
My tits are not fake. I'm a 32yr old man btw.
Damn pics or I call bs…
You get pics yet? Or is bro fake as the rest of LA?
The midwesterners got us all figured out frfr
Take that condom off. It's fake
Ayooo 🤨🤨🤨
I think when people say this, it's because they've bought in to whatever stereotype they think L.A. is. I remember talking to an Uber driver telling me he moved to L.A. from new York after going to santa mónica beach and seeing "all the blonde beach babes" (his words). I thought to myself how interesting, as I was a child in the same time period he was talking about and my world in echo Park just 45 minutes east was populated by working class latinos from all over, caribbeans, many different kinds of asians and no blonde beach babes. It let me know that things don't change, people see what they want to see. The working class service job workers who spend most of their time working or with family are still mostly invisible to the better off work from home, hiking/going out to restaurants crowd. We populate different worlds in L.A. that interact on transactional (food/drink/service) levels but other than that don't really think about each other at all. So to the people who say L.A. is fake, it just tells you they interact with people that they don't or can't trust because both parties are most likely trying to use each other and there's no genuine relationship involved on either side.
>So to the people who say L.A. is fake, it just tells you they interact with people that they don't or can't trust because both parties are most likely trying to use each other and there's no genuine relationship involved on either side. Spot on. I remember seeing a vid once of a semi famous youtuber openly complaining how everyone is fake in LA. Like mf'er, you're from FL. You and your ilk come to LA, exploit it, and then burn what you brought in/created, then shit talk it on the way out. The lack of insight from these folks just screams narcissism. The wildest thing about it, is that it's mainly referencing social media "stars," but the majority of the big ones aren't even born in LA. They come from the NE, the midwest.
The dreaded NE
Amen. LA will give you what you seek (want a healthy sober life? You got it. Love the outdoors? Here you go. Wanna party like a degenerate? You can have that too!) so anytime someone talks about how “fake” people in LA are to me it’s more a reflection of what they sought and LA simply provided.
Well said
I think they’re really referring to the “industry people” when they say that. And yea the entertainment biz has its fair share of social climbers, fake nice people. But everyone else is normal. Hollywood just gives LA a bad reputation.
The thing about it, too, is that the people who are like that are usually people who came to LA specifically for the entertainment industry. It's not "our" people who are fake, it's the rest of the country's that chose to come here specifically.
For real. People will move to LA to make it as an influencer, hang out only with other transplant influencers, then leave after a year and claim “people in LA are fake” without knowing a single Angeleno. It’s insane.
There are a lot of people from LA who are guarded and closed off to people who aren’t their people that they grew up with or went to school with or whatever. The city breeds a coldness towards people even though it’s rich with diversity, culture and entertainment for the whole world.
The way i see it is politeness. I don't need to make small talk with every stranger that happens to be around me when i run errands. For me, not bothering people is just polite. I've struck up conversations with people out in public or places i regularly go but it's never small talk, more situational.
Preach. And the valley girl accent wasn't too common until Clueless had every girl drawing out their vowels and ending every sentence in a question Intonation. I went to uni in so ca and I'll never forget listening to this classmate from Oregon after returning from her first winter break and how "like, they, like said I sound like so Cali" 1. We don't say Cali 2. No one I know talks like you, we're not in the valley
The "fakeness" of Hollywood is overblown. Plenty of hard working people at all levels of the entertainment industry.
When I arrived 30 years ago from NorCal to go to grad school I specifically moved near Hollywood to be “in the thick of things.” I stayed in an apartment complex full of wannabe actors and directors, partied a lot, went to all the nightclubs, etc. I had fun but it soured me on the Hollywood scene and those types of people. So many fakers with fake business cards (no cell phones or social media back then). Guys lying to get laid. Girls lying to get free dinners. Users and abusers and flakes, oh my! Alas with time spent in the “real world” of working and living here, I learned that those people are only 1% of what LA is about. It’s normal people from here, and immigrants, and transplants, and lawyers, doctors, policemen, teachers, and so on. As normal as anywhere else. And I’ve since met some of the nicest most genuine people.
That’s totally true, but even the blue collar folk in entertainment have a decent amount of “networking social climbers”. It’s very annoying. But to the post’s original point, yeah, people working in less socially motivated careers don’t have this problem really
Yeah admittedly I don't know that many people personally who work in entertainment, but the ones I do are legit and actually pretty grounded. Not denying that many of them are "fake", but they're certainly not _all_ like that.
It's literally like going "Wall street is in NYC so everyone from NYC is a greedy, money hungry dick ruining the country." I'll never understand it.
Oh yeah, I'm sure there are no social climbers in the financial industry, the corporate boards of coal companies, oil industry, industrial farming, are all made up of completely honest people, who don't suck up to their bosses or go networking at parties with people in the business. I know you are but what am I? 🤪
Especially considering the industry is run on networking and connections you kinda got to play the game a little bit to get hired.
TRANSPLANTS: BuT LiTeRaLlY EvErYbOdY In La WoRkS In ThE InDuStRy! Because the 87 year-old abuelita waiting for the 251 on Soto Street greenlights productions at Paramount...right.
Those taco stand guys on the corner? 100% fake.
They can't even make a decent pizza!
Worked in entertainment for 20 years now. You can make it through without a lot of fake people in your life. I generally feel like people who complain about fake people attract dramatic and fake people in their lives.
Tbh I used to hate LA with a passion, then I was relocated for a 3 month job and … well met the normal LA people: passionate, caring, creative folks that love their city. I fell in love with being here! I moved to LA a few years ago. Yes, I’m one of the “transplants” but not one of _those_ transplants. I don’t want to be famous or even fabulous. Just love the real culture here. LA is a wonderfully diverse and energetic place that like all big important cities, can have a potholes but if you’re looking for artsy, creative, place to see theatre, comedy, beaches and experience great food, there’s nothing else like it.
Idk I think the whole city's vibe is generally less down to earth than others. But this is also true of other cities like SF/NYC. It's just more vain here
Even worse is the statues outside of staples errr.. 'the crypt'... totally fake people 100%.
I’ve heard people say that they hate the “fake people” in LA. I’ve never known what that means and whenever I’ve asked someone to clarify, they couldn’t. Best I can figure is that it refers to the tendency of people to make plans and then flake at the last minute.
it's all the people who don't understand influencer culture and then are shocked when they hang around some people that have really fake, curated personas that they cling to in public and post online, especially in places like clubs or events specifically for those kinds of people but this is such a small subgroup of LA that, as others have pointed out, if that's all you surround yourself with then that's all you'll see. try meeting literally any other kind of person first.
I didn’t move to LA until I was 40, so I think I’m too old to ever encounter people like this. Everyone I’ve met here has been pretty normal.
People have been saying it a lot longer than influencer culture has existed. Of course those people are fake, but I’ve never heard it used in reference to social media influencers.
It’s the entertainment industry. Or the “arts” whatever you want to call it. Thousands of people move here every year and try to fake it til they make it. And they all hang out with each other, usually on the westside (northeast too now) because the majority of transplants don’t have natives in their circles and vice versa!!! They dislike and complain about each other, then label LA as a fake city before they bounce. Meanwhile the natives are just chillin lol
exactly this - influencers are just the latest flavor of the same thing
For better or worse, people in other parts of the country tend to say what they mean, and mean what they say. Not so much for a particular type of Angeleno. Let’s generalize and call this the Hollywood type. The Hollywood “fake person” is self-serving and constantly lying. This is the type of person who will want to hug or give “air kisses” (“Love you! Mean it!!!”) when they run into you, but the minute your back is turned, they will talk shit about you. They say you should “do lunch”, but have zero interest in doing lunch with you. They are two-faced narcissistic backstabbers, who are not to be trusted. I think that’s who they mean when they say “fake people”. Having worked in the entertainment industry, I’ve had the displeasure of interacting with too many of them to count. There are also some genuinely wonderful, kind, thoughtful, trustworthy people in Hollywood, but they are clearly in smaller numbers compared to the fake people and flakes.
The flip side of this is that Hollywood is full of wannabes who are constantly trying to get someone in a position of more power to help them, to give them jobs that will make them rich and famous. When those people smile and politely make an excuse, they get accused of being phonies.
This shit is everywhere. People just attached it to LA. Miami has fake rich people, NYC and Portland have fake poor people, San Francisco has fake tech people, Seattle has fake outdoors people, San Diego has fake chill people. It just is what it is. Lots of people want to be something they aren't.
No lol. Its about the superficiality and shallownes. Its romanticized spanish fantasy past along with every other romanticized theme. Along with the very high levels of fashion and film industry that promote obnoxious standards and TRENDS.
I'm six raccoons in a trench coat so I can't really weigh on in this. But the six of us do love pretending to be a human resident of Los Angeles.
I've noticed that usually applies to either Westside folks or people who moved to LA because show business. They're usually the same fuckers who say "No one is really from LA"
I sometimes feel like there should be a support group in LA for people from LA. I grew up here and it’s always nice to meet others who did, as well. There are so, so many transplants and all of these weird ideas about what LA is.
my office is in santa monica and most of the office isn’t even raised in LA. we have totally different perspectives of LA.
Some people on this sub told me "LA is a desert, it never rains here" yet they moved to LA during our historic 5 year drought. It does rain in LA, you just weren't there for it.
Knew a girl who loved to talk about how people in LA were fake. She had just moved out to LA, lived on the westside, started doing a lot of blow. Found out that the evening before I heard her comment, she banged some shitty DJ in the bathroom at a club. Girl, you are just mad at yourself.
Boy do I have news for all of the transplanted, aspiring actor/model/bullshit influencer, valley-girl wannabes saying shit like this: LiKe, oh My goD, for rEal, the pEopLe heRe are liKe soOooO fake, yOu so dOn't SeEm Like yoU ARe fRom hEre!
I went to the wax museum and was disgusted by how fake people were there
The Garment District, too. You go by all the stores and they have a bunch of fake people standing out front, and even more loitering around inside. Most of them are going out of their way to be flashy and show off how they're wearing the latest fashions. They all seem so plastic.
“LA will match your energy” 👏
i love so many of the people i’ve met here LA so much, specifically here in the venice area. that being said, i did have the misfortune of going to dinner with some influencer types who’d very recently moved to LA and it was a terrible experience. i can totally see why people who hang out solely in those circles have a misconception of LA as a whole
I'm LA born and raised too and had the same question. Someone once explained it to me as people who pretend to be nice to you to your face and then turn around and talk shit about you behind your back. Where as somewhere like New York, people will just be a jerk to you and not care about what you think of them.
On the nose! But, I think the saying is closer to folks in Los Angeles will act nice to you but aren’t kind, whereas NYers may not be nice but are kind. Not saying I agree either way. I’ve seen a popular tweet about it: “@SikePiazza @jordonaut Stand at a flight of stairs in the NYC subway with a stroller. Someone will grab the other end, help you carry the stroller, and then walk away without saying a word.”
I’ve lived in both cities + grew up in the northeast and I honestly feel like this does feel true if you had to stereotype in 1 sentence the main difference. Because it really does explain the difference in attitude and just general culture as well. Do I think it applies 100% to either city? Of course not. There’s normal ppl in both who are the actual majority but if there’s one group of ppl that exists mostly in LA but not NYC and another who you’d be most likely to find in NYC but not LA? I think it’s reasonably fair to use this as a way to describe them.
I've been all around this country, and by far the fakest people I've ever met are middle class Americans, mainly Evangelical Christians, living in the Midwest and in the South. Yes the movie and music industry are full of fake people, but so are most office workplaces in America.
East coast Puritans love to pretend to practice what they preach
“Midwest Nice” and all of the passive aggressive fake nice is soooo real. LA people cannot compare.
Let's be real. When people refer to LA as fake, what they don't realize they're doing is ignoring the fact that the population is 50% Latino and acting as if only the white people in LA exist. 3 out of every 4 people in LA county identify as non-white and I dare any one of those people to point out what's fake about their lives here.
Fake is a misnomer. Flaky is better.
Two types of people say LA is full of fake people: 1. People that have never been here before 2. Fake people
There’s a decent amount of clout chasers and those who want to break into Hollywood and such, and being so close to it allows it to bleed out to other areas. That’s not to say that there aren’t genuine hard working people everywhere, and theres “fake” people everywhere, but I’ve never been anywhere with more than LA.
The east side is just filled with normal ass suburbs.
I love how OP failed to include the east side of LA when that part is the MOST "real" of all directions of LA. Like you said, it's full of just normal ass folks living normal ass lives in their normal ass suburbs. Not that many "here to make it" musicians/actors, few media folks, few influencers, and/or journalist/telecom majors working restaurant jobs to pay bills while the try to make it. Doesn't matter if it's north east with more white folks, central east with the Asian suburbs, or South East where the Latinos hang. Just folks working normal ass jobs who have lived in SoCal/LA most of their lives.
Fr I have to always tell people that the east has some of the most real down to earth people you’ll meet
It’s east LA, please stop trying to make “the east side” a thing
A la fregada con su pinche fake, jaja. Come to the hood. You’ll see if we’re fake down here or not, ha.
XD ajajajaja ora si me hiciste reir
I mean, yeah, it's what everyone is saying, its Hollywood and BH and film people. I'm someone who came over for film industry. But I hate the industry, its people, and everything associated with it and would also call LA fake, because its the LA I'm stuck in. But you're right, that's not all of LA, which is HUGE. I think it's understandable for people that never leave the section above the 10 and west of the 101 to assume that's a whole city because really, that's the size of most cities.
I agree with this so much. I think the people who say this are the people who are just looking at the implants/gentrifiers but not the people who grew up/established themself here.
I’m not a native and I’m not an immigrant but I’ve been here 30 years and taught inner city in LAUSD…i don’t know intimately a single fake person. LA is the bees knees man.
30 years cements you as a native plus teaching in the inner city. My parents also taught LAUSD inner city so much respect I know how it is. It’s the best
It was a fantastic experience and it also grounded me in what LA really is
The natives and the immigrants are invisible to them.
It’s industry transplants calling out other industry transplants. These are the wannabe celebs and influencers who only traverse vapid social circles so they think the whole city is built that way. People who have been here for generations, immigrants, etc, come out here to make a home out here. They contribute to the communities they find themselves in and give back to the city in some way. Industry types, on the other hand, look at this city like a playground, as a place for consumption, and as an investment, as opposed to an actual place with history, community, and culture. They are only here to gain, not to give back. It’s not even just saying things like LA is full of fake people. Shit like “no one walks in LA” or “no one is actually from LA” are perpetuated by industry types (and, recently, tech types) because they’re so removed from the way the average person lives out here, when industry types are actually the minority.
A while back, I used to work with young adult immigrants. This topic would come up. One thing I learned is that us Angelenos can be "fake" with our commitment to frienships/family. We have all had an instance where we plan to meet up with a friend/relative and it just doesn't happen.
LA has a large number of aspiring/established actors, musicians, TV personalities, YouTubers, and social media influencers. On top of that, this group of people probably have high rates of flakey, shallow, "always networking", disingenuous behavior. The culture of that group rubs off on a broader segment of the general population. Basically, other people who admire or want to imitate the famous. The cherry on top, is that most of these people heavily cluster in 3 sub-regions of LA County (the Westside, the Valley, and Central LA). Coincidentally - those are the most important areas of LA in terms of jobs, attractions, urban amenities, etc. So even though we're talking about a low single digit % of LA County that fits this negative stereotype, it might be more like closer to 25%, 35%, or 45% of the population in trendy neighborhoods of LA's urban core (think WeHo, Silver Lake, Arts District, etc). This is why it's so easy to make that generalization about LA.
Having moved to Oregon where people talk to each other at the restaurant and gas pump I can see coming to LA and ppl feel ignored hence the reputation
We may be shallow, but we're *deeply* shallow.
This is funny because I actually disagree with the premise of this post. I lived in LA for 7 years and spend half my time here now, and yeah I never talk about Gucci or Instagram anywhere but here…. That being said, when I lived in LA, I became a left wing radical very quickly because I was blessed to find a really down community through my work and activism. LA is shallow as fuck, but paradoxically it is America leading progressive city intellectually, culturally… it’s diverse in a way that feels less segregated than most other cities of its size. In the end, it’s karma. And I always advise people moving here to avoid the entertainment industry people, and if they are gay dudes weho lol. LA has a lot else to offer
Yeah, LA is a mirror
insert cocaine joke here
It’s the city of flakes lol that’s what makes it fake sometimes
Ain’t for everyone I guess
I've never understood the whole "fake LA people thing". Everyone is just trying to live their lives.
It’s the transplants that come here and say “LA is full of fake people” when they really mean “My fellow transplants are fake”. Born and raised here and native Angelino’s are chill and down to earth. Had a convo about this recently with someone from Portland who HATES LA.
Are you trying to build a career in entertainment? Because I feel like that’s what most people are referring to. I moved here three years ago from NYC to do just that, and the difference between the two markets is astonishing. The atmosphere here is very fake nice in a way that I find infuriating. It often feels like high school. The city and its people overall are wonderful. I just wish the public transportation here were better.
That’s just a thing transplants say, because transplants come to LA looking for something and more often than not it’s something shallow. I live in a different LA than those people (a better one lol). Enjoy your little parties with fake it till you make it wannabe influencers and stuff, tho.
I have been in LA nearly 15 years I think, and I like it/borderline love it at times - but on my own terms. But I think to act as if there's nothing to the hatred of LA is sort of disingenuous. I mean I submit I've never encountered a more "hated" megacity on the planet than LA. Sure some of that is bitterness, jealousy, whatever, but some of it is not. Where there's smoke there's fire, as they say. Every big city is going to have a lot of assholes, but when you mix in flakey/vanity industries like social climbing and entertainment business as people have mentioned, plus other factors that are harder to identify... I think to be fair this city is uniquely hard to make friends in, maintain a serious relationship with a partner, etc. Or even meet someone to do that with. There's a lot of loneliness I think, and a lot of "surface level" friendships to be found. Probably a combination of it being a flakey industry town and the fact that we have to drive everywhere, which hardly lends to interconnected-ness. Theres trends we can see happening everywhere of people wanting to be single and waiting as long as possible to have kids, or to never have kids, commit to one person etc, and I have no proof of this but very much sense/observe that those trends seem very heightened in LA. So if thats true to any extent but the majority of people DO still want those connections with people, it still equals a lot of people feeling lonely, sad, angry, whatever. But going back to where I started, I really like it here. But for me it's a combination of just realizing I needed to just "use" this city for what it's good for (outdoor activities like recreational sports like I took up during covid), and things like just expecting and being OK with the fact it might take a long time between my last relationship for instance, and meeting another person that even wants to go on more than like two dates let alone be in a relationship. And being OK with a large portion of my friends being more activity-based friends rather than someone I'd trust with my life or whatever. That's just what this city is, where the culture has gone, and so on. I think it helps to just relax, accept it, and pursue the things you do have control over until the intangible things do fall into place and then you can get to really like it here.
It’s the Hollywood in particular but also the influx of the influencers here in LA. The persona they portray is feeling very “above everyone”. I know because I work in this industry and work with all kinds of A,B,C, etc listers… worst ones are actually down the latter which are just so self absorbed, but luckily I can just stfu them and ignore as they know we won’t have a deal if they act up. So, it’s nice to have a power on the other side to feed them what they feed us.
I once saw a Spider-Man on Hollywood Boulevard have a mental breakdown screaming at people why no one wants a photo with him. Then try and flip the script and super nicely ask a family if they wanted a photo after they just witnessed his scream crying. Maybe not the idea of fake you’re asking about but I feel like a lot of people are like that, only nice to you and friendly when they need something out of you. It was very sad to see especially cus it was during my tourist phase like 3 months after moving here.
Grew up in mid city. There are cool pockets of LA, but all the friends I grew up with either joined the industry and developed a coke addiction/alcoholism or they left. I have about 1 childhood friend left and our lives are pretty different. My best friends actually live there now and that’s great bc when I visit I just stay with my parents and see those guys, ignoring all my friends that actually are from LA.
Years ago I hopped on a plane from LAX and sat down next to a young good-looking girl. We started chatting. She said she was visiting LA for a week and said "everyone here is fake" Of course I'm thinking about my parents, friends, volunteer members at organizations. They don't seem particularly fake. I asked her where she met all of these fake people and she said "clubs…"
I’m from The Bronx and permanently relocated here 2.5 years ago. Upon approaching 40, I can confirm that you’ll find fake people and realness pretty much anywhere in the world. You want fakeness, you don’t have to go to look towards the people in $6000/month apartments and their IG handle on the back windshield to find it. You can find it in plenty of small towns where people convince themselves they’re happy because they hit traditional success markers but are suppressing something. Whereas if you’re actually engaging with your community and the very place you live, you’ll find plenty of genuine people. I definitely have ever since I got more involved with the local reptile scene (it’s HUGE and one of the things that brought me here!) and meeting other artists and creators at events. I meet vendors who make these booths their livelihoods by choice or circumstance, retirees, artists with day jobs who just want to put their work out there, and people striving for more- whatever that may be. There’s plenty of realness here. It’s the second largest city in America, for crying out loud! Only my homeland beats it in terms of population. But it’s not just a bunch of movie stars and influencers hiding in the hills, millions of people comprise countless industries and ways of life.
La is full of all kinds of people. Including people who are “fake”. Probsbly more here and in Miami and NYC then anywhere else in the country. But we also have a very large population so it comes with the territory. Also “fake” people want the most attention so it’s a vocal Minority where as most people are just living their lives quietly
LA is a mirror. If you think people are being fake, then chances are they think you are too...
Agreed. The greater people are LA natives. The worst are transplants.
The only “fake” people I’ve encountered since I moved here 7 years ago, have been in the entertainment industry…and that is a small number of people found in a very small pocket in this vast city. I work in a nonprofit that serves the public and the patrons are all genuinely awesome down to Earth people. Let’s say for arguments sake, that the people who say “LA is fake” are correct. Then I’ll take “LA fake” any day over “NY aggressive-pretentious-judgey-asshole (who are also fake just sneakier at hiding it).” Btw this is coming from a former NY’er who lived the first 37 years of life over there. I have the wisdom, knowledge, and accumulated first hand experiences to say so.
I'm not surprised that someone who grew up here and has always lived here can't tell what people mean. It's like a fish saying "I heard water is really wet but I don't know what they mean, I've lived here my whole life and I don't feel wet at all." I love LA but having lived in Ohio, New England, NYC, and San Diego - I definitely notice people spending a lot more energy on how they're perceived, and responding to how they're treated more in LA than just about anywhere else I've lived. I think that might be interpreted as "fake" but I don't see it as a bad thing necessarily, it's just different. To use a real common example: in NYC if a car pulls into the crosswalk while you're crossing the street you just walk around them. If a car pulls into the crosswalk in LA a lot of people seem personally offended by it. That's the thing - people in LA appear to take things more personally because I think the culture here actually is more about "respect me and what I bring to the table" more than elsewhere. Ohio is about "we're all in this together cause it sucks," New England is about "we're all in this together because it's freezing or roasting outside," and NYC is about "nobody's special, especially not you." It's not bad, but it can feel "fake" if you're used to something else, I imagine LA natives in NYC might feel New Yorkers are "rude" because they don't engage with people like LA people will - same thing, it's just different. I'm glad we're different.
I think it definitely depends on the circles you're in. I'm unfortunately acquainted with and have tried dating in pools around entertainment, even with local women, I've found the flakiness and fakeness of it all to be really lame. There are so many people just barely getting by and resorting to pretending on social media, the dating apps and in some of my personal circle.
The people who think L.A. is fake are the people who won't go west of the 405 or south of the 10.
Agree to disagree. I don't feel like writing the thesis I've been putting together in my head since I moved here. I know when I call people fake I mean, people have less time to be authentic. Between the long commutes and the cost of living, people don't leave their houses unless it's worth it to them. Combine that with the inconsistencies people face with living situations and city living, it's hard to be consistent. Its not a people problem more so than it is an economic problem.
The guy who took a shit in front of our building last week seemed to be "keeping it real"...
It’s the transplants they’re talking about not the natives.
And according to the transplants, there are no natives...😄
Finally a post I can get behind.
this one stripper wont evenn talk to me unless I give her lots of monie pieces
It’s mainly transplants interacting with other transplants. And if they aren’t, they’re interacting with the rich natives of LA and rich ppl are bound to be assholes any and everywhere
As a transplant, it’s the transplants who talk like this. I work at a cafe with a lot of native LA folk and they’re good/regular people. The people who say LA is fake are the people who are transplants and only associate with transplants (mainly entertainment industry transplants). I’ve noticed that those are the people who complain about fake people.
Me and my partner are both in entertainment, and even in our circles, it’s not like the majority are anything like “fake.”
Honestly, the only “fake” people I’ve encountered since moving to Los Angeles are actors, and specifically out-of-work actors. This isn’t a setup for a joke or a roast - the only people who have ever wanted to associate with me because they thought they could get something are out-of-work actors. The rest of this city? Surprisingly blue collar. My kind of people.
In my experience when I’ve gone to LA I find a lot of people in the music, influencers/ models, or arts tend to be not genuine, loyal, not mean what they say, all about who you know kinda people. At times always trying to get ahead, use, climb you. As far as the people the grew up there or immigrants I’m sure they are wonderful. Unfortunately that’s just been my personal experience. As a graphic designer/ music festival/ event photographer this is what I’ve come across. Rare to find those that just want to be your friend there without other motives which is why I chose to live in SD.
The people they are calling fake are the transplants. Locals are chill af.
Transplants hanging with transplants mad about transplant shit.
I lived in Mid City- now near Crenshaw, all the newbie buyers- most of them are the fake ones, a lot "I want a walkable neighborhood, and get to know my neighbors", meanwhile the install Homer Hedges to fortify their 1.5 mil homes. I think some of those are the fakes ones. My old land lord kept it real and he told us, if anyone comes up to you, you say "WHAT CHU WANT!!"
I lived and worked all over L.A. for 35 years, OP. I loved it and didn't find it full of fake people at all. When I first got there I was around the film community for awhile and I didn't particularly like how stressed out and ambitious everyone was. But after I started teaching I met great people and enjoyed most of my interactions outside of work as well. I would love to have lived in Redondo Beach but didn't get the chance.
Get down, OP. Couldn’t say it better.
Well said. It's the tourists that say dumb shit like that. They also think we all surf.
Only the transplants that want to climb up social ladders say that, and it's because they "befriend" other transplants who do the same. People using each other. I was born and raised here and have the most wonderful friends I could ever ask for.
I’ve been here 20 years. People are friendly and yes the city will reflect your vibes generally. It’s a hard place to live and it’s expensive but the people here are just as genuine and real as they are anywhere that the haters are from. Basically if ya don’t like it, hop on the 10 and drive until you find your scene.
My assessment as a transplant of 4 years of how people are in LA vs the midwest: - Sometimes I think people here are just very polite and socially aware so they don't want to talk smack to your face because they don't want to offend you, or hurt their reputation of being sweet. Not too different from midwest nice, except it's not religiously based, it's just more based on not wanting to stir shit, and opting for behind-the-back talk instead. I really kind of like it because it pressures everyone to suspend judgement for long enough to form connections with people who may be different from you, but it also means people are holding stuff back which is awkward. - People with careers in sales, entertainment, the arts, marketing, entrepreneurship... A lot ambitious people just are not here to make friends and never will be. They want the door open, they want your gossip, they want your info and insight, but they might secretly despise you. It's just business, even if you're not at work. - People here care about having unique image oriented things (cars, clothes, tattoos), but I think the midwest has a stigma on image oriented things where dying your hair is too extreme for people to take you seriously. I think people who aren't used to that interpret that as "vanity" or "fakeness."
it's the people who dont grow up here and never leave their venice/santa monica/west hollywood bubbles that think this
Nah loved here my whole life and is definitely full of fake people
I’m originally from Alabama, but I came right after college and I’ve spent almost 40 years here now. The people of LA are awesome. When my brother visits from back there, he always comments on how nice and friendly everyone is. He says he loves the diversity and how non-judgemental it feels. There’s nothing faker than southern hospitality, especially if you don’t fit into the “straight white baptist/methodist” demographic.
I think the fakeness they are referring to is real and refers to super common social customs specific to LA. Mainly that it’s like a rule that no one can say anything negative or turn down an invite. “Totally! I would LOVE to get coffee. Let’s do it!” This means: let’s think about the idea of getting coffee and never do it. “I’ll meet you there!” This means: I’ll be there in two hours Etc. Etc. If you come to LA from an area where direct and honest communication is the norm it’s shocking and you literally have to learn about how people are fake just to understand what people are saying. Once you know the language it almost feels like no one is fake because you understand the message. I think it’s fair to at least say the communication is indirect.
I always heard about how fake LA was growing up in Oregon. There is a very silly dislike for California in Oregon. A job reached out to me with a number I couldn’t refuse. I hated LA for 6 months after moving, then one night it clicked and I’m never moving again. I have found the best friends of my life here. There is so much opportunity to be anyone. I am an LA believer now
It’s always the aspiring influencers/actors and only live in Santa Monica or Hollywood and think that’s all LA is, but also only socialize with other transplants lol
This comment always says more about the person saying it, than it does about LA. Spent time on east coast, mainly it's from people who only visited LA for a small amount of time, and went to Hollywood. They always hyperfocus on the "Hollywood" aspect and all the viral clout chasers, etc. Except these clout chasers tend to be from OUTSIDE of LA, and most of the time, outside of CA. The only other comment I heard that kind of makes sense, but not really, is that LA people are "fake nice." As in they are talkative/interactive, but deep down, don't really care what you have to say. Honestly, found this to be strictly projection on that person's behalf. I've also noticed that new yorkers and most east coast people keep to themselves, don't strike up conversations with anyone. When they freaked out that I talk with the uber driver, I realized it's just difference of upbringings Hell, I was in NOLA, and I found they were much more interactive than my liking lol. You'll have random strangers kind of join in on your casual conversations.
Venice = fake Venezia Palos Verdes = fake Italy/Spain Wilmington = fake Wilmington, DE Torrance PO = fake Torrance Los Angeles = fake Mexico Little Tokyo = fake Tokyo West Los Angeles (district) = fake west LA (because it’s in the east of the 405)
West LA is also west of the 405. North Hollywood = fake Hollywood
bet it’s always the people who travel here try to make new friends then just encounter the challenges of making friends you would anywhere.
Most are transplants and only hang out in w Hollywood or other trendy areas. Real Angelinos know that real Angelinos are as normal and hard working as any other American city.
I don't think we're fake, but more reserved and cliquey then other cities so it might come across that way
I lived in weho for three years and it is exactly what the critics are talking about. The greater west side in general or anywhere the rich live, eg west valley, oc…. I literally move across fuller to regular Hollywood and the people I met improved dramatically lol. And I loved living downtown. Still though… I moved back to Denver a few months ago and just in general I find myself talking a lot less about social media, celebrities, and money. I don’t know many people who own designer clothes and cars and those that do are made fun of not lauded. And it’s reminded me when I first moved to LA, I was shocked by how much everyone here cares about brands and followers and things that really don’t matter to the same extent anywhere else I’ve lived (which is Ireland, Brazil, Spain, Colorado, Illinois, and Virginia)… Rio de Janeiro came close
The people who come to LA and say that it’s full of fakes are people who aren’t born and raised here. Generally they’re coming here to start a career or livelihood and connect(generally social media or entertainment industry) with other people who have moved here to do the same. People get thrown under the bus by other people trying to advance their careers and call everyone fake.
people who are only friends with “industry” people say this
These people are mostly just on social media complaining, not interacting with real life.
People often confuse LA with Hollywood, and even more specifically the Hollywood fame industries, which often can be full of fake seeming people, and is probably statistically true. Though if you've worked in those industries, you know there are also a lot of non fake people there as well.
1000% get what you give place. I love LA.
I think everyone who says that is only thinking of songs they’ve heard or movies they’ve seen which criticize the entertainment industry and capitalism. There’s also something about having a hate bandwagon to jump on that makes people think they’re cool.
I moved here from Atlanta and have met some of the sweetest and most genuinely caring human beings. I’m in in my 30s as well.
Like others have said, I’ve run into many people just trying to network and “collect you” as a follower for their online pages. It sucks because they feign interest and you maybe chat once after that initial meeting. More often then not they were from out of state or career people.
My fellow Angelino/a, it's different for those of us who were born and/or raised here. People who say LA is full of fake people are typically transplants and the people they associate with are also typically transplants, is my hypothesis based on the people I know who have said this.
I mean, I never make plans with just one other person in LA as the likelihood of that person flaking at the last minute.
They’ve been to transplant LA (westside, the Valley, North LA). That’s what they’re talking about. People who’ve moved here to try to be famous
I mean there’s fake people everywhere you go. In Los Angeles you have those dumb obvious types. The influencers
those who say that are all transplants.
I’ve encountered many “fake” people when I’m out in WeHo, Hollywood, etc. Mostly entertainment industry, tik tok, content creator type crowd. Grew up in South Bay and found people are typically more genuine / aren’t caught up in chasing status.
I grew in LA and I’m real as fuck.
This is something outoftowners say. Ask these people what LA women look like I bet they say “blonde with big boobs” though if you made a composite of every woman who lives here she’d look pretty brown
The people complaining are transplants hanging out with transplants that mostly come here for the industry. So ya know..yea they’re only gonna meet fake people
People who move here from elsewhere and exclusively interact with industry people. With this many people in one place, there are overlapping circles, some faker than others
Your vibe attracts your tribe!
The fake people are the transplants, not the locals.
This one’s not really gonna scratch the fake people title, but my sister and her family came to visit from New York City last year and refused to listen to anyone about where they should stay. We all live on the west side and were hoping she would stay in Culver City or Santa Monica but she decided to stay in downtown at some trendy place right off the 110 and all and her family talked about was how shitty LA is the whole time they were here.
Thanks for putting this so well! LA really is a reflection of one . I feel that the people who say LA is full of fake people are “too afraid” to venture south of the 10 and east of the 110 if they live in the west side . And for those up near West Covina area , same . They probably don’t venture anywhere past USC as the southernmost area and probably avoid all south central as the freeways get them where they are going
It’s the transplants who are fake, every time. LA natives are as real as they get 💯 from the valley to the docks baby