Can you fake authenticity?

Apparently, you can.

Today I was in Naples, walking through the streets, and I just felt this feeling of, wow.

I looked up above my head and saw a washing line. And I thought, yep this is authentic.

But then I asked myself… why exactly does it feel like that?

I looked down.
I saw rubbish on the street.
Graffiti on the walls.
Lines of washing strung between apartments.

But as I looked closely, I discovered something…
The washing wasn’t real.
It was staged.

And it got me thinking… 🤔 

Can you fake authenticity?
Can we be partly authentic?
Or is authenticity only real when it’s unedited and true?