An influencer said she was shocked that a 1999 rug was defined as 'vintage' by its previous owner, sparking a debate among viewers
An influencer unwrapped a mystery "vintage" rug she said she purchased at a flea market.
She appeared to record her reaction as she saw the label, suggesting it was from 1999.
Instagrammers debated whether the decade was too recent to be considered a vintage period.
An Influencer has sparked a heated debate about whether the "vintage rug" she bought was actually vintage, after she said she discovered it only dated back to 1999.
On June 23, an Instagrammer who goes by Ashley Dusing posted a video that showed her unwrapping a rug in her hall. In the caption alongside the upload she wrote that she "took a chance" on the "vintage" item after she'd spotted it at a flea market, and had been told by the seller it had been kept in storage "for decades."
During the video, Dusing could be seen excitedly removing the rug from brown paper wrapping but then appeared both shocked and disappointed after a close-up of the label appeared to indicate it was manufactured in 1999.
In a series of on-screen captions she said she'd been told the item had been kept in storage for decades, adding it could "technically" be true.
"But…please tell me 1999 isn't considered *gulp* …vintage," Dusing wrote in the caption, and at the end of the video removed the newly acquired item from her floor.
The upload received over 488,000 views and over 900 comments that debated whether the 90s was too recent to be considered vintage, or if this was common knowledge and the influencer should have known better.
"Unfortunately, vintage is only 20 years old," one viewer wrote in a top comment that received over 2,500 likes, with many more appearing to agree with this categorization, pointing out the rug was 24 years old so it would fall under this definition. "I don't think you were lied to here," another viewer added. Dozens of comments debated back and forth on what specifically classified a vintage item
Others thought the influencer was wrong for expecting the item to be older, and not seeming to appreciate the design. "It's decades old as promised, stop holding vintage to modern beauty standards," one user wrote and received over 200 likes.
There isn't a universally agreed cut-off date to call something "vintage." According to online marketplace Vestiaire Collective, which deals in pre-owned, high-end fashion, users can list anything older than 15 years as vintage, and vintage clothes retailer Thrifted sells items from decades as recent as both the 1990s and the 2000s in that category.
In a comment beneath her own post, During wrote that she'd spent $23 on the rug, and loved the colors but ultimately didn't like the flower pattern.
Meanwhile, other viewers seemed to be adjusting to the fact that their decade of birth was now considered a throwback period in history. "As someone born in 1992, I feel personally victimized by the fact that 1999 is now 'vintage' lol," one user wrote. "Omg were old now I guess," a fellow Instagrammer added in a comment that received over 300 likes.
This isn't the first time the word "vintage" has caused a stir online in recent weeks. Insider spoke with TikToker Sarah Dunk who went mega-viral when she discovered a Versace dress at a thrift store made in 1992 that fell under the same category, causing some millennial Facebookers to become shocked at the use of the term.
Dusing has over 68,300 followers on her Instagram account @tinyhouseontenby where she posts interior design insights and renovation updates.
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