Fake wireless earphones mocked as 'idiot' fashion accessory

ASOS is selling a silver ear piece designed to look like wireless headphones - but they’re not headphones at all.

The “faux headphone ear piece in silver tone”, sold as part of the ASOS Design line, mimics the look of wireless in-ear phones and is available as a single piece for $11, or two for $22.

Wireless earphones such as Apple AirPods, which retail for $250, have a cult following. While the design was initially met with incredulity, their subtle but distinctive appearance is now regarded as a “status symbol” according to The Guardian.

“The butt of the joke is not the AirPods themselves but the wealth and status of the people who wear them,” reads the article.

But people are mocking ASOS’s nod to the fashionable device, which has no apparent practical purpose.

The product first attracted attention on @asbos_sos, an Instagram account dedicated to mocking ASOS products.

Twitter users later took to the platform to mock the wireless earphones, with one person declaring anyone who buys them is a “total idiot”.

In the brand’s defence, a screenshot shared on Twitter from the ASOS Facebook page suggests the ear piece has at least one purpose: it may deter others from speaking to you.

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