Baudrillard defines a representation as a copy of an original which requires the existence of the original to justify its existence.

Souvenirs, for instance, are representations in that they serve to remind visitors of their original visit - if the original visit, or the relevant location, never existed in the first place, then the raison d'etre of all souvenirs would be nullified.

Simulations, on the other hand, constitute entities which, although they may be based on reality, no longer necessitate the existence of an original once the process of construction is finished. Simulacra are therefore existentially and functionally independent from reality.