Pookie’s going to be a mom; Travis Kelce made his on-stage Eras Tour debut in London; Charli XCX urges fans to stop chanting “Taylor Swift Is Dead” at her gigs; inside the rise and rise of Gracie Abrams; and I’m in California this week for Vidcon — if you’re going, please say hi!
GEN Z IS HACKING NYC RENTAL CULTURE — AND LIVING IN UPSCALE, AMENITY-RICH SHARES FOR $1,600 A MONTH, nypost
Residents of Cohabs, a fast-growing Belgian co-living company that currently maintains 14 NYC properties, pay $1,600 on average a month for a single bedroom, plus amenities like “state-of-the-art kitchens and fitness centers,” “vibrant rooftop scenes,” and “monthly networking events and parties.” Sounds exactly like the failed WeLive concept, but given that the average rent for a one-bed in New York City is $3,795 per month — and that Gen Z is desperate for IRL connection — it’s honestly not a bad deal.
GEN Z PUTTING HOMEOWNERSHIP DREAMS ON HOLD, axios
Despite feeling deeply pessimistic about the world around them, the majority of Gen Zers — defined here as those aged 12-27 — still “hope and expect” to own a home.
TIKTOK IN DENIAL AS US ‘BAN’ APPROACHES, semafor
TikTok is allegedly confident that Trump will win the election and intervene to save the app. “The complacency over TikTok at Cannes was a shocking contrast with the seriousness in Washington about killing or forcing the sale of the app,” writes Ben Smith. I wonder if TikTok employees are being encouraged to vote Trump.
TAYLOR SWIFT’S GRAVITATIONAL FORCE IS SET TO CHANGE ANOTHER CULTURAL PHENOMENON: TIKTOK, wapo
The social platform has built a first-of-its-kind in-app experience to celebrate Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, offering users the opportunity to add digital profile frames and create their own in-app friendship bracelets by completing Swift-themed engagement challenges (like creating posts with specific hashtags and following Swift-adjacent accounts).
IVY KARLSGODT'S VICTORIAN LAMPSHADES ARE A TIKTOK HIT, nyt
The young costume designer has gone viral with 1.5 million followers across her social media accounts for her handmade vintage-inspired lampshades that take 10 to 30 hours to complete and cost as much as $1,500. “We’re living in an era where you can get anything on Amazon for 20 bucks,” she said. “I think, in reaction to that, a lot of people are longing for art and handmade things.”
MILLENNIALS MIGHT HATE CRUISES—BUT A YACHT TRIP? THAT’S ANOTHER STORY., wsj
The secret to convincing affluent young consumers who turn their noses up at cruises to sign up for a trip by sea? “Slap a five-star hotel’s name on it and call it a yacht.” “The typical cruise doesn’t resonate with the younger, hipper audience,” said Jack Ezon, the CEO of a travel advisory aimed at luxury-minded travelers. “But the new ‘yacht’ or ‘micro’ cruise has developed into a new obsession.” He says he’s never “in 25 years” seen such a demand.
HOW FERTILITY CLINICS ARE SCARING YOUNG WOMEN INTO FREEZING THEIR EGGS, businessinsider
Clinics are using TikTok to entice an increasingly young base of women with the message that they're running out of time. The earlier you freeze your eggs, they warn, the better. And their fear-mongering is working: In 2021 to 2022, the most recent year for which data is available, U.S. egg-freezing procedures jumped 20%, to nearly 30,000. But egg freezing is expensive, the chances of success vary significantly, and the idea that earlier is always better isn't clearly supported by research.
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