Fairy Grunge and Dreamcore
Bow girls unite.
Acne is bringing back its cool-kid culture magazine; Gen Z, meanwhile, is bringing back flip phones; GriefTok is really something; Dior’s entire next men’s collection is a Travis Scott collab…and now it’s a business nightmare.
IS DENIM IN AN IDENTITY CRISIS?, nyt
The answer is yes, but also: it’s complicated. “A trendy young person may say low slung and baggy, while their older sibling asserts the opposite. Ask an industry expert and they would probably tell you skinny jeans, with data to support the point.” Anyway, this piece made me feel, as they say, seen.

PINTEREST SHARES HOLIDAY GIFT TREND INSIGHTS BASED ON RISING PIN SEARCH VOLUME, pinterest
According to Pinterest data, the top “trending aesthetic” among Gen Z ahead of the holidays is *checks notes* fairy grunge. This entails black platform boots, ‘Goblincore sweatshirts,’ and “whimsical elements such as beaded necklaces and gothic styles.” In other #aesthetic news…
DREAMCORE, SISTER TO WEIRDCORE, IS THE INTERNET AESTHETIC PACKED WITH UNEASINESS, nylon
Based in surrealism and “floating in the ether somewhere between weirdcore and traumacore,” the best way to describe dreamcore “is having the same feeling as a David Lynch movie, a Twilight Zone episode, or a Cocteau Twins song.” Style-wise, that translates to Beetlejuice’s pinstripe suit, trippy patterns, and Frank Ocean on the Met Gala red carpet with a little neon baby.
THEY STARTED MAKING TIKTOKS FOR JOE BIDEN. NOW GEN Z FOR CHANGE WANTS TO WIELD REAL POLITICAL CLOUT, dailydot
This coalition of over 400 Gen Z creators has organized for the Georgia Senate run-offs, partnered with Dr. Anthony Fauci during the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, and worked with Stacey Abram’s FairFight, Climate Power, MTV, and others. Now they’ve taken another step towards growing their influence: organizing as 501c4.
↳ Speaking of precocious young ppl: How did an 11-year-old Youtuber score interviews with Jay-Z, Nas and Derek Jeter?
‘THIS IS THE WILD WEST’: HOW AN INVESTMENT STARTUP BRAND IS BUILDING COMMUNITY TRUST WITH DISCORD, digiday
It’s a smart play for alternative investment platform Otis. When it comes to getting in front of Gen Z, “we’re at a crossroads, where brands are starting to function less like brands and more like people.”
↳ Speaking of investing: Younger women are narrowing the gender investing gap, study finds, with nearly three-fourths of female millennials investing outside their retirement accounts.
One last thought: