Landline Phones and Twenty-Something Nuns
"always a pleasure"
Zaya Wade is on Willa Bennett’s first Seventeen cover; Big Time Rush will relive their Nickelodeon days with a world tour (and the Gen Zers on my FYP are freaking out); and in this world, nothing is certain except death, taxes, and getting laid off after going viral for venting about your job.
EAT, PRAY, LOVE: MEET THE TWENTY-SOMETHING NUNS, cosmopolitan
Exhausted by the pressures of modern life, some women are becoming tradwives; others, meanwhile, are turning to monasticism: A small (but growing) number of Gen Zers are becoming nuns, choosing a life of devotion and silence over one dominated by social media, career pressures, and dating fatigue.
ON LINE TO SEE LUIGI MANGIONE, nymag
At Luigi Mangione’s latest court appearance, supporters traveled from across the country, with some arriving as early as 3 a.m. to secure a spot. In the line wrapped around the courthouse, young women outnumbered men “roughly ten to one.”
Many were clearly Mangione stans. One woman in a pink T-shirt that read “Mind Your Own Uterus” watched a livestream of the events on her phone outside the courthouse. When she returned to her home screen, the apps had been pushed to the corner of the screen so she could properly see her background: Mangione, in a red sweater, surrounded by pink hearts.
THE NEXT BIG THING IN BOOK-CLUB LAND? EDGE, airmail
Buffy’s, founded by British influencer Lizzy Hadfield, is just one in a recent wave of book clubs catering to young, stylish readers who see reading as chic. Unlike more mainstream celebrity-led clubs — Oprah, Reese, etc. — this new crop is more curated and exclusive, with book selections made by, as one Buffy’s fan says, “someone who has taste and who knows books...It’s not your silly little romance or a book that went viral on TikTok.”
WHO STILL HAS A LANDLINE PHONE?, rnz.co.nz
Parents are bringing back landlines as a way to delay giving their Gen Alpha kids smartphones while still allowing them to stay connected. “They think it is such a novelty factor, which to me is hilarious,” said Summer Haycock, who installed a “grey corded phone reminiscent of a bland 1990s office” for her daughters, who are “delighted” with the surprise of not knowing who is calling.
SHOPPERS ARE AVOIDING CERTAIN BRANDS OVER POLITICS, axios
Gen Z consumers are increasingly using their spending power to make political statements, with 32% saying they’ve stopped shopping at certain stores due to their political stances, according to a new Harris poll. Younger consumers are also more likely to disengage from the economy entirely, with 37% expressing little interest in supporting it this year.
NEARLY ONE IN 10 U.S. ADULTS IDENTIFIES AS L.G.B.T.Q., nyt
New analysis from Gallup finds that the share of U.S. adults identifying as L.G.B.T.Q. has nearly tripled since the organization began tracking the data in 2012 and has risen by two-thirds since 2020. Further, nearly one-quarter of Gen Z adults (defined here as ages 18 to 27) identify as L.G.B.T.Q., and more than half of that cohort identifies as bisexual.
One last thought:
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