Mating Evangelists and Happy Endings

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Good Weird is the new genderless beauty brand backed by Evan Mock; Tinder bans photos of men holding fish; once a rite of passage for young people, prank calls are officially dead; and Pepsi's new logo takes inspo from its '90s design, tapping into Gen Z nostalgia for the era.

Today’s letter is brought to you by Day One Agency: Is Depop the new cultural lingua franca? Are Luddite clubs a thing? How sober curious are Gen Z, really? Perspective—the editorial hub from my friends at Day One Agency—relaunched with a fresh look to dissect the latest Gen Z insights, cultural trends, and everything you need to know about the future of media. Check it out here.  

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EMILY HENRY CRACKED THE MODERN ROMANCE NOVEL, vulture
I’ve never been much of a “modern romance” girl — I couldn’t get past the first chapter of People We Meet on Vacation; it’s a me problem, not an Emily Henry problem — but now I have serious fomo about being left behind.

Once denigrated as a guilty pleasure for the desperate, horny housewife, to Gen-Zers, romance wasn’t embarrassing at all. In fact, they loved it. And when Beach Read finally came out in May 2020, those young readers put their hearts in Henry’s hands. She has since sold 2.4 million books collectively and spent a cumulative 145 weeks on the New York Times best-sellers list. Two of her books, Book Lovers and People We Meet on Vacation, were recently optioned for films. Her fourth romance novel, Happy Place, comes out next month. She’s already working on her fifth.

IS TRUE LOVE POSSIBLE? READERS ARE TURNING TO THIS 1990S NOVEL FOR ANSWERS., nyt
On the opposite fiction spectrum: Norman Rush’s “Mating” has achieved handshake status among younger readers thinking seriously about romantic relationships. Deliciously pretentious.

THE THIRST TRAP IS ABOUT INTIMACY NOW, buzzfeed
Gen Z isn’t sex negative — but they are focused on intimacy, so it makes sense that their thirst traps are, too. The focus is truly about the vibes now, the idea of a possible shared experience or relationship (even if just for one night), rather than just you being hot.

MEET THE YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS MAKING THOUSANDS FROM ARCHIVAL LUXURY, voguebusiness
When Break Archive founder Gabriel Rylka was 13, he began cleaning up old Converse sneakers he bought online, and reselling them on Ebay for a small markup. Now 20, his fashion resale platform sells vintage luxury accessories sourced from private individuals and consignment stores around the world.

CONVINCING GEN Z TO WORK IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, wapo
A third of federal employees are over 55, another third is eligible for retirement within a few years, and just 8% are under the age of 30 — “the very people who need to acquire the knowledge to ensure the gears of government continue once senior employees trade policymaking for pina coladas.”

SECRET DEODORANT WANTS TO HELP ANXIOUS GEN Z BUILD FINANCIAL LITERACY, glossy
Ahead of Financial Literacy Month in April, Secret introduced a multi-year initiative to provide 1 million women with access to financial courses and training resources. I’m not totally sure what a deodorant brand has to do with money management, but any campaign that helps put young women on a path to equitable wealth is a good thing.

One last thought:

Danielle Vermeer | Teleport ✨ @DLVermeer

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