Paradigm Trilogies and Fancy Pantries

buy the hip anchovies

UK Gen Z is more than twice as likely to identify as LGB+; Lizzo calls for reproductive rights on the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade with her "My Body Is Nobody's Business!" campaign; Anna Delvey is getting a reality show; and Paul Mescal is the Oscar nominee Gen Z will be rooting for.

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After School Recommends: Turner Novak, the investor behind Banana Capital and writer of some of my favorite tweets, sends a weekly newsletter called The Split. It’s ostensibly for founders and investors — but though I am neither, it has quickly become one of my favorites. Sign up here.

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GEN Z'S TOP 25 MOST MAGNETIC BRANDS, dcdx
An excellent list of the brands that generated the most conversation from Gen Z in 2022, ranked by the popularity and consistency of user-generated content about the brand. Some might surprise you (Walmart, Samsung), and some won't (BeReal, Shein) — but all are fascinating. 

WELCOME TO THE SHOPPY SHOP, grubstreet
This article about the homogenization of the boutique specialty grocer — dubbed here as the “shoppy shop”; I’ve always thought of this particular breed of retailer as the “fancy pantry” — is obviously worth a read, but the comments are thought-provoking, too. Here’s my favorite:

I think it’s telling that so many of these brands are selling, at the end of the day, what amounts to fairly straightforward kitchen staples (lol 'provisions' - canned food, spices, olive oil), packaged in a way that feels enticing or special to Gen-Z customers in major cities that likely don't have cash in their budget for *actual* luxury goods. And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the rise of these glam pantry lifestyle products coincides with the growing resentment of “fine dining” culture. Buying the hip anchovies becomes an act of treating oneself and supporting a local business for better or for worse.

LESS THAN A THIRD OF U.S. WORKERS FEEL ENGAGED AT WORK, GALLUP FINDS, npr
Unsurprisingly, younger workers have seen a bigger drop in engagement than older ones. Those under 35 reported feeling less heard and less cared about at work. Fewer Gen Zers and young millennials reported having someone at work who encourages their development and fewer opportunities to learn and grow. (And don’t even think about blaming WFH; companies need to learn to adapt to changing conditions!)

DON’T CALL IT A MAGAZINE, nyt
Print may be dead, but niche publications — like Paradigm Trilogy, which attracted quite a scene at its launch party at Holiday Bar last weekend — live on.

Ms. Korbjuhn, 29, who worked as a model when she was a teenager, described Paradigm Trilogy as “cultural theory wrapped in fashion.” Because it has no print edition, she said, she prefers to call it a publication, rather than a magazine. The first issue, which came out in December 2021, began with an article headlined “How Stalin Predicted TikTok.” It was distributed via a QR code printed on matchboxes left at the Odeon, Lucien and other Lower Manhattan hot spots.

HOW NICK FUENTES GROOMED A NEW GENERATION OF RACIST HATE, motherjones
Fuentes is one of a few figures on the right who directly speak to new generations anxious about the decline of the middle class and wondering what to do about it. By combining class and economic precarity with white nationalism, Fuentes makes racism even more persuasive to a certain kind of person.

MILLENNIALS AND GEN Z WON’T HAVE ENOUGH KIDS TO SUSTAIN AMERICA’S POPULATION, fortune
After reading the previous story, I’m beginning to think maybe that’s for the best :/

One last thought:

Hannah Jackson @HannahJacksuhn

Everyone rewatching Girls indicates a looming recession