Sad Boys and Green Bubbles

"my sister literally went, ‘Ew that’s gross.’"

The platform powering China’s youth; Euphoria is back — and “it’s still peak Gen Z yassification”; Rihanna’s going all-in on Fenty brick and mortar; and eesh, social media can be so bleak.

Funny Pretty Nice, indeed

GEN Z SELLERS ARE RESHAPING THE VINTAGE MARKET, fashionista
"Y2K nostalgia sells really well," confirms Natalia Spotts, founder of SoHo-based Funny Pretty Nice. "The year 2000 just had so many flattering silhouettes that you can't find now." Flattering. Flattering! (I really like Natalia Spotts, better known as @pierogiprincess_, and it’s been cool to watch her build an empire, but a Gen Zer calling Y2K silhouettes ‘flattering’ absolutely kills me.)

WHY ARE SOME ZOOMERS SO WISTFUL FOR THE '80S?, jezebel
Meet the teens (including one who goes by “@offbrandpollypocket” — incredible) obsessed with shoulder pads, acid wash denim, and “Memphis style blouses that make [them] look like a geometric equation.”

WHY APPLE’S IMESSAGE IS WINNING: TEENS DREAD THE GREEN TEXT BUBBLE, wsj
“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, his texts are green,’ and my sister literally went, ‘Ew that’s gross.’”

That pressure to be a part of the blue text group is the product of decisions by Apple executives starting years ago that have, with little fanfare, built iMessage into one of the world’s most widely used social networks and helped to cement the iPhone’s dominance among young smartphone users in the U.S.

I TRIED A MEDITATION THAT PROMISED TO MAKE ME RICH AND SUCCESSFUL, vice
#Quantumjumping, which has more than 90 million views on TikTok, “involves Gen Z creators using a ‘portal’ to access an alternate dimension through visualisations and manifestations.”

IS ONLINE “SAD BOY” CULTURE COVERING UP A LEGITIMATE MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS?, insidehook
Wait, you’re trying to tell me men have emotions…?

Another “lifelong sad boy” and 31-year-old editor living in New York City, Brett, points out that the sad boy revival — once spearheaded exclusively by “middle class white boy alt kids” — has grown increasingly diverse thanks to Gen Z. He cites the upheaval of everyday life during COVID as the moment that “changed everything.” As far as he can remember, this is the first time in his life that everyone — especially men — has been forced to look inward.

One last thought:

Ian Bogost @ibogost

My (early-Gen Z) kid asked me what we did with idle time before people had smartphones and … I don’t remember?

January 10th 2022

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