Seinfeld Chic and DTC Bling

Social media: bad?

Sep 14

How Chandler Bing and Jerry Seinfeld became 2021’s biggest fashion icons for Gen Z, Fender partners with TikTok to target young female musicians, Taco Bell tests subscription feature, the Met Gala Class of 2021 is a who’s who of up-and-comers, and…

Something tells me the guy in the back isn’t Gen Z

AN INVESTMENT APP IS FOOTING THE BILL FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS USING FOS' FIRST PAID PRODUCT

Extremely interesting: Sports publisher FOS is working with the investment app Public — have your eyes glazed over? blink a few times and keep reading — to underwrite the cost of its new subscription product for any college student with a “.edu” email address. “For Public, there’s an opportunity to completely own this college side and be associated with the whole idea of investing in your professional and financial future.” adweek

FACEBOOK KNOWS INSTAGRAM IS TOXIC FOR TEEN GIRLS, COMPANY DOCUMENTS SHOW

A brutal read but it really makes you wonder…is this really any different than TikTok? Or than teen magazines’ impact on teen girls in 2000? wsj // Related: TikTok expands mental health resources, as negative reports of Instagram’s effect on teens leak. techcrunch

Speaking of teen mags…

‘OK, SERIOUSLY’: TEEN VOGUE'S COMPLICATED POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION

A 28-minute read that’s worth every single second: This brilliantly digs into what happens when the offshoot of an ad-supported luxury publication like Vogue that started as a “high-fashion alternative to Seventeen and CosmoGirl, an outlet for aspiring upper-class socialites featuring mostly white, thin celebrities like Mischa Barton, Mandy Moore, and Ivanka Trump” gets woke — and what happens when they outwardly preach change while abusing their own staff. cjr

It’s a curious evolution for a publication within Condé Nast, a media conglomerate better known for being an institution of power than for challenging it. The contradictions are obvious: Teen Vogue maintains a socialist bent while trying to commodify its brand for advertisers primarily in the fashion and beauty industry.

LINKEDIN LAUNCHES A $25M FUND FOR CREATORS, WILL TEST CLUBHOUSE-STYLE AUDIO FEATURE IN COMING WEEKS

Will Gen Z creators care? The obvious answer is no, though there is a serious Gen Z contingent of career influencers on TikTok, so…maybe? techcrunch

JEWELRY MAKER PANDORA BETS ON 'GEN Z' TO BOOST SALES

Will they have better luck than Tiffany? reuters // Meanwhile, DTC jeweler Brilliant Earth — who’s aiming to become (or already has?) the go-to engagement ring maker of millennials — files for IPO. wwd