"That Girl" and The Wild West of Crypto

Your daily digest of youth culture

Jul 21, 2021

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Lorde taps Phoebe Bridgers and Clairo for her latest single, Glossier drops a sure-to-sell-out bronzer, Jaboukie announces animated JUICE WRLD movie, and…

CAN GEN Z USE TIKTOK TO SAVE THE GAP?

All signs point to yes (and — in my opinion — they have a much better chance of “saving” the mall store than Kanye* does). r29

The concept of ‘saving’ a company like Gap, or bringing back a brand that’s falling out of fashion, is something that Gen Z considers when surveying which trends or brands they want to pay attention to.

*Which is fine! Kanye should be more focused on actually releasing this album on Friday than saving the Gap imo

TUMBLR DEBUTS POST+, A SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE FOR GEN Z CREATORS

But didn’t young people flee from Tumblr in, like, 2018, you ask? I thought so too, but according to Tumblr, 48% of users are Gen Z — and these Gen Z users spend 26% more time on the platform than older bloggers. (Do we believe ‘em? 😈) techcrunch

TITAN, ‘THE FIDELITY FOR GEN Z AND MILLENNIALS,’ RAISES $58M SERIES B LED BY A16Z

Their goal is to “render the mutual fund obsolete…all new products and vehicles are launched mobile-first direct-to-consumer, not black box, no layers and layers of fees.” They, naturally, plan to launch a crypto fund next. crunchbase // Feels related idk: Financial illiteracy among Gen Z worryingly low. independent.co.uk

TIKTOK BANS INFLUENCERS FROM PROMOTING CRYPTO

The ban extends to loans, credit cards, and — blessedly — buy now pay later schemes. papermag // Related: Inside the 'Wild West' of cryptocurrencies and social media influencers. nbcnews

GIRLBOSS CULTURE ISN'T DEAD, IT'S REBRANDED AS "THAT GIRL" NOW

Though we’ve (hopefully) seen the last of The Girlboss™, “the emphasis on productivity and individualism to the point of self-absorption is far from over.” Oh, great. i-D// Speaking of potentially problematic cultural trends: A look at the dark side of Gen Z’s obsession with Y2K fashion. harpersbazaar

Recent Y2K fashion discourse is missing some salient points, namely, any reference to women of color—or how the toxic combination of fatphobic media, fashion trends, and emerging social media channels created the perfect storm.

One last thought:

kelsey weekman @kelsaywhat

somedays i'm a girlboss, somedays i see a pic of a small dog and cry (and I'm still a girlboss!)

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