“When people say that Gen Zers are hard to work with because of our “mental health,” I hesitate. Certainly, the employees of Sterling Cooper would have aneurysms if they walked into JUV’s office and saw “slay of the day” written on our whiteboard. But the obstacles that I see for cooperating with our mental health are more complicated.”
Read the full blog here. Molly Kilbourne can be contacted at molly@juvconsulting.com.
The fashion event of the year went down on Monday: the 2023 Met Gala. With a large list of A-list attendees (and a similarly extensive list of those who chose not to), the event yet again created waves in pop culture. The 2023 Met Gala was themed “In honor of Karl” to celebrate the legacy of Karl Lagerfeld, the German designer who “saved” Chanel and died in 2019. Lagerfeld has been the subject of controversy, especially since his death — outlets like CNN have compiled quotes of his that are fatphobic, misogynistic, xenophobic, and just plain bizarre (Why was Michelle Obama’s fringe *so* bad?). @snicketybuckets covers some of the discourse around the theme and Lagerfeld’s impact. Some stars skipped due to the theme, while others wore pink — a color he hated — as a silent protest. Actress Jameela Jamil posted her thoughts, saying, “we had a year to course correct here, and not award the highest honor possible to a known bigot. … we relinquished our right to be taken at all seriously.” If celebrities didn’t seem out of touch already, this is definitely the nail in the coffin.
One thing about Gen Z, we love our alterna-milks. In the first of its kind, a student from Los Angeles is suing the US Department of Agriculture and her school district. The organizations allegedly violated Marielle Williamson’s First Amendment rights to share information about alternatives to the harmful dairy industry. Williamson’s school told her she couldn’t share facts without providing a pro-milk side as well. The 2022 US Code says, “A school that participates in the school lunch program under this chapter shall not directly or indirectly restrict the sale or marketing of fluid milk products.” This case brings us to the larger discussion of dairy alternatives, an industry that has been largely expanded due to Gen Z’s efforts. Our generation has been deemed the “Not Milk” generation due to our resistance to traditional dairy products — due to a mélange of criticism including animal abuse, climate change, lactose intolerance, and health concerns. In 2022, Gen Z bought 20% less than the national average. The Plant-Based Food Association found a 44.5% three-year-growth in vegan alternatives, with the milk category increasing 9% in 2022. For young people, drinking straight milk is bizarre and ordering oat milk in drinks is commonplace. @its.me.bren posted a TikTok with celebrities that “look like they drink milk.” One commenter said, “If anyone told me I looked like I drink milk I would never recover.” There are endless Tweets and TikToks about ordering an iced oat milk latte — the unofficial drink of Gen Z. Our generation is saying goodbye to the dairy industry.
Cringe culture in Gen Z is real. Our newest target: Twitter Blue subscribers. Twitter Blue is an $8/month premium subscription on the social media platform. Those who pay get to edit Tweets, see 50% fewer ads, compose longer posts with formatting, and upload longer videos. Basically, it has very little purpose. Since Twitter Blue’s launch, those who choose to subscribe (and, subsequently, get an ego about the blue check) have come under fire. Users have announced they’re blocking all subscribers and shared threads where it’s easy to find more blue check-ers to block. Common locations: AOC tweets, The Onion articles, and CNN posts. Infinite memes saying “this mf paid for Twitter” are floating around the platform. Their clapbacks are … decidedly worse. With the current writers’ strikes getting large media coverage, @EricDSnider pointed out the overlap between “People Who Think Writing Comedy for TV Is So Easy It’s Not Worth Paying For and People Who Paid $8 for a Check Mark Because They Falsely Believe They Themselves Are Funny.” Twitter’s slow descent into destruction is simultaneously hilarious and concerning.
It feels like just yesterday we were writing about Queen Elizabeth’s death. Almost exactly seven months later, it’s time to report on King Charles’ coronation. On May 6, the 74-year-old son of Mountbatten-Windsor was crowned King of the United Kingdom. The UK is one of 30 reigning monarchs. In January of 2023, Newsweek reported that the younger Mountbatten-Windsor had an approval rating of -27 among Gen Z Brits. Many researchers believe that the loyalty to the monarchy ended with the Queen’s death (which, if you read our September piece about her, you may disagree with). On social media, the response has been overwhelmingly negative. On the serious side, young people have remarked that the divide between royals and people is dystopian. One user commented, “Every day the hunger games become more real.” A piece (maybe the only part) of the coronation that received overall good vibes was Tiwa Savage’s performance. The “Queen of Afrobeats” dazzled audiences, though many did joke about the comparative whiteness of the royal family. @tobikyere Tweeted, “Charlie watching Tiwa Savage at that Coronation Street ting” and “probably had Charlie reminiscing about the good ol’ days before Nigeria’s independence.” The Quote Tweets to a post about the performance are brutal. The performance ate. Its meaning? Not so much! Of course, there were a million Diana comments — about the Grim Reaper, her being the real queen, and the iconic 2007 Concert for Diana. Charles’ shoes and Anne’s hat blocking Harry were the biggest punchline. Overall, the Coronation was a cultural event setting a stark contrast to the struggles of ordinary people.
✨ IYKYK ✨
✨ Every celeb has had their unfortunate paparazzi photo; Glen Powell just got his. Twitter users are taking this grin and inserting scenarios alongside it.
✨ What’s your “uh oh” situation? Use this TikTok sound to show trepidation.
✨ We all want to be the cool mom. The iconic “Mean Girls” audio is currently making a wave on TikTok.
Screenshot of the Week
With 42% of Gen Z between 19 and 24 diagnosed with a mental health condition, and even more undiagnosed, one of the defining characteristics of our generation is the candid discussion of what goes on inside our heads. @RealMona_ Tweeted about anxiety, which affects 90 percent of those our age diagnosed with a mental illness. Mental health *is* physical health.
