With a quarter of Gen Z adults identifying as LGBTQ+, Pride Month is an important time for the generation. It’s also the best time to get memes about queer identities. One of the largest discussions is corporate pride, in which companies performatively support Pride without implementing concrete changes within the organization. This “corporatization” of identities is echoed across every month of recognition. @abughazalehkat Tweeted a faux-news photo of the iconic Gritty with the caption, “Gritty announces it’s illegal to be straight in the month of June.” @cliffordthebigredscare, @northwest_mcm_wholesale, and @operagxofficial made jokes about rainbow-colored logos. The first posted a collage of the logos with the caption, “impressive. now let’s see which republican politicians and PACs they’ve donated to.” The second joked about brands that “celebrate pride year round” (AKA: have rainbow logos) — think Skittles and eBay. Opera GX, an actual brand of gaming browsers, changed their Twitter logo to two men kissing. They posted, “here’s a REAL pride month logo,” and received 32.7 million views and 526.8K likes on the Tweet. In a follow-up, Opera GX said, “Rainbow capitalism be d*mned, kiss your homies good night.” It’s bold, but I’m obsessed with this. After years of rainbow capitalism, the rejection of fake allyship hits the spot.
“Our hair has the ability to defy gravity while our skin glistens with the hope of our ancestors. Yet our identity is often reduced to a single day, a single month, a single moment.”
Kennedy Daniel, JUV Consulting’s Director of Brand, spent this Juneteenth ruminating on the ancestral ties that brought her to 2023, the third year of its status as a federal holiday. She reflects on the emotions that surround Juneteenth and where we go from here. Read the full blog here.
Assuming young people don’t care about transforming politics? Think again. The first constitutional climate trial is beginning in Montana — brought by sixteen young people, the youngest two years old. They have asserted that fossil fuel projects promoted by the state violate two pieces of the state constitution: “inalienable rights … include the right to a clean and healthful environment” and “the state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations.” The plaintiffs are not looking for money, simply a declaration of the unconstitutionality of destructive projects. Since not much case law exists that explicitly states the effect of fossil fuels on global warming, Held v. Montana would form a legal framework for other states. Similar cases have been raised in Canada, Mexico, South Africa, and others, but this will be the first US constitutional case to go to trial. Claire Vases, one of the plaintiffs, stated, “Individual action goes hand-in-hand with government action. That’s one huge reason why I’m on this lawsuit, because I’ve done as much as I think I can do as one person. Now I believe it’s time for my government to take action, too.”
Every Gen Zer is one of two aesthetics this summer: coastal grandmother or mermaidcore. The former began last summer and tends to make its rounds whenever the temperature rises. #coastalgrandmother has 422.5 million views, with videos from *actual* grandmothers to young people. A coastal grandmother aesthetic includes Ralph Lauren-style clothing, button-downs, earth tones and sky blue, stripes, and gold jewelry. Compared to the minimalism of costal grandmother aesthetic, mermaidcore is the exact opposite. This “core” has intense layers, shades of blue and green, iridescent details, shells, and sheer and flowy fabrics. #mermaidcore has 283.7 million views. This seems to echo the dichotomy of minimalist versus maximalist styles in Gen Z (think Italian summer and Y2K). The best coastal grandmother, though? Chris Evans.
“Never Have I Ever” is coming to a close, and Devi is as chaotic as ever. The show lasted four seasons, spanning the main character’s high school experience. “NHIE” was an important show for Indian and Tamil girls who see few accurate character representations in American media. This concludes three years of edits, headcanons, and heated Twitter discourse on a culturally significant piece of media. @dprmilli Tweeted, “just finished watching never have i ever s4 and man… it got me in my feels.” Fans also appreciated the sage advice of Devi’s therapist, candor discussion of grief, and representation of diverse identities throughout the show. Of course, the end of the show (in which Devi finally “chooses” a long-term love interest) ruffled some feathers. @cellyrinas Tweeted, “MINDY KALING WHEN I F*CKING CATCH YOU,” referencing the Mindy Kaling effect (Indian girl ends up with white boy). Even though the endgame boyfriend may not be everyone’s favorite, the show’s stans all mourned the ending of such a funny, relatable series. @jhumkagirl posted a TikTok with the caption, “embarking on the final tumultuous adventures of my tamil queen devi; feeling the pride of representation with a sprinkle of anxiety that this might be the last time i see myself in a top 10 netflix show.” Thank you, Devi, for your story; Gen Z took much more away from it than we expected.
✨ IYKYK ✨
✨ Hate the über-pop anthems that dominate TikTok dances? Check out the “Pinegrove Shuffle,” a melancholy trend that helps people let it all out. @garrettlee39’s video is the blueprint, and each subsequent iteration further quenches the soul.
✨ Why are you in a good mood? An audio from Miley Cyrus is going viral on TikTok. Users are sharing what brings them happiness. REVOLUTION, Bubble, and Primark, among others, have joined the trend from a brand perspective; get yours up there too!
✨ TikTok loves a glow-up trend. This audio, combining “Black Beatles” and “Black Barbie,” is for all the girlies that want to highlight how they’ve changed. Even Liam Payne hopped on this trend, so it’s basically required for you to as well.
Screenshot of the Week
Everyone loves Netflix. One thing we don’t love, though, is their constant cancellation of shows that center the queer (female) identity. MovieWeb even wrote a blog titled, “Why Netflix Keeps Cancelling Lesbian TV Shows.” Some of the shows that got the early chop were “First Kill,” “The Society,” “Everything Sucks!,” “Fate: The Winx Saga,” and “I’m Not Okay With This.” The opening of a Netflix restaurant in LA, of course, triggered jokes about what would happen to their LGBTQ+ visitors. Netflix say gay challenge (impossible).
