Millennial optimism: A reframing of millennial cringe as a lost freedom Gen Z never had. (I, II, III)

They binged Girls , snapped up digital cameras on eBay, and wore low-rise jeans with visible whale tails. Print magazines experienced a renaissance, with Gen Z driving demand for “something tangible and collectible” at a time when everything felt ephemeral. Bridget Jones creator Helen Fielding said “half the audience are Gen Zs” at her book... See more

Every now and then, someone asks me what my goal is with After School, and my genuine answer is: you’re looking at it! I don’t want to be a girlboss, even though they do appear to be making a comeback in 2026. I don’t want to build a media company or manage anyone or delegate anything.

Unable to afford the future, Gen Z is romanticizing the past. But in 2025, their nostalgia targeted not their own childhoods but the adolescence of millennials.

Meme drought: Creators declare the moment spiritually unfunny, with some ironically repurposed Great Depression-era photographs to express their despair ("When mfs say they grew up poor but never had to live during the great meme depression”). (I, II)

The 2010s, once dismissed as the “cringe era,” are being reclaimed by Gen Z, who view it as a representation of the “fleeting freedom” they’d never experienced, with their own coming-of-age consumed by pandemic lockdowns and political turmoil.

Algorithmic blandness: A perceived sameness across social feeds caused by optimization and trend recycling. (I, II, III, IV)Slop life: Acceptance of overstimulating, low-quality consumption as a default mode. (I, II, III)

Amialivecore: Kids film themselves dropping increasingly heavy objects on their feet and rating the pain, a sort of “proof of life” posting in an increasingly numb, dehumanizing digital world (I, II)

42% of Gen Z having dipped into retirement savings just to pay off BNPL debt. The average Gen Z now carries $94,000 in total debt.