Search

Why we should embrace the joy of dressing ‘outside of the lines’ like Gen Z

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/steven-wright-1416088">Steven Wright</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-wales-1586">University of South Wales</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gwyneth-moore-1416089">Gwyneth Moore</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-wales-1586">University of South Wales</a> Have you seen that <a href="https://www.voguescandinavia.com/articles/this-is-how-to-style-the-new-cargo-pant-according-to-these-danish-influencers">cargo pants are back</a>? Young people are once again swishing down hallways and they might even be wearing <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/crocs-lyst-hottest-product">Crocs</a> on their feet, because these are cool now too. For many this could be seen as dressing “badly” but Y2K (2000s fashion) is all the rage at the moment. Fashion has long been one of the most creative playgrounds to express yourself and also define your personal identity and status. Gen Z take this very seriously. However, they are no mere followers of fashion but are adventurously carving out their own trends and styles – joyfully playing with the way they dress and express themselves through their clothes. Gen Z are rejecting everything from outdated gender tropes <a href="https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/beauty/why-gen-z-yellow-will-never-be-millennial-pink/">to curated colour schemes</a> and <a href="https://www.vox.com/22697168/body-positivity-image-millennials-gen-z-weight">the idea of the “perfect” body</a>. For several hundred years, it was the fashion industry who controlled what was on trend. It was <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/42978704">in bed with</a> the media, style icons, designers and the tycoons of the industry. This relationship has enabled trends to be predicted and for aesthetic movements to be planned and consumers to be catered for. The masses watched and waited to be told what was new and “hot”. This relationship is now being short-circuited by a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17569370.2022.2149837">generation of digital natives</a> who live in a world where the distinction between the digital and the physical is blended. Gen Z will not be dictated to, they are not anxiously waiting to be told they are on trend, on social media they are making heir own trends by breaking rules, embracing creativity and finding joy in dressing bravely. <h2>The democratisation of fashion</h2> Each generation has changed fashion. The baby boomers brought us flower power in the 1960s and 1970s using free love in contrast to their parents’ <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/30036343?searchText=free+love+counter+culture+fashion&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dfree%2Blove%2Bcounter%2Bculture%2Bfashion&ab_segments=0%2FSYC-6744_basic_search%2Ftest-1&refreqid=fastly-default%3A1b4986acdbd4197e33c408f8641061a6">clearly defined social and gender roles</a>. Boomers’ younger siblings brought us “punk” in the 1970s and 1980s, a subculture dedicated to using the symbols of the state against itself and deliberately playing with the obscene and vulgar. This was amid a global political climate of conservatism and repression. Then <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/742606?searchText=baby+boomer+fashion+flower+power&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dbaby%2Bboomer%2Bfashion%2Bflower%2Bpower&ab_segments=0%2FSYC-6744_basic_search%2Ftest-1&refreqid=fastly-default%3Af122f7705806e1673dfa550b2fc44c16">again in the 1990s</a> we saw grunge, Gen X’s response to a futureless world post-cold war. Well, Gen X have had children and those kids have decided that they find joy in dressing outside of the lines (so to speak), you can be anything, you can be everything and you can be nothing. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9GUkkenYvlY?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> Gen Z (and even millenials) have witnessed the ever-increasing democratisation of fashion through social media sharing and the global reach of online platforms. They have seen thousands of tiny subcultures formed online where they undergo a near constant cycle of evolution, explosion and reformation. Take the early <a href="https://www.instyle.com/fashion/clothing/emo-style">2000s “emo” trend</a>. Once a big subculture, it was thrust to the corners of the internet where everyone thought it would languish and die. However, emo is experiencing a revival with people wearing all black, corsets becoming cool again and heavy eye makeup being sported by the likes of Gen Z darlings <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/mariasherm2/willow-smith-bullied-my-chemical-romance-paramore-emo">Willow Smith</a> and <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/12/juice-wrld-olivia-rodrigo-kid-laroi-emo-music/621069/">Olivia Rodrigo</a>. But Gen Z are not sticking to one style. Fashion has become a pick and mix of trends and ideas where an individual can use the ingredients to create and recreate identity as often as they desire. There is joy in dressing, not fear. There are no rules. <h2>No rules</h2> As new fashion consumers gleefully reinvent notions of good taste and beauty, the traditional trickle-down effect for trends has been replaced by a bubbling up from new sources defining what’s new and what’s next. From Instagrammers to icons, vloggers and TikTokkers, the <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JFMM-12-2020-0275/full/html">sources for trends are broad and varied</a>. <iframe style="border: none;" src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed/7127790531932949766" width="100%" height="400" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> Young people are creating <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/14614448221146174">their own place in a new world</a>. A world where crocs are high fashion and what “goes” is in the eye of the beholder. Boxers as a headdress or leggings as scarf? sure. Why not even wear a <a href="https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/jw-anderson-ss23-womens-runway-collection/">keyboard</a> as a top? <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@saracampz/video/7127790531932949766">Maximalism</a> is being taken to new extremes as clothes are layered over more clothes and no colour, object or pattern is out of bounds. These are the COVID kids, a generation that came of age during a global calamity where the only form of communication was digital and two-dimensional. The loudest and boldest and most insane outfit is the one that will get you most attention on screen. For kids used to consuming media through TikToks rather than glossy editorials, <a href="https://myjms.mohe.gov.my/index.php/ijbtm/article/view/20001">only the most dramatic, fun and playful will do</a>. Fashion has taken itself way too seriously for way too long. A cleansing fire of young, creative people is exactly what is needed right now. We should all take a page out their book and find joy in dressing in whatever we want.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/199940/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/steven-wright-1416088">Steven Wright</a>, Head of Subject - Fashion Marketing and Photography, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-wales-1586">University of South Wales</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gwyneth-moore-1416089">Gwyneth Moore</a>, Course coordinator - BA (Hons) Fashion Business & Marketing & BA (Hons) Fashion Design, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-wales-1586">University of South Wales</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-we-should-embrace-the-joy-of-dressing-outside-of-the-lines-like-gen-z-199940">original article</a>.

Beauty & Style

Gen X dad’s odd punishment for four-year-old son sparks debate

A self-proclaimed Gen X dad has sparked a furious debate after a video clip of him punishing his four-year-old son went viral on TikTok. Wisconsin-based dad Derek Longstreth said he had no other choice but to make his young son, Truman, heave massive jugs of water across the yard because he hit his mum. “All right little man, let's go, you've got all these jugs to carry,” he told his son, as he showed five water jugs. “He hit his mom today, so, spanking is out of the question because you liberals made it so we can’t spank our children any more,” he explained. The father-of-one recorded his son struggling to carry the water jugs, but offered him words of encouragement as the boy tried to carry it across the yard. “Let's go, young man. I love you just so you know, but you're not going to hit your mom,” he said. “You can do it. I love you son but we don't hit women in this family.” Longstreth then explained why he chose to punish his son this way, and said that spanking your child is not allowed in Wisconsin. “He's four. We're not allowed to spank in the state of Wisconsin because some liberals are saying there are better ways.” “'Well liberals, what's the better way?” <div><iframe title="tiktok embed" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2Fv2%2F7256440921728863530&display_name=tiktok&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40hamburgerjones23%2Fvideo%2F7256440921728863530&image=https%3A%2F%2Fp19-sign.tiktokcdn-us.com%2Fobj%2Ftos-useast5-p-0068-tx%2Fc29492b9251f41139161e469b64b4d0e%3Fx-expires%3D1689789600%26x-signature%3DRnuVqM3A6bo1miOskT3JdYiBlWA%253D&key=5b465a7e134d4f09b4e6901220de11f0&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=tiktok" width="340" height="700" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> After the father complained about the liberals, he continued to try and teach Truman a lesson, despite the child complaining that he “can’t do it” multiple times throughout the video. At the end of the clip, Longstreth asks his son: “Are you going to hit your mom again?” “No,” the four-year-old responded. Longstreth also made his son apologise for hitting his mum. The nine-minute clip has racked up over 1.9 million views, while many applauded the father for his “gentle” ways of parenting and disciplining his son, others slammed him for “abuse”. “Big respect to this dad. He gave the kid a hard job with encouragement and reassurance that he loves him as well as why the kid had to do it,” wrote one person. “This is honestly probably the best and most effective way to discipline your child. Every moment they do this they are thinking about what they did,” commented another. “Good dad, raising his son right, teaching him to never lay his hands on any women especially his momma. Very good,” agreed a third. “This is like so gentle yet so disciplining in all the good ways,” wrote a fourth. However, other viewers disagreed with the father’s method. “This is abuse.... I said what I said. I'm sorry he hit his mom though, talking it out is fine. He's too little for this,” commented one person. “Lol. When people ask what the next traumas will be, it’ll be every moment being a phone in their face. Did you need to post this? Pathetic,” wrote another. “You don't want him to associate work as punishment. how about no tv, no sweets, something that is usually a privilege. work is something that is good,” added another user. Images: TikTok

Family & Pets

AI to Z: all the terms you need to know to keep up in the AI hype age

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming ever more prevalent in our lives. It’s no longer confined to certain industries or research institutions; AI is now for everyone. It’s hard to dodge the deluge of AI content being produced, and harder yet to make sense of the many terms being thrown around. But we can’t have conversations about AI without understanding the concepts behind it. We’ve compiled a glossary of terms we think everyone should know, if they want to keep up. <h2>Algorithm</h2> <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-an-algorithm-how-computers-know-what-to-do-with-data-146665">An algorithm</a> is a set of instructions given to a computer to solve a problem or to perform calculations that transform data into useful information. <h2>Alignment problem</h2> The alignment problem refers to the discrepancy between our intended objectives for an AI system and the output it produces. A misaligned system can be advanced in performance, yet behave in a way that’s against human values. We saw an example of this <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jan/12/google-racism-ban-gorilla-black-people">in 2015</a> when an image-recognition algorithm used by Google Photos was found auto-tagging pictures of black people as “gorillas”. <h2>Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)</h2> <a href="https://theconversation.com/not-everything-we-call-ai-is-actually-artificial-intelligence-heres-what-you-need-to-know-196732">Artificial general intelligence</a> refers to a hypothetical point in the future where AI is expected to match (or surpass) the cognitive capabilities of humans. Most AI experts agree this will happen, but disagree on specific details such as when it will happen, and whether or not it will result in AI systems that are fully autonomous. <h2>Artificial Neural Network (ANN)</h2> Artificial neural networks are computer algorithms used within a branch of AI called <a href="https://aws.amazon.com/what-is/deep-learning/">deep learning</a>. They’re made up of layers of interconnected nodes in a way that mimics the <a href="https://www.ibm.com/topics/neural-networks">neural circuitry</a> of the human brain. <h2>Big data</h2> Big data refers to datasets that are much more massive and complex than traditional data. These datasets, which greatly exceed the storage capacity of household computers, have helped current AI models perform with high levels of accuracy. Big data can be characterised by four Vs: “volume” refers to the overall amount of data, “velocity” refers to how quickly the data grow, “veracity” refers to how complex the data are, and “variety” refers to the different formats the data come in. <h2>Chinese Room</h2> The <a href="https://ethics.org.au/thought-experiment-chinese-room-argument/">Chinese Room</a> thought experiment was first proposed by American philosopher John Searle in 1980. It argues a computer program, no matter how seemingly intelligent in its design, will never be conscious and will remain unable to truly understand its behaviour as a human does. This concept often comes up in conversations about AI tools such as ChatGPT, which seem to exhibit the traits of a self-aware entity – but are actually just presenting outputs based on predictions made by the underlying model. <h2>Deep learning</h2> Deep learning is a category within the machine-learning branch of AI. Deep-learning systems use advanced neural networks and can process large amounts of complex data to achieve higher accuracy. These systems perform well on relatively complex tasks and can even exhibit human-like intelligent behaviour. <h2>Diffusion model</h2> A diffusion model is an AI model that learns by adding random “noise” to a set of training data before removing it, and then assessing the differences. The objective is to learn about the underlying patterns or relationships in data that are not immediately obvious. These models are designed to self-correct as they encounter new data and are therefore particularly useful in situations where there is uncertainty, or if the problem is very complex. <h2>Explainable AI</h2> Explainable AI is an emerging, interdisciplinary field concerned with creating methods that will <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-explainable-artificial-intelligence-can-help-humans-innovate-151737">increase</a> users’ trust in the processes of AI systems. Due to the inherent complexity of certain AI models, their internal workings are often opaque, and we can’t say with certainty why they produce the outputs they do. Explainable AI aims to make these “black box” systems more transparent. <h2>Generative AI</h2> These are AI systems that generate new content – including text, image, audio and video content – in response to prompts. Popular examples include ChatGPT, DALL-E 2 and Midjourney. <h2>Labelling</h2> Data labelling is the process through which data points are categorised to help an AI model make sense of the data. This involves identifying data structures (such as image, text, audio or video) and adding labels (such as tags and classes) to the data. Humans do the labelling before machine learning begins. The labelled data are split into distinct datasets for training, validation and testing. The training set is fed to the system for learning. The validation set is used to verify whether the model is performing as expected and when parameter tuning and training can stop. The testing set is used to evaluate the finished model’s performance. <h2>Large Language Model (LLM)</h2> Large language models (LLM) are trained on massive quantities of unlabelled text. They analyse data, learn the patterns between words and can produce human-like responses. Some examples of AI systems that use large language models are OpenAI’s GPT series and Google’s BERT and LaMDA series. <h2>Machine learning</h2> Machine learning is a branch of AI that involves training AI systems to be able to analyse data, learn patterns and make predictions without specific human instruction. <h2>Natural language processing (NLP)</h2> While large language models are a specific type of AI model used for language-related tasks, natural language processing is the broader AI field that focuses on machines’ ability to learn, understand and produce human language. <h2>Parameters</h2> Parameters are the settings used to tune machine-learning models. You can think of them as the programmed weights and biases a model uses when making a prediction or performing a task. Since parameters determine how the model will process and analyse data, they also determine how it will perform. An example of a parameter is the number of neurons in a given layer of the neural network. Increasing the number of neurons will allow the neural network to tackle more complex tasks – but the trade-off will be higher computation time and costs. <h2>Responsible AI</h2> The responsible AI movement advocates for developing and deploying AI systems in a human-centred way. One aspect of this is to embed AI systems with rules that will have them adhere to ethical principles. This would (ideally) prevent them from producing outputs that are biased, discriminatory or could otherwise lead to harmful outcomes. <h2>Sentiment analysis</h2> Sentiment analysis is a technique in natural language processing used to identify and interpret the <a href="https://aws.amazon.com/what-is/sentiment-analysis/">emotions behind a text</a>. It captures implicit information such as, for example, the author’s tone and the extent of positive or negative expression. <h2>Supervised learning</h2> Supervised learning is a machine-learning approach in which labelled data are used to train an algorithm to make predictions. The algorithm learns to match the labelled input data to the correct output. After learning from a large number of examples, it can continue to make predictions when presented with new data. <h2>Training data</h2> Training data are the (usually labelled) data used to teach AI systems how to make predictions. The accuracy and representativeness of training data have a major impact on a model’s effectiveness. <h2>Transformer</h2> A transformer is a type of deep-learning model used primarily in natural language processing tasks. The transformer is designed to process sequential data, such as natural language text, and figure out how the different parts relate to one another. This can be compared to how a person reading a sentence pays attention to the order of the words to understand the meaning of the sentence as a whole. One example is the generative pre-trained transformer (GPT), which the ChatGPT chatbot runs on. The GPT model uses a transformer to learn from a large corpus of unlabelled text. <h2>Turing Test</h2> The Turing test is a machine intelligence concept first introduced by computer scientist Alan Turing in 1950. It’s framed as a way to determine whether a computer can exhibit human intelligence. In the test, computer and human outputs are compared by a human evaluator. If the outputs are deemed indistinguishable, the computer has passed the test. Google’s <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/06/17/google-ai-lamda-turing-test/">LaMDA</a> and OpenAI’s <a href="https://mpost.io/chatgpt-passes-the-turing-test/">ChatGPT</a> have been reported to have passed the Turing test – although <a href="https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/the-trouble-with-the-turing-test">critics say</a> the results reveal the limitations of using the test to compare computer and human intelligence. <h2>Unsupervised learning</h2> Unsupervised learning is a machine-learning approach in which algorithms are trained on unlabelled data. Without human intervention, the system explores patterns in the data, with the goal of discovering unidentified patterns that could be used for further analysis. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/ai-to-z-all-the-terms-you-need-to-know-to-keep-up-in-the-ai-hype-age-203917" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Technology

Gen Z grew up in a world filled with ugly fashion – no wonder they love their Crocs

In 2017, Julia Hobbs of British Vogue <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/crocs-sandals-christopher-kane-trend-test">declared</a> Crocs “have an unrivalled ability to repel onlookers and induce sneers”. But over the two decades since the notoriously ugly shoes were released, the clogs seem to be going from strength to strength. No longer just the comfortable, easy-to-wear boat shoes they were designed as, now they’re being worn by celebrities like <a href="https://www.vogue.com/vogueworld/article/ariana-grande-crocs-controversial-shoe-trend">Ariana Grande</a>, <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2020-10-13/justin-bieber-crocs-bad-bunny-post-malone">Justin Bieber</a>, <a href="https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/20220531141686/the-view-whoopi-goldberg-divides-fans-backstage-photo-concern-for-safety/">Whoopi Goldberg</a> and Drew Barrymore, who has her <a href="https://us.fashionnetwork.com/news/Drew-barrymore-launches-crocs-collection,943183.html">own collection</a>. Bedazzled white Crocs are being worn with <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/02/15/brides-mocked-for-wearing-blinged-out-crocs-on-their-big-day/">wedding dresses</a>, #crocs has more than 7.3 billion views <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/crocs?lang=en">on TikTok</a>, and diehard fans can buy <a href="https://www.carousell.sg/p/preorder-mini-crocs-jibbitz-accessory-charms-fun-quirky-1174036132/">mini Crocs</a> to decorate their Crocs with. Even supermodel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT-LLMIjIQM">Kendall Jenner</a> admitted on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon that she is not ashamed of her comfy Crocs. But the most common place you’re likely to see Crocs today is on the feet of Generation Z. They grew up with ugly fashion, and are now making it their own. <h2>A brief history</h2> Crocs’ ancestors are the clog: a cheap, comfortable, lightweight, practical wooden shoe popular in medieval Europe and Scandinavia. Traditional wooden clogs were easy to clean, non-slip, protected the wearer’s feet and kept them warm and dry. The oldest surviving pair found in Holland <a href="https://isgeschiedenis.nl/reportage/geschiedenis-van-de-klompen">date to 1230</a>. Crocs premiered their shoe at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show in 2002. Made from a tough form of injection-moulded ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) foam, which moulds to the wearer’s foot, all 200 pairs at the show sold out. Crocs were easy to clean, non-slip, could easily be pulled on and off, and would not suffer from continued exposure to water. But they weren’t popular in all corners. Time magazine included Crocs in their 2010 list of <a href="https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1991915_1991909_1991743,00.html">the 50 worst inventions</a>. And from the outset, even Crocs’ cofounders considered them <a href="https://www.parents.com/kids/style/fashion/crocs/">ugly</a>. <h2>Ugly fashion</h2> The 21st century’s love of deliberately ugly fashion can be traced to 1996, with Miuccia Prada launching her <a href="https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-1996-ready-to-wear/prada">“Bad Taste” collection</a>. The early 2000s gave us ugly comfort dressing in the form of the bright, velour <a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2014/06/70125/juicy-couture-stores-closing">Juicy Couture</a> tracksuit. Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake’s <a href="https://people.com/style/britney-spears-justin-timberlake-matching-denim-moment-20th-anniversary/">iconic matching double denim moment</a> at the 2001 American Music Awards embodied the era’s ugliness. <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-z-begins/">Generation Z</a> grew up in this ugly fashion world. Many rocked their first brightly coloured pair of Crocs as toddlers. This generation also learned to express themselves online, where <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1470412914544516">Internet Ugly</a> – a deliberately grotesque, anti-authoritarian and amateurish aesthetic – is a key look of memes. Memes celebrate ugliness as a relatable, authentic foil against the slickly perfect images generated by filters, Hollywood and self-serious corporate design. Memes evolve, but the images, templates and looks of memes stays similar and the ugly aesthetic continues to spread and be enjoyed. Crocs are, in a sense, wearable memes for Gen Z. Like memes, Crocs have changed and returned through nostalgic affectation. In the two decades since their launch, Crocs have constantly reinvented themselves. There have been new colours and collaborations with popular brands, including <a href="https://www.crocs.com.au/collab/minecraft">computer games</a> and high fashion houses like <a href="https://www.crocs.com.au/p/liberty-london-x-crocs-classic-clog/206447.html">Liberty of London</a>. Each generation rediscovers the objects of its youth and replicates these objects in new ways. The resulting objects – in this case, Crocs – are passed around and either made uglier or beautified in the eye of the beholder. Every pair of Crocs can be customised with “<a href="https://www.crocs.com.au/c/jibbitz">Jibbitz</a>”, a small ornament that fits into the holes throughout the shoe to beautify Crocs for their owner. In the United Kingdom, Crocs <a href="https://www.mylondon.news/lifestyle/fashion/primark-shoppers-hysterics-hideous-9-25693380">paired with</a> fast-fashion retailer Primark and high-street bakery Greggs to create ugly, fur-lined, black £9 Crocs with Greggs’ logo. At the other end of the budget, you can buy <a href="https://www.elle.com/uk/fashion/trends/g36656071/croc-collaborations/">Balenciaga’s lime green Crocs</a> with a black sole and black stiletto heel. <h2>Crocs and the pandemic</h2> Ugliness lets viewers laugh and release tensions in situations where they <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674024090">are helpless to act</a>. Adrian Holloway, Crocs’ general manager, told <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/crocs-rubber-shoe-trend">Vogue, "</a>In times of stress and uncertainty, consumers seem to want comfort […] Everything was so heavy and scary, it felt good to treat yourself to something cheerful and inexpensive, but also practical and comfortable." The COVID pandemic left Gen Z unable to participate in important social rites of passage like graduations, milestone birthdays, weddings and funerals. Global lockdowns also left people feeling a strange blend of shock, boredom and irritation. Like laughing at ugly memes, laughing at cute, ugly Crocs helped release feelings of powerlessness. <h2>Here to stay</h2> Popular predictions of <a href="https://thesociologicalreview.org/magazine/june-2022/clothes/comfort-or-style/">post-pandemic fashions</a> suggest there are two options: we will continue to dress for comfort, or we will embrace eye-catching colours and patterns and strange silhouettes. The popularity of Crocs among Gen Z suggests a third option: a combination of the comfortable with the crazy. Worn today, these shoes signal the wearer’s capacity for casualness, irony, rebellion, and a desire to forge their own fashion rules in an Internet Ugly world. Crocs are <a href="https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/trends/g41416862/spring-2023-shoe-trends/">here to stay</a>. Image credits: Shutterstock This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/gen-z-grew-up-in-a-world-filled-with-ugly-fashion-no-wonder-they-love-their-crocs-200718" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Beauty & Style

These emojis make you ‘old’ according to Gen Z

Language is an ever-evolving thing, full to the brim with nuance and meaning that might not seem obvious upon first glance - and it turns out that emojis are no exception. Members of Generation Z have taken to social media claiming that using certain emojis is a sign that you’re “officially old” and that the popular thumbs-up emoji is actually rude. According to users on Reddit, the official list of “cancelled” emojis includes: <ul> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> ❤️ (Red heart) </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> 👍 (Thumbs up) </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> 👌 (“OK” hand) </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> ✅ (Tick or Checkmark) </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> 💩 (Poo) </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> 🙈 (Monkey covering eyes) </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> 😭 (Loudly crying face) </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> 👏 (Clapping hands) </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> 💋 (Lipstick kiss mark) </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> 😬 (Grimacing face) </li> </ul> Many younger users also considered the thumbs-up emoji to be rude, explaining that it gives off a passive-aggressive or even confrontational air. “For younger people (I’m 24 for reference) the thumbs-up emoji is used to be really passive-aggressive,” one person wrote. “It’s super rude if someone just sends you a thumbs up. So I also had a weird time adjusting because my workplace is the same.” They chalked up the difference in the workplace to a “generational communication culture difference”. “Everyone my age in the office doesn’t do it, but the Gen X people always do it,” they wrote. “Took me a bit to adjust and get out of my head that it means they’re mad at me.” Others agreed, saying using it in the workplace makes team members “unaccommodating” and seems “unfriendly”. “I understand what you mean, my last workplace had a WhatsApp chat for our team to send info to each other on and most of the people on there just replied with a [thumbs-up emoji],” one commenter said. “I don’t know why but it seemed a little bit hostile to me, like an acknowledgment but kind of saying ‘I don’t really care/am not interested’? Don’t know if that’s the way you feel but I got used to it in time and I’m just as bad for sending a thumbs up now.” Another said: ““It’s not that odd to see it as passive-aggressive. Just imagine how would it feel to go into your boss’ room, say something, and then see him turn to you, look you in the eye, and [give a thumbs-up].” But, older users expressed their confusion at this emoji etiquette, with one saying it must be “a younger generational thing”. “So it’s like a sarcastic thing? Man I’m getting old lol,” one wrote. Another defended their use of the thumbs up, saying it “means many things”. “It means ‘I approve’ or ‘I understood and will obey’ or ‘I agree’. If anything, my only objection would be that some days it might be hard to tell which one it means,” she offered. “But it is generally pretty clear.” “It’s just a way to say ‘i’ve read your message and have nothing to add and I hope and pray to all the gods all the bazillion people in this group chat have nothing to say on it too,’” another chimed in. Linguists have been studying emojis since the appearance of the modern emoji in 2015. In her book Because Internet: Understanding how language is changing, linguist Gretchen McCulloch explains that some emojis, like most of those that have been “cancelled”, are gestures, like the ones we make with our hands while talking. While these can be quite universal, like the thumbs up or smiling emojis, there can also be nuance based on culture and the writing systems people use. With younger people interpreting emojis such as the thumbs-up as “rude” or “old”, it seems there is nuance between generations too. Image: Getty Images

Technology

Passive-aggressive shop sign sparks furious debate online

Furious debate has erupted after a shop owner took aim at Gen Z workers in a brutal sign blaming them for their business having to close. The obviously frustrated owner shared in great detail why a pair of young former employees were the reason the doors had to close. “I apologise for us closing AGAIN,” the sign, erected on the front window of a store in Indiana, USA, on April the 20th, read. “My two new cashiers quit because I said their boyfriends couldn’t stand here for their entire shift.” They went further to include some questionable hiring advice for other business owners, telling them: “Don’t hire Gen Zs, they don’t know what work actually means”. Underneath, they announced the store was “now hiring”, but specified it would be employing “Baby Boomers only thanks”. The sign sparked backlash online, after it had been shared around online. With Hundreds of people responding in comments to the post, after it had attracted over 5000 reactions and had been shared over 300 times, some agreed Boomers made better workers than their younger counterparts, but others argued it was unfair to age discriminate. “A lot of the older people I’ve worked with refuse to do anything physically demanding due to having a ‘bad this’ and ‘my this hurts’ and if asked to do so they will whine and complain,” one wrote. “That's a pretty awful and ageist sign. I’m pretty young and I work 48 hours a week and never sit once while I’m on the clock. There are people who are young and hard working,” another said. Most respondents agreed that regardless of whether a certain generation had better workers, openly discriminating against Gen Zs was the wrong way to go. “I’m a boomer and I wouldn’t want to work at a place that excludes people because of their youth. Good workers can offer service with vitality and enthusiasm at any age,” one person wrote. Others agree the sign hadn’t done the store owner any publicity favours. Image: Facebook

Money & Banking

Close up: World War Z frames the terror of ‘loss of self’ and the threat of a mass pandemic

How do filmmakers communicate big ideas on screen? In this video series, film scholar Bruce Isaacs analyses pivotal film scenes in detail. (Warning: this video contains violence and may be upsetting for some viewers.) <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rTkFBg2gSRQ" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> There is perhaps no better time than now to appreciate the unique and subversive genre of <a href="https://theconversation.com/were-obsessed-with-zombies-which-says-a-lot-about-today-37552">zombie movies</a>. These films have always been great socio-cultural lenses. Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead were two classics of the genre. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816711/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt">World War Z</a> (2013), an adaptation of Max Brook’s 2006 <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8908.World_War_Z">apocalyptic zombie novel</a> continues this tradition. In a pivotal scene set in Jerusalem, director <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0286975/?ref_=tt_ov_dr">Marc Foster</a> encapsulates the greatest threat posed by zombies: the end of our individuality and loss of uniqueness. The casting of Hollywood star <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000093/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm">Brad Pitt</a> is crucial, as are the cuts between him as a figure and the invading mass. Written by Bruce Isaacs. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/close-up-world-war-z-frames-the-terror-of-loss-of-self-and-the-threat-of-a-mass-pandemic-145090">The Conversation.</a>

Movies

The hilarious A-Z guide on the perils of ageing

Barbara Binland is the pen name of a senior, Julie Grenness, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She is a poet, writer, and part-time English and Maths tutor, with over 40 years of experience. Her many books are available on Amazon and Kindle. Retirement Alphabet Soup! Here is an ode to say, Retirement Soup for us today! A is for aging with attitude, We are feisty old chicks and dudes! B is for bronchitis, cough and blow, And for bursitis, where did vigour go? C is for COPD we were stoking, With all our youthful smoking. D is for diarrhoea, No doctor wants to know ya! E is for euthanasia, Some geriatrics’ fantasia. F is for the flatulence part, Yes, we are grand old farts! G is for the geriatricity stuff, We got old, suck that up! H is for halitosis for us, Listerine is good, no need to fuss. I is for Imodium’s task, All you do is the chemist ask. J is for jellybeans, eh? Been to the pharmacist, let’s say, Brought the lolly trolley today! K is for our kids who also grow old, Us they tell what to do, be told! L is for laxatives for that constipation, The flip side of grey consternation. M is for MRI scans and tests, All clear, we hope, that’s best. N is for negative Normans around, Wish grey positivity would abound. O is for obesity sighs, Cellulite for all our thighs! P is for pappa’s don’t preach, Lard butts so out of reach. Q is for hope we don’t go queer, No dementia here yet, dears. R is for Retirement years, We race on, switching gears. S is for that sexuality bit, Hope you made memories of blips! T is for testicles, you can’t see ‘em, Do oldies belong in museums? U is for ultrasounds, Our medical tests do abound. V is for Ventolin inhalers for us, Breathing disorders cause a fuss. W is for the water works, Fluid tablets are the worst! X is for more X-rays today, Got a photo of my bad back, yah! Y is for that yellow jaundice for oldies, Bilirubin levels make us feel mouldy. Z is for this human zoo, No rocking chairs for me and you! That’s your alphabet soup today, Welcome to our new old age!

Retirement Life

The rise of the Gen Y share investor

In 2015, 62 per cent of a record eight-million trading accounts were opened by people under the age of 35. Gen Y, or the Millennials as they are also known, are those people born roughly between the 1980s and 2000s – and they are starting to get seriously involved in the stock market. Twenty years ago the majority of investors were aged in their late 40s and 50s and just one fifth of one fifth of their new investors were under 35. Now, according to research from CommSec, more than half of their investors are Millennials. Managing director of CommSec, Paul Rayson, said “this shift in age demographic is a striking feature of a change in consumer behaviour looking back over the past 20 years. It demonstrates how younger people have embraced technology and become more self-directed in their approach to financial decision-making.” So why are they investing now? As Baby Boomers and Gen X continue to dominate the property market in the major cities, Gen Y is feeling priced out. Shares offer an easier, more affordable investment point for young people with a smaller income and few savings. Plus, many Millennials find the trading exciting and it gives them the feeling that they are really in control of their own financial future. One theory suggests that technological innovations and the high visibility of major companies encourage investment. Ryan Dinsdale from CommSec believes that Gen Yers have grown up around companies like Google and Apple that are talked about widely – and publicly listed on the share market. They have much more exposure to the workings and philosophies of these multinational corporations than any generation before them. “They think, I can have a share in a company I connect with,” says Dinsdale. The rise of mobile technology also contributes to the new breed of Gen Y traders. People under 35 are used to doing everything on their smartphone and new technology means they can access their investments and make trades from the palm of their hand. A report from Investment Trends, a global finance market research company, found that 60 per cent of online investors use their mobile to monitor the market, but that figure rises to 77 per cent for under 35s. Gen Y likes to do their research and trade on the move, and it’s a pattern that shows no signs of slowing down.

Money & Banking

Over 60

News

Shop

Catalogues

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Entertainment

Property

Information

Keep up to date

Search

Why we should embrace the joy of dressing ‘outside of the lines’ like Gen Z

Gen X dad’s odd punishment for four-year-old son sparks debate

AI to Z: all the terms you need to know to keep up in the AI hype age

Gen Z grew up in a world filled with ugly fashion – no wonder they love their Crocs

These emojis make you ‘old’ according to Gen Z

Passive-aggressive shop sign sparks furious debate online

Close up: World War Z frames the terror of ‘loss of self’ and the threat of a mass pandemic

The hilarious A-Z guide on the perils of ageing

The rise of the Gen Y share investor

News

Shop

Catalogues

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Entertainment

Property

Information

Keep up to date

Search

Why we should embrace the joy of dressing ‘outside of the lines’ like Gen Z

Gen X dad’s odd punishment for four-year-old son sparks debate

AI to Z: all the terms you need to know to keep up in the AI hype age

Gen Z grew up in a world filled with ugly fashion – no wonder they love their Crocs

These emojis make you ‘old’ according to Gen Z

Passive-aggressive shop sign sparks furious debate online ﻿

Close up: World War Z frames the terror of ‘loss of self’ and the threat of a mass pandemic

The hilarious A-Z guide on the perils of ageing

The rise of the Gen Y share investor

Join Over60

Passive-aggressive shop sign sparks furious debate online