Intelligence Icks and Heartthrob Complexes

Welcome back to After School Monday Edition, a not-so-brief trends debrief for paid subscribers. 🫶

In today’s letter:

• Gen Z is — in their words, not mine! — “summer-maxxing”

• The “$20 burrito” is the new avocado toast

• The great romance slump

• Frugality as a “point of pride”

• Boots in 90-degree heat

• Nude shoots as “sex sabbatical” self-care

• Gen Z isn’t actually saving Hollywood

• Little Leaguers surrendering their phones in the name of a win

• Tabi saturation watch

• Is “I appreciate the pushback” a meme yet?

And so, so much more, plus everything I’m buying, reading, and listening to. But first, my favorite TikTok of the week:

FEELING Y2K BADDIE

(Also, look, I know it should be “whom” but that sounds so pedantic.)

The big-box retailer has been on a partnerships tear lately, teaming up with Parke, Roller Rabbit, Rosie Assoulin, LoveShackFancy, Hollister, and Free People in the last year alone. Their latest, which launched last week, is with a Gen Z influencer I had no idea existed until a friend texted me a photo of the collaboration at her local Target.