Trend watch: Porsche, hippies and the return of Tomb Raider
As our lord and saviour once said, we never go out of style
š Hello! Weāre The Z Link, a global Gen Z-led social media agency that helps brands reach our generation. The Digital Native, written by our Trends Reporter, Shaurya, takes a deep dive into niche internet micro-trends and subcultures, and analyzes them so you donāt have to. For any feedback, questions or suggestions, just reply to this email!
Guess whoās back, back again? Itās me. You wish it were One Direction, huh? Theyāre still on a hiatus, sadly, but youāll never catch me on a hiatus. I wouldnāt betray you like that. Iām lying. I literally was on a hiatus because this semester ended, but Iām back, more spiteful than ever, ready to become an academic weapon, but this isnāt about that. THIS is about some of our favourite cultural icons that seem to be back in the spotlight again. Letās talk about it.
Porsche 911 and the pop culture zeitgeist
So, Iām not a car girl by any means, but I AM a designer, and as a designer, Iām telling you that the recent influx of Porsche 911s in graphic design has almost gotten me into cars. If I were to ever get into cars, itād be because they look good. But what is it about the Porsche 911 that makes people drool? I didnāt have the answer, so I asked my favourite car guys and car girls for the answers (I also googled it because they didnāt respond for a while), so here are my findings for why the Porsche 911 is THAT girl.
So this car, firstly, is beautifully designed. I donāt know about the technological side of the design, but itās STUNNING to look at. It looks so timeless and classic, and I think I want one. Itās so recognisable that even people who arenāt into cars (me) would be able to tell you that itās a 911.
When I went down the Porsche rabbit hole, I found that one of the reasons itās such an object of all our desires is that itās pretty multifacetedāand not just in racing. Obviously, itās pretty versatile when it comes to racing, but itās a car for everyone. All Porsche 911 owners are a little eccentric, and the car is pretty much tossing the gender roles attached to cars out of the window.
The carās served as a muse to artists like Daniel Arsham since he was a child. One of those projects includes modifying his 1986 Porsche Turbo into a futuristic racing car while Erwin Wurm, an Austrian sculptor and painter, released his first NFT of a disfigured Porsche. And since fashion and cars go hand in hand (looking at you, Ferrari and Mercedes), Porsche also dipped their toes into the world of fashion with Daniel Arsham once again. The two collaborated with Stone Island and focused on updating a Porsche 911 with rally car specs and upholstery done by Stone Island.
Porsche is so culturally significant because if you think about it, one of the first cars that any kid learns about and wants is Porsche. Ferrari and Lamborghini, too, yes, but Porsche is always on that list, and that tells you more than enough.
Tomb raiderās back in pop culture
Our favourite femme fataleās back, baby! EVERYONE SAY YAY. šŖĀ Iām not surprised she is because she was bound to make a comeback with all the dystopian and survival media being aired right now. Also, because sheās been such a pioneer for female characters in gaming, it wouldāve been a shame if the newer fans didnāt get to play her original storylines and games, which are SO iconic. Imagine killing a dinosaur and turning to gold after touching Midasā statue and fighting mummies.
So whatās the scoop? The original Tomb Raiders have been remastered and re-released, along with an announcement of a NEW game and an animated show. The new game combines the timelines from all three trilogies; Iām not sure how theyāll do it, but Iām excited to see. The animated series is definitely going to propel Tomb Raider back into the mainstream psyche, especially with Indiana Jonesā comeback last year.
Not that she ever went out of style, but I think the franchiseās popularity dipped after the Tomb Raider (2013) trilogy. This is a genius move in getting the popularity back because you have classic Lara Croft again, the Lara Croft that people fell in love with ā cocky, dominating and with an incredible accent. Maybe my opinions are coloured, but I think anyone NOT a fan of Lara will attest to her being an incredibly badass character who we need more of.
TikTok hates hippies
Another month, another thing TikTok hates and this month, we have hippies. So why does TikTok suddenly hate hippies, of all people? Itās because YG Marleyās debut song is trending simultaneously with Bob Marleyās biopic, which means we have āhippiesā dancing to YGās song and dragging Bob Marley into the conversation. Let that man rest, please.
The comments on these videos typically range from āName one Bob Marley songā to āThis is so auto-tuned this isnāt even reggae.ā And I understand the frustrations of the people commenting, but letās not forget that hipsters have always been rich kids rebelling against their parents. Like, please get a grip. Itās people DANCING, and thatās making you mad? š
In 2024, thereās literally no right way to be something. If theyāre dancing to YG while wearing sandals, beads and a tie-dye t-shirt, let them. šĀ Like, okay, fair, I understand imposters and posers, but these people are JUST dancing. TikTokās talking smack about them because TikTok hates everything and everyone. Itās literally an echo chamber of hate.
People love to be pretentious on TikTok and act like theyāre better than everyone, but letās not forget IāM better than everyone, thank you very much (sorry, the sunās shining, and I feel invincible). We donāt need to hate hippies, guys; theyāre chill as hell. The real enemy is the 2014 hipster man who thinks the 1975 is still an indie band.
The way people on TikTok are approaching reggae at the moment is with a very myopic view when reggae is SO MUCH more than just Bob Marleyās music. When I was researching about this, I went down another rabbit hole of reggae and the Rastafari movement, and honestly, TikTok needs to open a book once in a while.
Like, I get it. Reggae is crucial to a lot of people. As an Indian woman, when I hear a white person talk about going to India to open their cHaKrAs, I hit them with the biggest side-eye because it just sounds SO FAKE. It does feel like ruining something sacred to people, but at some point, I have to touch grass and open my cHaKrAs because Sally from Utah, wanting to partake in a different culture, should actually be encouraged. However, it should be done incredibly carefully to respect the culture and not end up on TikTokās hater side and, eventually, this newsletter.
Any questions/suggestions as to what we should cover next? Reach out to us and weāre always here to chat!
ā Written by Shaurya, Trends Reporter at The Z Link
Connect with Shaurya on Instagram where she shares great content and lives her best influencer life as a fashion student in London. And she writes all of these great issues too. What canāt she do??? š§ Thank you for reading!
You always have the best takes!