Status symbols are changing for Gen Z. While previous generations’ fashion was the go-to status indicator (respect to Millennials’ Tiffany bracelets, Nikes, and Kate Spade purses), we’ve entered an era where products across industries from beauty brands to potato chips are seen as signals of taste and “cultural credibility.” Compared to 2024, Highsnobiety reports Gen Z has increased spending on groceries, travel, and fitness as they seek “everyday luxury items” and Erewhon smoothies, Fishwife sardines, caviar, or hard-to-get reservations have become as big of a “flex” as the right clothing label. This doesn’t mean that fashion is irrelevant to Gen Z, but that “other categories have gained significant cultural value, while fashion’s cultural monopoly is declining.” (Highsnobiety)
🕰️ YPulse wrote in 2014: Is Food the New Status Symbol? (We’ve been ready for the shift!)
