Bernie and his mittens have become a massive meme, people are obsessed with the fashion of the inauguration, Netflix is renewing this popular steamy romance series for a second season, and the Dolan Twins are the latest well-known creators to leave YouTube for other ventures—plus other youth news that took over social media this week…
Bernie Sanders In Mittens Is Everyone’s Favorite New Meme
It was “the pose that launched a thousand memes.” A photo of Bernie Sanders became an instant hit thanks to his casual look—a Burton parka, patterned mittens, and a surgical mask—and most notably, his stance at the event. Candidly photographed by Brendan Smialowski, the shot of Sanders sitting, looking cold, and socially distancing from everyone else with his arms crossed was instantly turned into a meme by social media users—with people photoshopping him into scenes of popular TV show and movies to music events and, well, pretty much everywhere. And of course, brands got in on the fun too placing him in their social posts. Burton, the maker of the jacket Sanders is wearing, created a breakdown of the senator’s look on a Twitter thread which received 13.6K likes. It even included his black Uniqlo pants and the priceless mittens gifted by a teacher from Vermont, which captured the internet’s heart for its thoughtful (and sustainable) implications. NYU student Nick Sawhey even created a meme generator to make it easier for people to “drop Bernie Sanders and his chair around the world.” And of course, Sanders’ campaign is cashing in, and using the meme for good. His site is selling sweatshirts of this now-iconic moment with 100% of proceeds benefiting the Meals on Wheels branch of Vermont—and it’s already sold out.
People Can’t Get Enough Inaugural Fashion
Bernie certainly wasn’t the only star of the main event. Young consumers tuned into the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for a variety of reasons—including witnessing the historic first time a woman, and Black woman, was sworn into office as VP. But along with boundary breaking moments and buzzed about performances the fashion of the inauguration had the internet obsessed. As attendees started trickling into the big event on Wednesday morning, all eyes were on the politicians and their family members. Described by some critics as “bold, American, and even a little bit fun,” most of the chatter seemed to focus around Kamala Harris, Dr. Jill Biden, and Michelle Obama’s bright, jewel-toned ensembles (which some have jokingly compared to Destiny’s Child or the Jonas Brothers). Some brands use the fashions for their own social media fodder, like children’s wear brand Primary Clothing, which shared a color palette post featuring Harris, Dr. Biden, Obama, and more with the caption: “always look for rainbows.” Attendees’ attire shed a lot of light on the emerging designers who created the clothes: Harris and Obama wore pieces that elevated Black designers Christopher John Rogers, Sergio Hudson, and Kerby Jean-Raymond—all of whom have seen a spike in traffic and sales since the inauguration. Young users were so obsessed with Obama’s monochromatic look that some recreated it head to toe (in affordable ways) on social media. TikTok user @ieshathegr8 shared a video to her 91.5K followers of herself shopping at a thrift store to find a similar-looking outfit for under $20. We already shared some of our biggest predictions for 2021, but now we’re adding another: after the inauguration, bright monochromatic looks could be one of the biggest fashion trends of 2021. Meanwhile, others who started fashion buzz at the historic event included Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter Ella Emhoff, who donned a collared Miu Miu coat, her niece (and Phenomenal Woman founder) Meena Harris with her bedazzled Marion Parke boots, and her partner Nikolas Ajagu who rocked Dior Air Jordan 1s. Of course, J. Lo’s all-white, sequined Chanel and Lady Gaga’s Hunger Games-esque look also earned headlines. Finally, national youth poet laureate Amanda Gorman (who gained 2 million followers following her poem reading) inspired listeners, and also caused online interest to spike for the creator of her Oprah-gifted “ornate, bird-adorned ring” which was an ode to late author Maya Angelou. After a year of wearing sweats, it seems that Gen Z and Millennials were captivated by a day of dress up—and fashion that felt bright and hopeful.
Beloved Romance Series Bridgerton is Renewed on Netflix For Another Season
Since its debut at the end of last month, Netflix’s Shondaland-produced Bridgerton, based on the steamy, historical romance book series by Julia Quinn, has stayed on the platform’s top 10 trending and most-watched list since its launch, often taking the number one spot. The period drama, starring Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page, follows two elite families in London during the Regency era as they introduce their children into society to find suitable matches for marriage as they deal with the anonymous gossip from Lady Whistledown, who knows (and shares) the city’s goings-on via Gossip Girl-style narration (voiced by Julie Andrews). The series has quickly become so popular and beloved (of course inspiring several memes) that it was renewed by Netflix this week for a second season (and before the official renewal announcement, showrunner Chris Van Dusen said he envisioned the show to go on for eight seasons). Since the premiere, the books the show is based on have been flying off the shelves, and are reselling for up to $800 on sites like eBay. The show has also been praised for its diverse cast in a period piece. The news of the series’ renewal comes just days after Netflix reported that the platform has surpassed 200 million subscribers—and a week after they dropped a “slickly produced” trailer (as a their way of “sending a message” to rivals like Disney+ and HBO Max) on YouTube featuring some of the top original films premiering this year, and announced that they would be releasing a new movie every week. In recent years, Netflix’s flicks like the To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before franchise to Millie Bobby Brown-led Enola Holmes and shows like Stranger Things, Mindy Kaling-created teen comedy Never Have I Ever, Karate Kid-revival Cobra Kai, and chess miniseries The Queen’s Gambit have all become massive hits among young viewers, and their ambitious plans show they’re ready to fight the mounting competition for their streaming crown.
The Dolan Twins Are the Latest YouTubers to Retire From YouTube
More famous YouTubers are burning out and quitting the platform. Following the departure of Jenna Marbles and the “indefinite hiatus” of Tyler Oakley, the Dolan Twins are the latest popular and longtime YouTubers to quit the platform in pursuit of other ventures. Ethan and Grayson Dolan (who have 10.7 million subscribers on their channel) announced in the latest episode of their podcast Deeper With The Dolan Twins (which received more than 505K views) that they would be “moving on” from their YouTube channel. The twins, who first launched their channel seven years ago, said it was starting to feel “stale and limiting” and that they were no longer interested in “appeasing” the platform’s algorithm. Although they have previously announced temporary hiatuses, this one is a seemingly permanent one. “We are not moving on from YouTube because we have a lack of appreciation for you guys. Your support over the past seven years of our lives — I can’t even explain the level of appreciation I have for you,” Grayson said on the episode. Aside from stepping down from YouTube, online influencers exploring other ventures beyond their social channels is a trend that has been growing—and while the twins have been quiet about what their new projects will be, they still plan to produce new podcast episodes weekly, which will live on a separate YouTube channel (which has 160K subscribers), and will dedicate more time to their scent brand Wakeheart, which launched in 2019 and offers personal fragrances and candles.
Links We’re Passing:
This week, TikTokers showed how they were celebrating and honoring the late Martin Luther King Jr. with the hashtag #mlkday—and it’s received 296.1M views.
From creating a jumpsuit out of Target bags to other “crafty looks,” this TikTok user is going viral for her “upcycled designs.”
Reddit users are creating a Muppet version of The Great Gatsby complete with a movie script and poster (starring Tom Holland).
Audiences can’t get enough of Disney+’s WandaVision and are calling it “unlike anything” they’ve ever seen from the Marvel Cinematic Universe before.
A user on Twitter garnered a lot of attention on the platform for creating a “preemptive cover” for an opening track on Phoebe Bridgers’ upcoming album (and the indie singer-songwriter noticed).
Olivia Roridgo’s massive hit “driver’s license” continues to smash records as it debuts as number one the Billboard Hot 100.
Meanwhile, the drama around the song just continues to grow as High School Musical: The Musical co-star Sabrina Carpenter releases her own single.
