This week on TikTok: A teacher’s “Gen Z dictionary” came with a lesson on AAVE
One California teacher, who goes by Larry Lexicon online, has being going viral on TikTok for the “dictionary” he compiled by listening to his Gen Z students this year—which he shared with them, open for corrections. In a series of three TikToks, seemingly filmed by one of the students in the room, he shares his understanding of Gen Z terms like “rizz” (short for charisma, and meaning good at flirting), “bussin” (something good, but usually food), and “no cap” (which indicates something is completely truthful).
Across the three videos he posted, the dictionary received more than 5M collective views—but on part two, many commentors noted that these words are often rooted in African America Vernacular English (AAVE). Lexicon took this note and made an update to share with his students, explaining to them how these terms become part of their “Gen Z” lexicon through thanks to the likes of pop culture and hip hop. But these phrases can often be looked down upon and labeled as “uneducated” or “thuggish” because of their roots. In the spirit of being more accurate, and fixing a mistake “simply due to ignorance,” he adjusted the title to “The African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) Inspired Gen Z Term Dictionary.”
By taking the time to learn more about the language his students are using, and guiding them to understand where it comes from, he won the praise of many viewers. One commentor wrote “This is how we grow and learn. This is a hell of an example for your students. Thanks for sharing your growth. 🥰.” He said to his students, and subsequently his 1.8M followers, “All you gotta do is learn,” a lesson Gen Z is usually teaching their elders.
Queen Charlotte has fans wishing others “Sorrows, sorrows, prayers”
A quote from Queen Charlottle: A Bridgerton Story is going viral for its passive aggressive yet comedic way of expressing “thoughts and prayers.” The Bridgerton franchise as a whole has gone viral many times before, particularly around it’s quotable declarations of love with various quotes from throughout the seasons like “I burn for you” and “You are the bane of my existence…and the object of all my desires,” but thanks to the newest prequel, fans of the show now can’t stop saying “Sorrows, sorrows, prayers.”
TikTok has undoubtedly chosen this as their favorite quote from the prequel and can’t stop saying it IRL, too. The hashtag #SorrowsSorrowsPrayers currently has 1.3M views and shows mainly young women imitating Queen Charlottle’s mannerisms while saying the line. The quote refers to Charlottle’s unusual way of consoling those who are upset—and of course, TikTok users have already made a slew of memes based on it, too. For example, one user said this is how they’ll comfort their friends when they finally break up with their boyfriend, and another said it’s how authors respond to readers when they’ve killed off their favorite character. Even Golda Rosheuvel, who plays Charlotte in the show, is a huge fan of the quote: in an interview, she said she hopes it becomes a hashtag and wants to sell shirts with the phrase printed on them.
In Western Europe: SHEIN is opening their first IRL locations
SHEIN, one of young consumers’ favourite and / or coolest brands within both North America, and Western Europe, has decided to step outside of online shopping, and open up 30 IRL stores, including locations across the U.K. Because price is a top consideration when buying a product in both regions, fast fashion shops like SHEIN are where the younger gens find themselves buying. YPulse data even shows SHEIN is one of the top five stores young consumers shop at, certainly because their fast fashion model keeps up with even the smallest of trends, so we can expect long queues as the physical stores open up.
Despite young consumers being conflicted about their passion for environmental issues versus their love for fast, affordable fashion—the opening of SHEIN is going to change the landscape of the high street for young Brits. It’s most likely going to give Primark a run for its money and give young Europeans the ability to express their love for fashion on a budget, which is needed as spending budgets run tight during the cost of living crisis. Because while they’d love to put their values first, YPulse’s The Cause Conundrum trend report shows that young Europeans don’t have the money to shop their values, and instead believe fast fashion brands should do the work, either by donating money to help fight climate change and / or make a better effort to be eco-friendly.
Links We’re Passing:
This New York deli got a full Broadway sendoff
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Another AI selfie filter is trending
