People are craving comfort. Amid what can feel like a state of constant crisis – a layering of traumatic societal events – it can sometimes seem like we’ve lost a sense of scale and cohesion. In the face of this, the desire to retreat into nostalgia is more seductive than ever.

As Gen Zers enter the workforce and burnt-out Gen Yers recalibrate their priorities, a new culture is emerging around work – one that values rest, appreciates idleness, and would rather be happy than industrious. Could this shift in approach mark a new era of anti-ambition?

‘Scene culture’ was an early-aughts mainstay on social platforms like MySpace, and it’s having a 2020 revival on TikTok. The lifestyle, characterised by dark poetry and gothy aesthetics, is giving young people an outlet for creativity to navigate feelings of uncertainty and angst.

Social media is full of ‘empowering’ and ‘positive’ catchphrases that encourage self-love, but these shallow epithets can often make matters worse. A satirical scene in HBO’sEuphoriaexpresses Gen Zers’ frustration within toxic positivity and their desire for honesty around negative emotions.

Women are finding comfort, community and empowerment in alternative faiths and practices such as Wiccan and Witchcraft. How is the notion of The Witch being reclaimed by women, and how can brands tap into this identity without the clichéd wizardry?