DKC’s culture team is back with their June pulse check on all things Gen Z. From gremlin-core collectibles to TikTok-fueled pop stars and the return of the sitcom, here’s what’s been consuming young minds this month.

Headphones on and Labubus on bags, welcome to June! Gremlin toys are the new It accessories, TikTokers are fully evolving into pop stars and prestige show runners, and we are deep in the cosmetic transparency era. Grab your Rhode Peptide Glazing Fluid, your cousin’s Peacock login, and your emotional support goblin. Here’s what’s melting our brains this month.

Propaganda we are falling for:

Labubu Nation Rises 👹🦷

• Move over Sonny Angels! 👼👋 There’s a new, collectible chaos agent in town. These mischievous little gremlins have the internet (and fashion) by the throat
• Fans of these Babadook-adjacent stuffies include Rihanna and BLACKPINK’s Lisa 👜⭐️🎵
• They’re sold in blind boxes, so you really don’t know what goblin you’re getting 🧟
• People are going feral (Case in point: Century City POP MART at 4:45am.) Grown adults btw 🧍

Rhode to Riches:💄Hailey Bieber💄 is THAT girl 💰💅

• Do NOT underestimate the 💸 spending power 💸 of Gen Z – especially when it comes to skincare 🫧🧼
• Rhode, the dewy-faced darling of beauty TikTok, just sold to E.l.f. for a cool $1 BILLION. Yes, billion. With a B 😮
• Now she's reportedly worth more than Justin 🧢🎶  (even after he sold his music catalog)
• Well, JB had to eat his words after he told his wife she'd "never be on the cover of Vogue"? 🍽🍽🍽 Hails, why is your husband your biggest opp? 👁👄👁

⚠️New Trend Alert⚠️: We’re being open about our cosmetic procedures

• Transparency is IN. Shame is OUT 👂👄👃
• Celebs like 🦈Barbara Corcoran🦈 (Neck lift, eye lift, ear filler 4x a year), 💋Kylie Jenner💋 ( “445 cc, moderate profile, half under the muscle & silicone”) and 👙Bethenny Frankel👙 (Dr. Baker, NYC) have taken to TikTok to share their work
• TikTok has become a PR platform for plastic surgeons including: Dr. Blaine, Dr. Garth Fisher and Dr. Sterry 💉🥼

The Summer Pop Girls Came from TikTok

Addison (formerly Rae) is officially a pop star now 🎤️☀️🩰🌈

• She went from TikTok dances at the Hype House to Pitchfork darling, scoring an 8.0 on her debut album (the same rating as Lady Gaga’s Mayhem) 🤯
• She celebrated with an iconic release party at The Box in NYC 🏙🚖 last Thursday, performing her newest hits for top fans 🪩🚨🍾
• “Stop trying to make Addison Rae happen.” It’s too late.✋ She is happening
• Oh, and rumor has it, she’s dropping the “Rae” 🫢

Romy Mars is the final boss of Nepo-Pop 🎶🎸🛍

• The daughter of Sofia Coppola and Phoenix frontman, Thomas Mars is here to claim her crown 👑
• Her new single A-Lister is self-aware, synthy, and a certified summer bop 🎤️☀️
• SC directed the music video 🎥🎀
• Oh, and all her promo is on TikTok 🤳
• Gen Z favs 💚Charli XCX💚, 🥯Rachel Sennott🥯 and🐙 Jake Shane🐙 are cheering her on

And the Lorde album will be here so so soon. 🙏💿🎧

It’s a  🥔 🛋 Couch Potato Summer™ 🥔 🛋

Sitcoms are back, baby! Move over Friends, and step aside Girls. This generation is obsessed with these new, binge-worthy shows: Overcompensating and Adults. 📺👁

• Millennials had Girls, Insecure & New Girl…Gen Z has Overcompensating🏈 and Adults 🥧
• The talent behind these shows came straight from TikTok 📲
• @Bennydrama7 is a showrunner 💅
• Creator @yungjackinnanen is Adults’ series lead 🥸
• @owenthiele is double-dipping with roles in both shows! 🎉
• And Hailee? The Emmy campaign starts now. ✍️ Give her all the awards, thanks.

We’re headed back to Cousins Beach this summer for the final season of The Summer I Turned Pretty 🦀🩱🌊🐚☀️🌸😭😭 and it’s looking intense 👀

• An Engagement? 💍
• A Car Crash? 🚘💢🚙
• Brother-on-Brother fight? 🥊
• Will Belly choose Conrad, Jeremiah or herself? 🫣

Reality TV Summer is heating up 🔥🏝💗Love Island USA💗🏝 is back

• Every day is a new journey. It’s hard to keep up here, so you just have to tune in

What we love about this show: It’s ALWAYS a microcosm of dating in the real world 🌍🔍