The Weekly Screenshot - 10/18

THIS WEEK IN HOT GEN Z TRENDS: DUMMY THICC MARIO ?????

Week of October 17?????

We’re sharing the biggest trends in Gen Z’s world this week. Want these trends sent directly to your inbox? Sign up for The Screenshot, our weekly Gen Z insights newsletter.?

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Happy Filipino-American History Month! The month was recognized first by Congress in 2009, though the Filipino-American National Historical Society (FANHS) introduced it in 1992. To celebrate this, the Screenshot has brought together five Filipino-American youth to know.?

• Len Sanqui (@yunglen2000 on TikTok and @lensofluv on Instagram) is a photographer and content creator. They recently graduated from Appalachian State University and contribute to Indie Gaymers and the Kasama Kollective. She mostly focuses on portrait photography but creates some product photography as well. Check out their work on TikTok and Instagram!?
• Ryan Ang (@ang1trainings on TikTok and Instagram) is a basketball trainer who has been featured in Inquirer, Entrepreneur, and People Magazine for founding Ang1 Trainings. Ang posts how-to videos, lifestyle videos, and personal basketball highlights. He began his business at 15 and is still growing, as well as serving as his school Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Student Manager. Ang1 Trainings reached internationally, with clients in locations like Japan and Ecuador. Ang’s entrepreneurship and creativity are incredible; see more of it on his company’s accounts!?
• Gabriel Young (@youngknights2 on TikTok and @thegabeyoung on Instagram) is a Filipino advocate and honor student at the George Washington University. He is working at the White House’s Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, as well as multiple Filipino activism groups in Washington DC and his hometown of San Jose. Young is on track to make waves upon graduating, with a goal of increasing Asian-American representation in government. Learn more about him on social media!?
• Mae Belen (@maebelen on TikTok and @maeebelenn on Instagram) is an actor, voiceover artist, and tattoo creator. She has over a million followers on TikTok, due to her hilarious voice-acting content. Check out Belen’s platforms for some funny content and creative voices!?
• Chris Olsen (@chris on TikTok and @chrisolsen on Instagram) is a comedic social media influencer and actor who is best defined as “relatable.” He has acted in shows like “The Book of Queer” and “The Comment Section.” Olsen is the 2020 TikTok’s Sexiest Man and is infamous for his love of coffee and Harry Styles. Give him some love on social media!?

An honorable mention goes to Carla Jay and Jasmine, two Zillenials hosting the podcast “Cracking the Cocount!” They hope “to bridge the gap between Filipino-Americans and Filipinos back home in the motherland.” The podcast is unfiltered and genuine, as well as incredibly funny. Give them a listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud!?

“You’ve lived a life of DESTROYING other people’s lives.” This is a sentence from Christian Walker’s (young conservative social media influencer) callout Tweets regarding his father, candidate for Georgia’s US Senate seat. Herschel Walker played professional football before serving as co-chair of President Donald Trump’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. Walker is known for his staunch conservative viewpoints, including that abortion bans should be strongly implemented with no exceptions. However, a previous girlfriend recently exposed him for urging her to get an abortion and paying for the procedure in 2009. He was found to have four children from four different women and was accused of extreme domestic violence. The younger Walker’s reaction to this information: a series of Tweets and Instagram posts calling out his father’s lies and abuse. According to him, “every family member of Herschel Walker asked him not to run for office, because we all knew (some of) his past,” and Walker is the reason he makes content about absent fathers. In such a tight race, the information spread by Herschel’s son and the Daily Beast could upturn the polling entirely. This news shows that, regardless of where Gen Zers lie politically, we stay beefing with our parents.?

Only 172 days until “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” and the online discourse has been a lot, to say the least. The two biggest criticisms: Chris Pratt’s voice, and Mario’s … posterior. In the past, Mario has held internet fame for his assets, and fans were jokingly enraged about the change. Olympia Nagel-Caland implyFir Tweeted, “remember what they took from us,” comparing an old version of Mario with the 2023 one. Since the first trailer dropped with Pratt voicing Mario, searches for “Mario accent” have increased by over 800 percent, according to Movie Web. Fans varied between wanting an Italian-American voice actor and Charles Martinet. The latter is the voiceover for Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Donkey Kong in the “Mario” video games. VG247 even created a video dubbed with Martinet replacing Pratt, and fans posted pictures with him at fellow voice actor Tara Strong’s request. The support for Martinet has largely eclipsed excitement over Pratt’s casting. Jake Lucky joked that the Italian-American TikToker @meals_by_cug “should be Mario, not Chris Pratt.” The bottom line? We want our classic Mario back.?

It’s time for cuffing season, and Bumble is giving us what we need! The new platform is modeled after the fictional “Ted Lasso” dating app Bantr, which paired Rebecca Welton and Sam Obisanya. Bantr Live pairs users for three minutes of conversation before choosing to match. The catch? You can’t see the other person’s face until the three minutes are up. Bumble will be debuting this feature every Thursday from 7 to 8 pm through the end of 2022. If the feature doesn’t work out, users can still redeem a two-month subscription to Apple TV+. Olivia Yu, Bumble’s Global VP of Partnerships, said it “enables our community to connect with someone unexpected and learn more about a person before seeing them.” I’m ready to find a match, “Ted Lasso” style!?

On June 30, 2020, an hour before the anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to China, the political body in China passed what critics called “the end of Hong Kong.” The legislation, which has faced intense criticism in the two years since, is a National Security Law (NSL) that criminalizes terrorism, subversion, secession, and collusion. In practice, the NSL has been used to arrest hundreds of activists, opposition legislators, and free speech journalists. On October 8, five Hong Kong teenagers became the first minors convicted under the law. The teenagers, members of Returning Valiant, will serve up to three years in a correctional facility. Two members in their early 20s will receive sentences later. Since anti-democracy protests in Hong Kong became widespread in 2020, activists have faced aggressive repercussions, prompting an international response. Almost half of the European firms in Hong Kong are leaving or considering leaving the area by 2023. If China does not loosen its grip on Hong Kong, democracy will continue to suffer blows.?

? IYKYK ?

? Gen Z is reclaiming the mundane in a relationship by comparing modern love to … hunting and gathering! @infinitelyjoey Tweeted “My boyfriend pumping gas (hunter) while I go inside and buy snacks (gatherer).” If your product fits into this hilarious format, try it out!?

?Am I more of a sky blue or baby pink? This TikTok sound (Run Boy Run by Woodkid) gives a brand its place within categories, whether it be a color, animal, or holiday. This sound can be sweet or funny, depending on how it’s used. Check out the University of Chicago’s take on the trend here!?

? What makes a relationship work? To young people on social media, a 50/50 split of roles … or not. Crumbl Cookie’s “A relationship should be 50/50 you buy me Crumbl cookies and I eat them” and @kgleeb’s “a relationship should be 50/50 i play glee music in the car and you let me” perfectly exemplify this trend. Simply describe two sides of the coin regarding products, and prepare for the likes to pour in!?

Screenshot of the Week?

The internet was broken last week when Bollywood superstar Ranveer Singh met up with multiple famous Americans at the NBA Abu Dhabi Games. Singh, known for movies like “Gully Boy” and “Simmba,” sat courtside with Steve Harvey and Shaquille O’Neal. After the game, he performed the “Khali Bali” dance from the blockbuster “Padmaavat” alongside O’Neal. Fans of both from around the world loved the content. So, when do I get to dance with Ranveer Singh??