Hoodies, Back to School, and the “No Influencers” Sign

Hoodies are the new T-shirt for Gen Z, a store in Nantucket’s “No Influencers” sign sparks a debate, and back-to-school season is officially upon us. But first: 

oh yeah? by Steve Lacy 

Reaching as high as #2 on Spotify’s Daily Top Songs USA Chart, the opening track of Steve Lacy’s newest album has many similarities to his breakout hit, “Bad Habit.” Between the “come on, come on, come ons” and “ooh ooh oohs,” he sings about break-ups with friends, memories of home, tragedies, and wins. But probably the biggest reason for its success is due to it being featured in the Spider-Man: Brand New Day soundtrack. The song is blowing up on TikTok, particularly in Spider-Man edits, like this one. For the lyrics to “oh yeah?” click here (language); for a lyric video, click here (language). 

And now for our three conversations..

1. Hoodiemania 

What it is: College campus visits, summer camps, sports teams, vacations—anything your teen has participated in, there’s a good chance a hoodie is their souvenir-of-choice. 

Why hoodies are the new t-shirt: Have we reached Peak Hoodie? Compared to a magnet or keychain, hoodies aren’t exactly budget-friendly, with popular brands charging over $100 a pop. Designer jeans used to be a marker of status among teens, according to The Washington Post, but now, kids signal being ‘in’ by wearing hoodie brands like Parke, Scuffers, White Fox, GOAT USA, Dandy Worldwide, Fear of God Essentials, and Pink Palm Puff. Previous Vice editor Thomas Morton (not to be confused with Thomas Merton, the trappist monk) wrote in The New York Times that clothes used to signal what subculture you belonged to (punk, goth, or preppy), but the Internet and fast fashion have now blurred these distinctions. 

Continue the conversation: What’s one clothing trend you wish you could erase?

2. No Influencers

What it is: The owner of the Four Winds Craft Guild in Nantucket, Massachusetts hung a sign from his store’s ceiling that said, simply, “No Influencers.” The internet had thoughts. 

Why it turned into a debate: The store owner, John Sylvia, didn’t mean for the sign to be taken too literally—although he was frustrated by how often people would come in and use his store as a backdrop for their photos and videos without even talking to him. Others saw the sign as disparaging not just a behavior, but an identity—an entire category of human beings. Many online content creators see being an influencer as a core part of their sense of self. Still others began to make the argument that since influencers primarily tend to be women, the store may have been participating in a sort of cultural misogyny. Whether you agree with that assessment or not, the store’s tongue-in-cheek sign clearly seems to have struck a nerve.

Continue the conversation: Why do you think so many people had a reaction to the “No Influencers” sign? 

3. On Education

What it is: Depending on what state they live in, about half (48%) of students in the U.S. are already back in school. The other 52% won’t be back until sometime between August 16 and September 10.

What that really means: Classes. Crushes. Clothes. Anticipation. Anxiety. AI. The back-to-school season brings a plethora of feelings and topics for families to navigate. And yet even though about half of students in the U.S. are already in the thick of all of this, the staggered school schedule actually hints at a deeper truth about educating the next generation: education is not a one-size-fits-all process. Which brings up the question: what even is education? What is it for?

Let’s translate this one further…

It is true about living in different states, but also true at a much deeper level: not everyone is ready for the same things at the same time. 

In John Steinbeck’s novel East of Eden (a book some students may be required to read), Cyrus Trask insists that his son Adam should join the army out of the hope that he would learn courage from the experience. But regarding Adam’s notoriously hot-tempered brother Charles, Trask wisely remarks, “To put him in an army would be to let loose things which in Charles must be chained down, not let loose.” 

What he was getting at was that his two sons, Adam and Charles, came with different strengths, weaknesses, and temperaments—so different approaches were needed to help them grow. 

Educators know these dynamics well: some students need a push, while others need a pull. Yet no matter who the students are and how they show up, the task for teachers is the same: to educate. 

Dictionary.com defines the word “educate” as “to develop the faculties and powers of (a person) by teaching, instruction, or schooling.” Notice, this definition is goal-agnostic. The development mentioned here could be toward any sort of ultimate end goal: getting a higher-paying job, becoming a more well-rounded person, giving one’s parents a break at home, staying out of prison, et cetera.

Compare this definition to the Westminster Shorter Catechism, which defines humanity’s ultimate goal and purpose by saying, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.” Or, as Ecclesiastes 12:13 puts it, “Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” If this is indeed our ultimate purpose as human beings, surely our “education” should involve some training in how to pursue that. 

That doesn’t necessarily mean that Christian education has to happen in a classroom. The fact that Jesus regarded Peter and John differently in John 21:19-22 suggests that there may not be a one-size-fits-all method here either—and debates about Texas’s decision to include scripture in public school curricula reveal just how not on the same page our culture is about how this should go. 

Whatever we think about the inclusion of religious texts in public schools, it is still worth asking the question: what is education for? What is its end goal? And in an age when ChatGPT can do your homework for you, it’s worth asking your teens what they think too.

For more context and nuance, check out our Roundtable podcast on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts. In the meantime, here are a few questions to help you continue the conversation with your teens:

Parenting together,

Evan Barber and the Axis Team

In Other News…

1. Spotify will add an “AI Persona” label on AI artists. In addition to flagging AI-generated content for users, these personas will be excluded from the company’s algorithmic recommendations. 
2. The summer box office has earned $4 billion for the second time since COVID, thanks to hits like Spider-Man: Brand New Day, The Odyssey, and other blockbusters. 
3. Olivia Rodrigo played for a crowd of 1,000 in Brooklyn last week. Tickets were purchased at the box office that day for only $25. Compare this to her ticket prices for The Unraveled Tour (up to $1,100). 
4. Some grandparents have taken to unknowingly gifting their grandkids AI-generated slop books, to the consternation of many parents. 
5. A new rom-com, One Night Only, imagines a world where Congress has outlawed premarital sex. But for one night a year, the ban is lifted. You can read the content warnings here. 

PS: Know someone who could use our conversation starters with their teens? Share the CT with a friend!