The allure of youth—and all that it encompasses—has never been more relevant than now.
In this issue, we search for the meaning of youth: Be it in fashion beauty, travel or even the lingo. What does it take to be youthful, fresh or simply #legit? In Annabelle Fernandez’s piece on youth culture on page 113, she talks about the power of social media, and how teenage stars like 15-year-old Rowan Blanchard are engaging millions of followers with posts about human rights, including women of colour and members of the LGBTQ+ community. It’s amazing how someone so young can be so sophisticated in her stance for any colour, creed, race and sexuality. This only makes me seem frivolous in my love for SNOW, but it’s all well and good because at the end of the day, I know it’s just an app. What worries me are kids who have grown up with these apps from day one—where your skin glows, your eyes are like saucers, and your lips are rosebud-pink and pouty. Can they live a life where the world isn’t seen through rose-tinted glasses? Gerald Tan reminisces about the halcyon days when youth culture first started, and how it has morphed from the sexual liberation of the Swinging Sixties to the tribes of street culture today. Read his era-by-era breakdown on page 110. Nothing gets me more excited than the fashion that engages Gen Z. Windy Aulia’s brilliant rendition of how Insta-royalty dress (read: Paris Jackson, Kaia Gerber, Hailey Baldwin et al) can be seen in “Smells Like Teen Spirit” on page 148. On the flip side, the arresting awakening of womanhood in “The Birth of Venus” shows the intimate, sensual and poetic side of fashion, which will make you want to be 25 all over again. As someone who is well past that age, nothing could make me want to return to puberty or my early 20s. For now, I am happy to don a hoodie, pop on a trucker cap and switch SNOW on—moving from Gen X to Gen Z in an instant. Thank you, technology. And I didn’t even have to say Botox.
