As an avid musical theatre fan, I was excited to see Renee Rap bring Regina George into the modern day in the musical film. I was also extremely excited to see Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’ new creation as the original writers of , and possibly the most successful musical theatre Cambridge graduates. However, this article isn’t about musical theatre.
It is about the failure of professional creatives, marketers and businesses to appeal to Generation Z. We are obviously caricatured as the ‘woke’ generation; our minds and feeds are filled with quickly recycled micro-trends, memes, viral audios and songs. Our vocabulary constantly incorporates new slang: ‘slay,’ ‘eats,’ and ‘okurrr,’ and many of us laugh about being ‘chronically online.
’ “I don’t want to be typified into some internet-obsessed, fast-fashion addict that only communicates in three-letter abbreviations” In the re-done version of the cult classic , it is increasingly apparent that using this culture in an attempt to be relatable to a Gen Z audience feels thoroughly inauthentic, and one might even say cringeworthy. The new , as many fashion critics have pointed out, lacks the timeless, preppy, aspirational style of the original 2004 version, instead opting to clothe Regina in a sheer bodysuit and a Saturn pearl necklace, reminiscent of the Shein hauls and Tiktok fashion trends I have criticised. The stage musical on the West End has recently changed Regina’s sung lines from ‘I never weig.
