Column Inside America: The US summer trend on social media – "Kinda Chic" goes retro
A private equity boyfriend, recycling or an iPod: in the summer of 2026, apparently anything can be "kinda chic". The new trend celebrates the supposedly uncool. But nostalgia is also chic.
The social media trend "Kinda Chic" is dominating the internet this summer. It involves ironically labeling everyday habits and items as "chic", such as taking out the trash. The trend is also associated with celebrities like Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, and Olivia Rodrigo, who have been spotted with finance boyfriends, dubbed "Arm Candy" by the Wall Street Journal.
The trend also includes a nostalgia for digital retro products, with old devices and accessories like wired headphones and oversized sunglasses becoming popular again, particularly among Gen Z in New York.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's report — not a translation of it. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
