Why Gen Z is obsessed with the ‘90s

If you’ve traveled recently, have you been faced with an etiquette conundrum? How did you handle it? Write in at insidertoday@insider.com.

And here’s what we’re covering today:

• The trends and brands Gen Z has brought back from the dead.
• Getting a passport takes longer than you think these days.
• Apple has hidden a bitcoin manifesto in every Mac since 2018.

SCOTUS, Trump judge, & more

• Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is getting slammed across the political spectrum after a report said he secretly went on lavish vacations paid for by a GOP megadonor. Read more.
• The judge in Trump’s criminal hush-money case has been deluged with death threats, according to a source. What to know.
• Security footage reportedly shows Cash App creator Bob Lee looking for help in downtown San Francisco after he was stabbed. More here.

Reviving retro

Baguette bags. Maxi skirts. Wraparound sunglasses. If you thought you’d seen the last of these trends 20 or 30 years ago, think again. Gen Z’s love affair with ’90s and Y2K fashion is giving new life to those old fads in 2023.

Experts say it’s a combination of cycles in fashion, external factors like the economy, and brands smartly targeting influencers and celebrities. It’s also driven by escapism — and a desire to participate in an era they missed because they were too young, or hadn’t been born yet.

We’ve rounded up some of the top trends this generation is reviving.

CNN, Pedro Pascal, & more

• CNN staffers are divided after a bombshell report accused Don Lemon of misogyny. Insiders say it’s “another shit show” for network chief Chris Licht. Read more.
• Pedro Pascal says filming “The Last of Us” was “incredibly challenging.” The Chilean-born actor’s riveting turn in the HBO show catapulted him to a stratospheric level of stardom and virality. He spoke with Insider’s JP Mangalindan about gaming and filming the series. Read it here.
• Homebuyers who fled to Miami to escape high taxes are in for a rude awakening. New Yorkers moved to the Florida city in droves during the pandemic — but it turns out, property taxes in Miami were among the fastest rising in the US last year, a new report found. More on that here.
• Getting a new passport takes longer than you think these days. As of now, the processing time for a new passport or a renewal is estimated at 10-13 weeks, per the US State Department. What to know about getting yours faster.
• A report says Peeps contain a “cancer-causing” chemical. As shelves in the US get stacked with the confections over Easter, Consumer Reports is urging people to sign a petition to persuade the company behind Peeps to stop using red dye No. 3. What to know.
• Ye forced students at Donda Academy to eat sushi for lunch every day, according to a lawsuit. Former staff members at Ye’s secretive Donda Academy also allege in the lawsuit that Ye refused to use any chemical-based cleaners in the school, requiring teachers to clean classrooms with “acid water.” More here.
• Apple has hidden a bitcoin manifesto in every Mac since 2018. Tech blogger Andy Baio discovered that Apple has shipped a PDF copy of Satoshi Nakamoto’s Bitcoin whitepaper with every copy of macOS since the release of Mojave. How you can find it on your own computer.

A $600,000 supercar

World Wide Waste

Surprising things you can recycle. The average American makes about 4.5 pounds of trash every day, and less than a third of that gets recycled. But brilliant minds around the world are finding new ways to reuse and repurpose your chopsticks, flip-flops, and even your hair. Check it out.

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