For the past year, Millennial Pink appeared to be the color that just wouldn’t quit. It was everywhere, from beauty products to cookware to clothing and even suitcases. But there’s a new color ready to take over our Instagram feeds ― they call it mellow Gen Z Yellow.
The sunny shade seemingly started trending last summer, with Gen Z stars like Yara Shahidi, Zendaya and Millie Bobby Brown trying it on for themselves. (I also gave the color a try.) As Insider pointed out, it “made a splash” even earlier, when Beyoncé donned the now-iconic yellow ruffled Gucci dress in her “Hold Up” music video.
One of the keys to this sunny shade’s popularity may be that it’s not just one particular hue. Instead, Haley Nahman at Man Repeller wrote, it’s about “several shades, from buttercream to melted butter and beyond.”
“By 2018, the entire internet will probably look like the inside of a banana,” she added.
Well, here we are in 2018, and Gen Z yellow is definitely the latest “it” color, with skincare brands, celebrities and fashion designers fully embracing it. If you’re on the fence about trying out the shade for yourself, you should know that research has shown yellow can actually evoke positive emotions. And not only can it help brighten your day (physically and mentally), it may have positive effects on those around you.
“Because [bright colors] usually aren’t the norm, they will attract attention and usually other people tend to like them and will comment to somebody, ‘Oh, you look great. I love that color,’” Leslie Harrington, executive director of the Color Association of the United States, told HuffPost in 2017. “That then feeds into this cycle of feeling good about ourselves.”
We have no doubts in our minds that Gen Z Yellow really is going to be everywhere this spring and summer. If you still need inspiration, or proof that Gen Z Yellow is even a thing, just keep scrolling:
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