You can tell a lot about someone’s age by their hot take on mullets. 😎 Boomers might love them. Millennials probably hate them. And Gen Z? Have you seen Jacob Elordi lately?! 🥵
When money feels tight, financial stability becomes so in-vogue. 🤑 Quarter-zips are back and the “401(k) mullet” is a real thing. The latest hair and clothing choices of Zoomer men are speaking volumes about how they budget and save. 🧑💼
Here’s Five Fast Facts on fashion trends and the economy:
- 🩲 Under Where? - The economy leaves clues everywhere…even in your dresser drawer! Clothes, haircuts, music, and underwear have all been treated as leading indicators. Former Fed chair Alan Greenspan famously said men’s underwear purchases were a tell for whether discretionary spending was slowing down.
- 💇 Business In the Front - Once boring, now irresistible: the 401(k). One survey found that 15% of adults draw the dating line at no retirement savings. Meanwhile, Vogue says the “401(k) mullet” is trending, a cleaner, more grown-up version of the shag (yeah, baby!)
- 🧥 The Zip Is Hip - The quarter-zip’s glow-up can be traced back to a single TikTok. Jason Gyamfi launched the “quarter-zip movement” in November, and later wrote on LinkedIn that the trend was really about confidence and self-reinvention. His message got over 31M views.
- ⛷️ Let’s Go To Talbots - The rise of quiet luxury tracks closely with growing economic divides after the pandemic. The trend officially went viral in 2023, thanks to Gwyneth Paltrow’s minimalist courtroom outfits during her infamous ski accident trial.
- 📈 Richie Rich - After a rough patch in early 2025, retirement accounts have staged a comeback. Balances are now at all-time highs, with the average 401(k) hitting $144,400 by year’s end. Despite all the “mom’s basement” jokes, data shows Gen Z is saving earlier and at higher rates than previous generations.
🔥Bottom line: If you want more Jacob Elordi mullet content, search through all the Wuthering Heights press tour coverage. You’re welcome, queen. The economy’s split harder than Ben and J-Lo’s 384th divorce. Want to learn more about the K-shaped economy? Skim through this article for some talking points.
Are you sporting a 401(k) mullet?
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