A three-decade-old manga symbol may seem an unlikely choice, but the “One Piece” pirate flag has been brandished by disaffected young people at recent anti-corruption protests worldwide, including Jakarta, Kathmandu and Paris. Depicting a skull with hollow cheeks, a broad grin and a straw hat, the flag is an “example of how Gen Z is reshaping the cultural vocabulary of dissent,” said media expert and academic Nuurrianti Jalli, of Oklahoma State University, at The Conversation. 

What’s ‘One Piece’? 
A hugely popular Japanese manga series created by artist Eiichiro Oda, “One Piece” follows the adventures of the Straw Hat Pirates, led by Monkey D. Luffy, who stand up to repressive rulers, fighting against slavery, racism and xenophobia. First published in 1997, it holds the Guinness World Record for the most copies published in the same comic book series by a single author and has spawned a long-running TV series and live-action films. 

Why has Gen Z adopted it? 
The “One Piece” concept “arrived at the birth of Gen Z,” and for fans who grew up with the comics, the flag is “not a casual decoration but an emblem of defiance and perseverance,” said Jalli. Yet “part of the flag’s effectiveness comes from its ambiguity,” which “makes it difficult for governments to suppress without appearing authoritarian.” 

After cropping up sporadically at protests over the past couple of years, the symbol went viral during this summer’s “Dark Indonesia” student protests in response to budget cuts and growing military influence in civilian affairs. It has since become the defining image of youth-led demonstrations across the region, including anti-corruption marches in the Philippines and recent protests that toppled the government in Nepal. 

Most recently, the flag has been spotted at demonstrations in New York, Rome and Slovakia, among others. Its meaning has obviously “resonated across borders,” said The Guardian, as a “symbol of defiance and hope for Gen Z protesters.”

Lavender marriage is getting a generational remix. Historically, these unions were often implemented to protect queer individuals. They can also involve “one queer individual marrying another queer person or a heterosexual person of the opposite sex, strictly for the legal benefits and convenience,” said Vice. Now, Millennials and Gen Z are embracing the legal maneuver in response to not just the current regressive threat against LGBTQ+ rights but also to ease financial burden and relish the emotional support of platonic companionship.

Background
Lavender marriages “formed as a way of concealing same-sex attraction in a society where being openly queer could mean social ostracism, career ruin or even criminalization,” Gio Dolcecore, an assistant professor of social work at Mount Royal University, said at The Conversation. The terminology “mainly gained traction in early-20th-century Hollywood, where image was paramount and being openly queer could have ended careers,” said DW. However, “like any relationship, the reason people would choose to enter a lavender marriage differs from couple to couple,” said Them.

The latest
While considered an antiquated union in the U.S., new circumstances have reignited the interest in lavender marriages. “Censorship of queer culture is on the rise as political and social movements directly attack the LGBTQ+ community,” said Dolcecore. 

Along with the revitalized suppression of queer people, modern financial circumstances have affected marriages. “With rising health care and housing costs, marrying a trusted friend could offer stability,” said DW. The renewed interest in lavender marriages “reflects deeper shifts in how people view relationships.”

The reaction
The reframing of lavender marriages for financial stability can “erase the very real and often painful reasons these marriages existed,” Jennifer Gunsaullus, a sociologist, sexologist and relationship expert, said to Cosmopolitan. However, the original reason may not have disappeared entirely. “There are still many parts of the world where being openly queer is dangerous, even illegal,” Edward Reese, a gender and sexuality expert at the LGBTQ+ dating app Taimi, said to Vice. 

“Learning the history of how queer and trans people survived and defended each other is critical,” said Them. Lavender marriages “represent an interesting nexus of love, relationships, legality and societal pressures.”

Protesters in the city of Antsiranana call for the resignation of Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina. At least 22 people have been killed during a week of anti-government rallies and strikes triggered by power cuts and water shortages across the island nation.
FITA / AFP / Getty Images

The undead began shuffling back to popularity during the early aughts. And the small screen has offered many delights for revenant connoisseurs, especially when the extraordinary success of Netflix’s “The Walking Dead” (pictured above) convinced studio heads there was plenty of appetite for brainy narratives about flesh-eating ghouls.

‘All of Us Are Dead’ (2022–)
The sprawling series is set primarily in a high school in the fictional Seoul suburb of Hyosan. It isn’t a show “built on jump scares and surprises but instead one of constant dread” that results in a “slow-burn 12-episode odyssey about survival instinct and survivor’s guilt,” said Pajiba. A second season debuts in 2026. (Netflix)

‘Black Summer’ (2019-21)
The unappreciated short-lived show grows from a stressful action-packed first season to a masterful second installment that includes several of the best stand-alone episodes of television in any genre. Its superior execution “hinges on two things: long one-take sequences and excellent stunt work and choreography,” said Death of Film Criticism. (Netflix)

‘The Last of Us’ (2023–)
The first season of this video game adaptation is a well-deserved critical and commercial triumph. The monsters are “barely the focus” of a phenomenal series that’s ultimately “more of a buddy road trip show than yet another show about a zombie apocalypse,” said The Washington Post. The second season received somewhat more mixed reviews, and a third installment is not anticipated until 2027. (Max)