Gen Z seems to be a particularly health-conscious generation. Along with the rise in gym memberships leading to a new peak at 11.5 million in the UK, Gen Zers are reportedly drinking less and smoking less than previous generations.
So, how do these health-conscious young adults find excuses to leave their desks for a quick natter? Are there any vices they’ll allow themselves.
Per Bloomberg, it’s doing a lot of damage in the booze and tobacco industries, with ailing sales resulting in damaged tax revenues for respective governments too.
While we cry a river for the vice pedlars, it turns out that there’s a particular trend kicking in across Gen Z that’s replacing the much-maligned cigarette break. It’s lovingly named the ‘fridge cigarette’, and while it’s hardly a health fad it’s considerably less damaging for your health than the occasional cig.
Spreading via TikTok as all modern trends to, the fridge cigarette is a cold can of Diet Coke.
“Overheard someone call Diet Coke a ‘fridge cigarette’ and nothing’s been more true to me since,” TikToker Rachel Reno (@reallyrachelreno) penned over her video on the trend that’s drawn over four million views at the time of writing.
Joking about how one might ween themselves off a Diet Coke habit, one user replied that ‘flavoured sparkling water is fridge Nicorette’.
Acknowledging the health implications of consuming a lot of Diet Coke, Reno said caffeine-free Diet Coke is ‘just a hand-rolled cigarette’, perhaps referring to the tendency for a cheeky rolly to have less tobacco in it than a manufactured cigarette.
The New York Times followed up with Reno, who told the outlet that ‘the crack of the can is like the spark of a lighter’ and that a sip of the stuff makes ‘all the worries and cares in the world go away’.
“I feel like it’s one of those things that doesn’t need a lot of explanation,” she said.
It’s a good excuse to get away from the desk for a chat with pals too, which is perhaps a cigarette’s greatest quality.
Also speaking with the New York Times, After School newsletter founder and writer Casey Lewis said the fridge cigarette is a way to take the edge off.
Casey Lewis, founder and writer of the internet-culture newsletter After School, described it.
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Or, as some social media users have put it: something to take the edge off.
“When I was young and working in an office, I didn’t smoke, but then I didn’t take any breaks, and I don’t think I am alone in that,” she said.
“But Gen Z are more likely to value their work-life balance and believe that an afternoon break is something they deserve.”
Featured Image Credit: Narong KHUEANKAEW/Getty ImagesTopics: Health, Drinks, Diet, Social Media, TikTok
Rachael Davis