September 10, 2024 • 6 mins
Ah, Gen Z — the generation of TikTok dances, self-care routines, and avocado toast. Now, they’ve bestowed upon us the latest oddball trend: the “Airport Tray Aesthetic.” Yes, those grimy plastic trays you shuffle your shoes, liquids, and electronics into at TSA checkpoints are now the hot new canvas for curated Instagram posts. What was once a functional necessity has been elevated to an art form, complete with perfectly arranged iPhones, passports, and Ray-Bans, as travelers turn mundane moments into highly shareable snapshots. While previous generations might have celebrated the iconic window seat shot or boasted a pic of the boarding pass peeking out of a travel bag, Gen Z is rewriting the rulebook on travel content. They’ve taken the most unglamorous part of air travel—stripping off belts and emptying pockets—and made it Instagram-worthy. The results? Perfectly organized chaos, where the placement of AirPods next to a passport with just the right angle can transform TSA tedium into social media gold. The contrast of high-tech gadgets on a gray plastic tray is, apparently, a vibe. Curated Chaos in a World of Travel Woes So, what exactly drives this newfound fascination with security trays? For one, it offers a strange sort of order in the chaos of air travel. In a setting where most of us are juggling items while fumbling to remove our shoes, Gen Z manages to find serenity in symmetry. They snap a pic that shows not just what they’re bringing along on their journey, but who they are. A MacBook angled just so, a leather passport case meticulously placed next to a book, with a minimalist caption like “Wheels up” with a plane taking off emoji— it’s all part of the aesthetic. This trend is yet another testament to Gen Z’s uncanny ability to find aesthetic potential in the most unlikely of places. While standing barefoot in a TSA line is, for most, a mild inconvenience, for Gen Z it’s just another backdrop for curated content. Why scroll through endless pics of touristy selfies when you can post something far more unique, intimate, and—dare we say—avant-garde? The Underlying Irony But there’s more to this trend than just quirky content creation. The Airport Tray Aesthetic feels almost like a rejection of the classic, idyllic travel imagery we’ve grown so accustomed to. After all, who doesn’t love a sun-drenched beach shot or the grandeur of a mountaintop view? But for Gen Z, it’s not about escapism—it’s about turning the banal into beauty. The trays themselves are a symbol of mundane air travel: impersonal, industrial, and repetitive. Yet, in the hands of a Gen Z content creator, they become blank canvases upon which travel essentials are artfully displayed. There’s an irony here that can’t be ignored. The entire concept feels like a quiet rebellion against the polished travel influencer shots that flooded Instagram feeds over the past decade. Where Millennials chased wanderlust and filled their grids with exotic locales and luxurious accommodations, Gen Z is far more interested in finding beauty in the everyday. It’s less about where you’re going and more about how you’re getting there. The aesthetic prioritizes the journey, even if that journey involves standing in a security line with socks and sandals. Why Now? But why now? Why, in 2024, has this become a thing? Part of it is simply the evolution of social media. The endless chase for new, unique content ideas has led creators to increasingly niche areas, and the Airport Tray Aesthetic is just the latest frontier. When you’ve already posted your cappuccino foam art and your flat-lay outfit pic, what’s left? Ah, yes—the humble TSA tray. But more than that, the trend is perhaps a reflection of our collective exhaustion with the high-pressure, high-glamour world of travel blogging. In a world where jet-setting influencers flaunt their stays at private resorts or their glamorous getaways, Gen Z is offering a refreshingly grounded take. Their aesthetic embraces the mundane and, in doing so, gives it new meaning. It’s also worth noting the post-pandemic shift in travel culture. After years of restricted movement, people are traveling again—but travel looks different now. Security lines are longer, flights are packed, and the overall experience has become more tedious. By finding a way to elevate one of the most boring aspects of travel, Gen Z is reclaiming a bit of joy in the process. A Trend or a Symptom of Content Overload? At its core, the Airport Tray Aesthetic might just be another quirk of social media, but it also feels like a symptom of content fatigue. There are only so many times you can post pictures of your avocado toast or your favorite sunset spot before it all starts to blend together. Gen Z, ever ahead of the curve, is once again showing us that content creation has no limits. Even the most banal moments of life—those few minutes of airport drudgery—can be turned into a visual feast. For those outside the Gen Z bubble, this trend might seem absu
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Ah gen Z the generation of TikTok dances, self care routines,
and avocado toast. Now they've bestowed upon us the latest
oddball trend, the airport tray esthetic. Yes, those grimy plastic
trays you shuffle your shoes, liquids, and electronics into a
TSA checkpoints are now the hot new canvas for curated
(00:21):
Instagram posts. What was once a functional necessity has been
elevated to an art form, complete with perfectly arranged iPhones, passports,
and ray bands, as travelers turn mundane moments into highly
shaable snapshots. While previous generations might have celebrated the iconic
window seat shot or boasted a pick of the boarding
pass peeking out of a travel bag, gen Z is
(00:43):
rewriting the rule book on travel content. They've taken the
most unglamorous part of air travel, stripping off belts and
emptying pockets, and made it instagram worthy. The results perfectly
organized chaos, where the placement of AirPods next to a
passport with just the right angle can transform to team
into social media gold. The contrast of high tech gadgets
(01:04):
on a gray plastic tray is apparently a vibe curated
chaos and a world of travel woes. So what exactly
drives this newfound fascination with security trays? For one, it
offers a strange sort of order in the chaos of
air travel. In a setting where most of us are
juggling items while fumbling to remove our shoes, gen Z
manages to find serenity and symmetry. They snap a pick
(01:27):
that shows not just what they're bringing along on their journey,
but who they are. A MacBook angled just so, a
leather passport case meticulously placed next to a book with
a minimalist caption like wheels up with a plane taking
off emoji. It's all part of the esthetic. This trend
is yet another testament to gen Z's uncanny ability to
find esthetic potential in the most unlikely of places. While
(01:50):
standing barefoot in a TSA line is for most a
mild inconvenience. For gen Z, it's just another backdrop for
curated content. Why scroll through endless picks of touristy selfies
when you can post something far more unique, intimate, and
dare we say, avant garde the underlying irony. But there's
more to this trend than just quirky content creation. The
(02:12):
airport tray aesthetic feels almost like a rejection of the
classic idyllic travel imagery we've grown so accustomed to. After all,
who doesn't love a sun drenched beach shot or the
grandeur of a mountaintop view. But for gen Z, it's
not about escapism. It's about turning the banal into beauty.
The trays themselves are a symbol of mundane air travel, impersonal, industrial,
(02:35):
and repetitive, Yet in the hands of a gen Z
content creator, they become blank canvases upon which travel essentials
are artfully displayed. There's an irony here that can't be ignored.
The entire concept feels like a quiet rebellion against the
polished travel influencer shots that flooded Instagram feeds over the
past decade, where millennials chased wanderlust and filled their grids
(02:57):
with exotic locales and luxurious accommodations. Gen Z is far
more interested in finding beauty in the every day. It's
less about where you're going and more about how you're
getting there. The esthetic prioritizes the journey, even if that
journey involves standing in a security line with socks and sandals.
Why now, But why now, why, in twenty twenty four
(03:18):
has this become a thing. Part of it is simply
the evolution of social media. The endless chase for new,
unique content ideas has led creators to increasingly niche areas,
and the airport tray aesthetic is just the latest frontier.
When you've already posted your cappuccino, foam art and your
flat lay outfit, pick what's left. Ah, Yes, the humble
(03:41):
tsa tray. But more than that, the trend is perhaps
a reflection of our collective exhaustion with the high pressure,
high glamour world of travel blogging. In a world where
jet setting influencers flaunt their stays at private resorts or
their glamorous getaways, gen Z is offering a refreshingly grounded take.
Their aesthetic embraces the mundane, and in doing so, gives
(04:02):
it new meaning. It's also worth noting the post pandemic
shift in travel culture. After years of restricted movement, people
are traveling again, but travel looks different now. Security lines
are longer, flights are packed, and the overall experience has
become more tedious. By finding a way to elevate one
of the most boring aspects of travel, gen Z is
reclaiming a bit of joy in the process, a trend
(04:25):
or a symptom of content overload at its core, the
airport tray aesthetic might just be another quirk of social media,
but it also feels like a symptom of content fatigue.
There are only so many times you can post pictures
of your avocado toast or your favorite sunset spot before
it all starts to blend together. Gen Z, ever ahead
of the curve, is once again showing us that content
(04:46):
creation has no limits. Even the most banal moments of life,
those few minutes of airport drudgery, can be turned into
a visual feast. For those outside the gen Z bubble,
this trend might seem absurd, or perhaps the even an
act of desperation in the ever competitive race for Instagram likes.
After all, how many times can one truly look at
(05:06):
an iPhone and a passport in a tray before it
all starts to blur together. But for others it's a
sign of the times. Everything, even the most boring parts
of life, can be curated, shared, and estheticized. The conversation
around this trend is also a deeper reflection on the
nature of social media. Itself. Is this just another step
in the commodification of every aspect of our lives? Or
(05:30):
is it a reclamation of control, a way to find
calm and beauty even in the least glamorous moments. Perhaps
the real appeal lies in its juxtaposition, the contrast between
the ultra polished world of Instagram and the everyday mundanity
of airport security. Will it last? Like many social media trends,
the airport tray aesthetic could easily fade into obscurity as
(05:51):
quickly as it appeared. But if there's one thing we
know about gen Z, it's that they have a knack
for turning seemingly fleeting trends into cultural moments. Whether or
not this aesthetic will stick around, it's clear that it
taps into a broader cultural shift, the desire to find
meaning even in the most mundane corners of life, And
as we scroll through Instagram in the months to come,
(06:13):
we might see more travelers snapping tray photos, turning them
into something more than just a part of the airport process.
We might also see the trend evolve, with influencers competing
for the most creative tray compositions, perhaps even collaborating with
brands to make their trade contents more on trend, and
who knows, maybe one day airport trays themselves will be
(06:33):
redesigned with aesthetics in mind, specifically for Instagram shots. Welcome
to the future for now, though, next time you're standing
barefoot in a TSA line, consider taking a beat before
sending your trade down the conveyor belt. Who knows, your
neatly arranged iPhone, passport and sunglasses might just be the
next viral trend. Thanks for listening, and remember to like
(06:54):
and share wherever you get your podcasts.
Ah gen Z the generation of TikTok dances, self care routines,
and avocado toast. Now they've bestowed upon us the latest
oddball trend, the airport tray esthetic. Yes, those grimy plastic
trays you shuffle your shoes, liquids, and electronics into a
TSA checkpoints are now the hot new canvas for curated
(00:21):
Instagram posts. What was once a functional necessity has been
elevated to an art form, complete with perfectly arranged iPhones, passports,
and ray bands, as travelers turn mundane moments into highly
shaable snapshots. While previous generations might have celebrated the iconic
window seat shot or boasted a pick of the boarding
pass peeking out of a travel bag, gen Z is
(00:43):
rewriting the rule book on travel content. They've taken the
most unglamorous part of air travel, stripping off belts and
emptying pockets, and made it instagram worthy. The results perfectly
organized chaos, where the placement of AirPods next to a
passport with just the right angle can transform to team
into social media gold. The contrast of high tech gadgets
(01:04):
on a gray plastic tray is apparently a vibe curated
chaos and a world of travel woes. So what exactly
drives this newfound fascination with security trays? For one, it
offers a strange sort of order in the chaos of
air travel. In a setting where most of us are
juggling items while fumbling to remove our shoes, gen Z
manages to find serenity and symmetry. They snap a pick
(01:27):
that shows not just what they're bringing along on their journey,
but who they are. A MacBook angled just so, a
leather passport case meticulously placed next to a book with
a minimalist caption like wheels up with a plane taking
off emoji. It's all part of the esthetic. This trend
is yet another testament to gen Z's uncanny ability to
find esthetic potential in the most unlikely of places. While
(01:50):
standing barefoot in a TSA line is for most a
mild inconvenience. For gen Z, it's just another backdrop for
curated content. Why scroll through endless picks of touristy selfies
when you can post something far more unique, intimate, and
dare we say, avant garde the underlying irony. But there's
more to this trend than just quirky content creation. The
(02:12):
airport tray aesthetic feels almost like a rejection of the
classic idyllic travel imagery we've grown so accustomed to. After all,
who doesn't love a sun drenched beach shot or the
grandeur of a mountaintop view. But for gen Z, it's
not about escapism. It's about turning the banal into beauty.
The trays themselves are a symbol of mundane air travel, impersonal, industrial,
(02:35):
and repetitive, Yet in the hands of a gen Z
content creator, they become blank canvases upon which travel essentials
are artfully displayed. There's an irony here that can't be ignored.
The entire concept feels like a quiet rebellion against the
polished travel influencer shots that flooded Instagram feeds over the
past decade, where millennials chased wanderlust and filled their grids
(02:57):
with exotic locales and luxurious accommodations. Gen Z is far
more interested in finding beauty in the every day. It's
less about where you're going and more about how you're
getting there. The esthetic prioritizes the journey, even if that
journey involves standing in a security line with socks and sandals.
Why now, But why now, why, in twenty twenty four
(03:18):
has this become a thing. Part of it is simply
the evolution of social media. The endless chase for new,
unique content ideas has led creators to increasingly niche areas,
and the airport tray aesthetic is just the latest frontier.
When you've already posted your cappuccino, foam art and your
flat lay outfit, pick what's left. Ah, Yes, the humble
(03:41):
tsa tray. But more than that, the trend is perhaps
a reflection of our collective exhaustion with the high pressure,
high glamour world of travel blogging. In a world where
jet setting influencers flaunt their stays at private resorts or
their glamorous getaways, gen Z is offering a refreshingly grounded take.
Their aesthetic embraces the mundane, and in doing so, gives
(04:02):
it new meaning. It's also worth noting the post pandemic
shift in travel culture. After years of restricted movement, people
are traveling again, but travel looks different now. Security lines
are longer, flights are packed, and the overall experience has
become more tedious. By finding a way to elevate one
of the most boring aspects of travel, gen Z is
reclaiming a bit of joy in the process, a trend
(04:25):
or a symptom of content overload at its core, the
airport tray aesthetic might just be another quirk of social media,
but it also feels like a symptom of content fatigue.
There are only so many times you can post pictures
of your avocado toast or your favorite sunset spot before
it all starts to blend together. Gen Z, ever ahead
of the curve, is once again showing us that content
(04:46):
creation has no limits. Even the most banal moments of life,
those few minutes of airport drudgery, can be turned into
a visual feast. For those outside the gen Z bubble,
this trend might seem absurd, or perhaps the even an
act of desperation in the ever competitive race for Instagram likes.
After all, how many times can one truly look at
(05:06):
an iPhone and a passport in a tray before it
all starts to blur together. But for others it's a
sign of the times. Everything, even the most boring parts
of life, can be curated, shared, and estheticized. The conversation
around this trend is also a deeper reflection on the
nature of social media. Itself. Is this just another step
in the commodification of every aspect of our lives? Or
(05:30):
is it a reclamation of control, a way to find
calm and beauty even in the least glamorous moments. Perhaps
the real appeal lies in its juxtaposition, the contrast between
the ultra polished world of Instagram and the everyday mundanity
of airport security. Will it last? Like many social media trends,
the airport tray aesthetic could easily fade into obscurity as
(05:51):
quickly as it appeared. But if there's one thing we
know about gen Z, it's that they have a knack
for turning seemingly fleeting trends into cultural moments. Whether or
not this aesthetic will stick around, it's clear that it
taps into a broader cultural shift, the desire to find
meaning even in the most mundane corners of life, And
as we scroll through Instagram in the months to come,
(06:13):
we might see more travelers snapping tray photos, turning them
into something more than just a part of the airport process.
We might also see the trend evolve, with influencers competing
for the most creative tray compositions, perhaps even collaborating with
brands to make their trade contents more on trend, and
who knows, maybe one day airport trays themselves will be
(06:33):
redesigned with aesthetics in mind, specifically for Instagram shots. Welcome
to the future for now, though, next time you're standing
barefoot in a TSA line, consider taking a beat before
sending your trade down the conveyor belt. Who knows, your
neatly arranged iPhone, passport and sunglasses might just be the
next viral trend. Thanks for listening, and remember to like
(06:54):
and share wherever you get your podcasts.
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