Labubu vs. Sydney Sweeney: The Gen Z culture war you didn't know was already happening — experts weigh in

Fox News

a day ago

What do a Chinese-manufactured toy and an American actress have in common? According to experts, not much — except they're both being marketed to Gen Z.
Distributed exclusively by China-based retailer Pop Mart, Labubus are viral Monster plush toys, created by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung, who became inspired by Nordic supernatural folklore and children's imaginative abilities to create Labubu and the larger "Monsters" figurine series. Since their introduction to the U.S., Gen Z demand has prompted the toys to repeatedly sell out, turning them into America's newest status symbol.
At the same time, "Euphoria" actress Sydney Sweeney has become a culture icon in her own right — representing youth marketing, American glamor and femininity. Recently, Sweeney, who faced backlash for her controversial American Eagle jeans ad campaign, was also recognized by President Donald Trump, who applauded both the ad and her voter registration as a Republican.
Fox News Digital asked media and culture experts to weigh in on how different brands are marketing to Gen Z today, and if they believe the Chinese plush toy represents a change in values compared to traditional "It girl" icons like Sweeney.
"At the core, Labubu and Sydney Sweeney aren't radically new; they're evolutions of age-old marketing patterns," said Daniel Robbins, Founder of IBH Media. "History is repeating itself. Labubu mirrors the Beanie Babies craze of the '90s: collectible, emotionally charged, and driven by hype cycles. The difference is distribution. Beanie Babies thrived on scarcity and word-of-mouth, while Labubu rides [on] algorithmic virality and influencer amplification. Social media didn't exist then, but now it accelerates niche obsessions into global movements almost overnight."
"The same goes for Sydney Sweeney," Robbins said. "We have seen similar marketing in the past. Today, the audience isn't just passively consuming these images; they're curating them, remixing them, and reacting in real time. We now see instant feedback loops — backlash, praise, irony, sincerity… because we're constantly plugged in. The consumer's voice is no longer an afterthought; it's part of the marketing narrative itself."
Among the differing feedback loops, liberal media outlets and progressive commentators fretted over what they deemed coded language from American Eagle and Sweeney about White supremacy and eugenics, while conservatives mocked these concerns.
While Labubus aren't inherently political, some believe they invoke identity play and "weirdcore." With 2.5 million Hashtags dedicated to the plush toy on TikTok, alone, users can be found changing up their Labubu, based on identity, such as creating "24k gold" and "Pride" Labubus.
"Labubu embodies anti-aesthetic charm, messy, weird and emotionally ambiguous — a far cry from the polished beauty and aspirational femininity of Sydney Sweeney," Top Culture/Trending podcast host of The Determined Society, Shawn French told Fox News Digital. "While Sweeney symbolizes the return of classic Hollywood allure and controlled branding, Labubu taps into post-irony and collectible culture where cuteness, chaos and emotional nostalgia collide."
Generation Z, also known as "digital natives," grew up with accessible internet and social media, feeding varying possibilities of identities and subcultures — from the "tradwife" aesthetic to gender-fluid fashion and more. These differing camps of identity are what Shama Hyder, CEO of Zen Media, says makes Gen Z "a pendulum generation constantly navigating between extremes."
"The Sweeney camp still believes in playing the game of existing systems, in meritocracy and conventional success," Hyder told Fox News Digital. "The Labubu camp feels alienated from those structures and is creating alternative value systems. It's not necessarily left versus right politically. It's establishment versus anti-establishment cultural positioning. Both sides are trying to find their footing in an intensely polarized world."
Labubu and Sydney Sweeney aren't "radically new" in terms of marketing. Other examples of how Gen Z is being marketed include MSCHF Big Red Boots, for its "weirdcore" appeal, or surreal imagery, and on the flipside, Hailey Bieber's Rhode beauty brand, for its curated and "clean girl" aesthetic. Hyder says that branding both "weirdness" and "beauty" can work for Gen Z because of how the generation has "cultural literacy."
"The Sweeney pole says people want aspiration, beauty, status — things that have always worked in marketing. The Labubu pole says people want community through shared weirdness, success through viral chaos, authenticity even if it's ugly," said Hyder to Fox News Digital. What's fascinating is that both work simultaneously for this generation. Gen Z has the cultural literacy to appreciate ironic ugliness and traditional beauty depending on what they need to express in that moment."
While they may differ in appeal, Gen Z isn't necessarily choosing sides, but rather buying both. Labubus continue to be in high-demand and difficult to find, and despite the surrounding controversy, Sweeney's visibility and marketability has increased among younger audiences, according to public relations experts.