Latest news with #reallyrachelreno
New York Post
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Gen Z tobacco phobes may be skipping smoke breaks — but they're addicted to ‘fridge cigarettes' instead
They're too wellness-obsessed to spark a Marlboro, but Gen Z is popping open Diet Cokes like they're nicotine patches in a can. The latest viral vice lighting up TikTok? The 'fridge cigarette' — a.k.a. a crisp can of DC, straight from the fridge, enjoyed with all the ceremonial reverence of a smoke break, minus the tar and tobacco. 'Overheard someone call Diet Coke a 'fridge cigarette' and nothing's been more true to me since,' TikTokker @reallyrachelreno declared in a now-viral video with over 3.5 million views. Caption? 'Time for a crispy ciggy in the summer.' 3 TikTok's latest guilty pleasure? The 'fridge cigarette' — a cold can of Diet Coke cracked open like a ritual smoke break, no tobacco, just fizz and flair. In other words: Clean Girl is out. Crispy Girl is in. Another TikTok convert, @thejessiesimpson, sipped a Diet Coke at her office desk while quoting the phrase in white text over her video: 'Just read where someone referred to a Diet Coke as a 'fridge cigarette' and I haven't read anything truer since.' Commenters couldn't agree more. 'I call it a CDC 'Crispy Diet Coke' lol,' one fan wrote. 'I legit never ever drink soda. Have never. Recently though? Obsessed with my daily Diet Coke. Idk what's going on..' another confessed. One simply wrote: 'I felt that in my soul!' @reallyrachelreno took it further, comparing sodas to smokes: Diet Coke is Parliaments, Coke Zero is American Spirits, regular Coke is Marlboro Reds — and full-fat Coke in a glass bottle? That's a cigar. Mentions of Menthols were, naturally, slanderous. Snaxshot writer Andrea Hernández summed it up perfectly in a recent newsletter, as reported by Fast Company: 'Gen Z is obsessed with Diet Coke. What is now being dubbed as 'fridge cigarettes' has earned a cultural cachet without Coca-Cola having to do anything . . . but focus on delivering on taste and product.' Even Coca-Cola is leaning into the nostalgia. A spokesperson told The Sun the brand's beverages are 'perfectly safe and can be enjoyed as part of a balanced lifestyle.' That said, as previously reported by The Post, experts warn the cult-fave crispies come with their own risks — and we're not just talking about caffeine jitters. 'Diet Coke, like other carbonated beverages, is highly acidic,' Dr. Raj Juneja told The Sun. 3 Gen Z can't quit their Diet Coke fix — and they're calling it a 'fridge cigarette.' The cult classic's cool-again status didn't cost Coke a dime in marketing. 3 They won't light up a Marlboro — but Gen Z's cracking open Diet Cokes like fizzy little nicotine patches in a can in a new trend. 'The acidity of Diet Coke can contribute to tooth enamel erosion over time.' That weakened enamel 'can become more susceptible to cavities and sensitivity,' he added. Orthodontist Dr. Khaled Kasem advises sipping through a straw and chasing with water, as he said to the outlet. 'Insulin is released by our body in response to foods… and it helps those nutrients get into our body,' Dr. Matthew Snelson also noted to the publication. But he clarified, 'There's no evidence that the types of sweeteners used in Diet Coke (specifically: aspartame, acesulfame K) affect insulin.' Still, artificial sweeteners have been linked to increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and diabetes — and WHO recently warned they're not a great tool for weight loss. Bottom line? The 'fridge cig' might not kill you like actual cigs can — but it's still not doctor-approved. As one TikTok user put it best: 'Wow, that's so real. It just takes the edge off.'
Fast Company
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
What is a fridge cigarette? The viral Diet Coke trend explained
It hits at a certain time in the afternoon, when a familiar craving strikes. You walk to the kitchen. The satisfying sound of a can cracking, the hiss of bubbles. It's time for a 'fridge cigarette'—or as you might know it, a can of Diet Coke. Earlier this week, TikTok user @reallyrachelreno posted: 'Overheard someone call Diet Coke a 'fridge cigarette' and nothing's been more true to me since.' The video, which has since been viewed 3.5 million times, shows her cracking open a cold one in the sun. The caption: 'Time for a crispy ciggy in the summer.' (ICYMI: The term 'crispy' is used to describe a Diet Coke chilled to perfection—bonus points if served with pebbled ice and a lemon wedge.) For many, the comparison is spot-on. 'Wow, that's so real. It just takes the edge off,' one person commented. 'I gauge how hard my day is to determine if I get a little fridge cigarette,' another added. In a follow-up video, @reallyrachelreno cleared up a few things based on the comments. According to her analysis: Diet Coke equals Parliaments, regular Coke equals Marlboro Reds, and Coke Zero equals American Spirits. Any other diet soda equals menthol (disparaging). Full-fat Coke in a glass bottle? That's a cigar. In recent years, Diet Coke has made a noticeable comeback. Gen Z's version of the smoke break is the ' Diet Coke break.' On TikTok, Diet Coke ' recipes ' go viral. 'Gen Z is obsessed with Diet Coke,' Snaxshot writer Andrea Hernández noted in a recent newsletter. 'What is now being dubbed as 'fridge cigarettes' has earned a cultural cachet without Coca-Cola having to do anything . . . but focus on delivering on taste and product.' According to Hernández, Coca-Cola has held onto its position as the number one soda in the U.S. by tapping into nostalgia. After all, what captures the sweet nostalgia of summer better than a crisp can of Diet Coke in the sun? Alongside the rise of the 'fridge cigarette,' actual cigarettes have also crept back into pop culture, as The New York Times reported. In her hit single ' Headphones On,' Addison Rae sings: 'Guess I gotta accept the pain / Need a cigarette to make me feel better.' In 'What Was That,' Lorde recalls: 'I remember saying then, 'This is the best cigarette of my life' / Well, I want you just like that.' It's a sign of the times. Clean Girl is out. Cigarettes are cool again. And in a world full of prebiotic soda and protein water, sometimes all you really want is a crispy 'fridge cigarette' to take the edge off.
