Gen Z is putting a personal twist on a preppy classic: the L.L. Bean tote bag.
When Gracie Wiener ordered a canvas Boat and Tote bag through the L.L. Bean website in July 2021, she filled out the “add monogram” field with the word “psycho” instead of her initials. “I think it’s funny to wear your best, or worst, qualities on your sleeve,” she said.
In February, Wiener created an Instagram account, @ironicboatandtote, to circulate pictures of the bags among her friends, who ordered “EGOMANIAC” and “emotional baggage” totes of their own.
Wiener’s Instagram account, which has 26,000 followers, documents the young millennials and members of Gen Z who are stitching a contemporary sense of humor onto an enduring symbol of American prep.
The trend took off in June, when Wiener posted a TikTok video about the bags that was viewed more than 470,000 times. The #boatandtote hashtag has racked up 1.5 million views on the app, where users collaborate to embellish the understated bags with words and phrases that are anything but.
Within L.L. Bean’s 10-character maximum, there are cheeky directives (“scam him,” “bite me”) and self-deprecation (“moody,” “narcissist”), as well as nods to astrology (“august leo”) and Taco Bell (“LIVE MAS”).
Head to the link in bio to read more about the ironic Boat and Tote trend by @callieholtermann. Photos by @ye.fan.
