The cost of the Birkin bag can exceed six figures. But its exorbitant price tag is only part of its allure. You cannot simply walk into a Hermes store and purchase a Birkin bag. Shoppers are expected to spend thousands of dollars on other Hermes products over a long period of time before they're even offered the opportunity to buy the Birkin, which is also known as a 'quota bag.' On TikTok, its proponents say it's a way to water down the worth of luxury goods and make Hermes' iconic Birkin design accessible to regular people. Many of these videos also excoriate the original Birkin as a ludicrous status symbol for the ultrarich, with the comments sections peppered with calls to 'eat the rich.' Meme culture is rife with examples of how symbols are ascribed new consensus meanings through new social agreements. The skull emoji, for example, evokes death and decay to many people. But Gen Zers have recast the emoji as a symbol of hysterical laughter. Similarly, the word 'mother' has historically represented a parental figure. But meme culture has redefined 'mother' to also describe feminine icons....

'There's no way this doesn't get removed,' my resident tank main told me. He was getting his first glimpse of Overwatch 2's latest hero, Lifeweaver. The floral-themed character is the latest in the Support class, and his kit looks like it could be one of the most transformative the game has seen in a while. But one ability made my tank nervous. Like a lot of new heroes, most of Lifeweaver's abilities are variations of mechanics that are already in Overwatch 2. Petal Platform lets him create a pad that lifts allies and enemies into the air. A dash moves him out of the way and heals himself a bit. Interestingly, when he dies, he drops a consumable that can heal allies or enemies, which could make his death even more consequential than that of most healers. But it's the ability called Life Grip that caught the attention of my friend Tercius, the tank main I regularly play with. Life Grip lets Lifeweaver grab an ally and pull them toward himself, temporarily making them invulnerable along the way. It's a perfect tool to save a hero from falling off a cliff or getting caught in an enemy Rip-tire....