If you were one of the millions of cinemagoers who made Barbie’s worldwide box office debut the biggest of the year so far, you’ll already have a sense of the excitable, over-the-top energy that makes 2023 tick. 

With its long queues of fuchsia-clad fans preceded by more than three years of marketing madness, it’s little wonder we’re all rushing out to get involved in Greta Gerwig’s pop-feminist blockbuster. But Barbie is just the tip of the enthusiasm iceberg. Have you tried getting tickets for a Taylor Swift concert recently? Found yourself unusually consumed by thoughts of Adidas Sambas? Coveted a £14.90 Uniqlo crossbody more viscerally than you’ve ever lusted after a designer bag? That’ll be hype culture, which triggers a collective yearning for the same things everyone else wants to see, do or buy. 

But why are so many of us buying into hype culture, and why now? Is it purely down to savvy marketing campaigns and bigger-than-ever budgets? Or does our collective appetite for shared passions tell us something much more profound about what we all need right now?

In this week’s Stylist Extra digital cover story, writer Jessica Burrell unpicks the mysterious forces driving the modern hype industry – exploring why, from Barbie to Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour, we’re all so invested in buzz.

Sign up to Stylist Extra to read the feature – and discover which products, destinations and cultural moments experts predict will be hyped next in 2023. 

What is Stylist Extra you ask? Well, from just £2.99 a month, a Stylist Extra membership gets you unlimited access to exclusive Stylist content, like a daily in-depth story exploring relationships, psychology and careers. You’ll be able to read Stylist magazine every month in a made-for-mobile digital format. And your inbox will be brightened every Sunday with a members-only newsletter, where Stylist editors select the best reads of the week and reveal what’s keeping them inspired. 

A Stylist VIP membership offers all this plus much more – including every print issue of Stylist magazine delivered straight to your door – for £4.17 a month. Find out more about our subscription options at the link below.

Now, this Barbie is off to mood-board outfit ideas for the Eras tour…

Images: Dennis Pedersen