Gen Z trades smoke breaks for viral fridge…
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 newest viral vice lighting up TikTok? The “fridge cigarette” — a.ok.a. a crisp can of DC, straight from the fridge, loved 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.”
TikTok’s newest guilty pleasure? The “fridge cigarette” — a cold can of Diet Coke cracked open like a ritual smoke break, no tobacco, just fizz and aptitude.
In different phrases: Clean Girl is out. Crispy Girl is in.
Another TikTok convert, @thejessiesimpson, sipped a Diet Coke at her workplace desk while quoting the phrase in white textual content 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..” one other confessed. One merely wrote: “I felt that in my soul!”
@reallyrachelreno took it additional, evaluating sodas to smokes: Diet Coke is Parliaments, Coke Zero is American Spirits, common Coke is Marlboro Reds — and full-fat Coke in a glass bottle? That’s a cigar.
Mentions of Menthols had been, naturally, slanderous.
Snaxshot author Andrea Hernández summed it up completely in a latest e-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 instructed The Sun the model’s drinks are “perfectly safe and can be enjoyed as part of a balanced lifestyle.”
That mentioned, as beforehand reported by The Post, consultants warn the cult-fave crispies come with their own dangers — and we’re not just speaking about caffeine jitters.
“Diet Coke, like other carbonated beverages, is highly acidic,” Dr. Raj Juneja instructed The Sun.
Gen Z can’t give up their Diet Coke repair — and they’re calling it a “fridge cigarette.” The cult basic’s cool-again standing didn’t value Coke a dime in advertising and marketing.
They received’t mild up a Marlboro — but Gen Z’s cracking open Diet Cokes like fizzy little nicotine patches in a can in a new development.
“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 mentioned 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 famous 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, synthetic sweeteners have been linked to elevated risk of coronary heart assault, stroke, and diabetes — and WHO not too long ago warned they’re not a great instrument for weight loss.
Bottom line? The “fridge cig” won’t kill you like precise cigs can — but it’s still not doctor-approved.
As one TikTok person put it best: “Wow, that’s so real. It just takes the edge off.”
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