Greta Thunberg has never been overwhelmingly cool. Even as a teenager who became world-famous for skipping school, the young climate activist never held any kind of “trendy” status, and she never wanted to, either.
Despite multiple Vogue covers, Glastonbury speeches and global icon status, Greta Thunberg has always been less of a Gen Z icon than a climate change one. In fact, when you call to mind Gen Z icons, she’s probably beaten out by people who aren’t even in her generation: Charli xcx, Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, etc.
But now, in 2025, Thunberg is finally sailing into view as a future face of Generation Z.
Why? Let me tell you what Greta Thunberg is doing right now. She’s aboard a naval flotilla destined for Gaza, accompanied by a group of activists and Irish actor Liam Cunningham, risking her life to bring aid to starving Palestinians. And she’s doing it all in a Fontaine’s D.C. x Bohemians FC football shirt, which was created last year to raise money for Medical Aid for Palestinians.
In an Instagram picture that shows Thunberg at the bow of the boat, holding aloft the Palestinian flag, she looks more like a cover star than she ever has. She looks like an icon.
Far from the plaited pigtails and yellow raincoat of yore, the Greta Thunberg of 2025 is all grown up.
Not so long ago, it felt as though Thunberg was at risk of slipping into irrelevance. A Sisyphus character chained to the ever-growing boulder of climate change, the actions of world leaders like Donald Trump made Thunberg’s cause feel increasingly futile.
While Thunberg’s cause was once focused on getting countries to comply more with climate change policies like the Paris agreement, researchers from Stanford University recently suggested there is “a global movement opposing climate policies”. It seems our uphill battle isn’t just steeper, it’s going backwards.
Now, Thunberg is focusing on something more immediate. Israel’s war on Gaza, which the UN has described as “having characteristics of genocide”, is far more pressing than Thunberg’s climate fight, and yet undeniably connected: the carbon footprint of the Gaza war already exceeds that of many entire countries, according to some observers.
And Thunberg is showing up her peers, too. Many young people expressed severe disappointment at Gen Z activist and UN peace prize winner Malala Yousafzai for her “muted” response to the war in Gaza, with her concern for both countries leading to her being accused of “both sides-ism”.
Meanwhile, Thunberg, who has always been a slightly more divisive character, is emerging like a phoenix from the ashes of her climate change battle. She’s older, a little cooler, and fighting a more tangible fight. In no way is she abandoning ship — she has merely rallied a fleet. And in doing so, she’s becoming the exact kind of icon that Gen Z needs.
