Flying the union flag | Have hot British men, Charli XCX and bonkers slang made Britannia cool again?

Three decades on from Cool Britannia, are we in the throes of a "Brit-culture renaissance"? British men are once again a romantic ideal, Oasis are back together, "Britishcore" was a recent viral social media trend and Jane Austen is getting more reboots than Marvel comic books. "Cool Britannia is back!" Tatler declared, as it dedicated its latest cover to the offspring of Britpop stars.

- Nadia Khomami

"Youth culture today is more visually and sonically proud of its Britishness than it's been in decades," said Luke Hodson, the founder of the youth marketing agency Nerds Collective. "The UK's global output is hitting differently right now."

This summer, thousands watched Olivia Rodrigo profess her love for all things British during her set at Glastonbury. "I love England so much. I love how nobody judges you for having a pint at noon. I love English sweets, all the sweets from M&S, Colin the Caterpillar specifically," said the pop star, dressed in union flag shorts. "I have had three sticky toffee puddings since coming to Glastonbury. And as luck would have it, I love English boys," she added, referencing her beau, Louis Partridge.

Over the past year, Google searches for "British men" have increased by 21%, while other Americans have been writing of their preference for dating Brits, too. Although Taylor Swift traded Hampstead Heath for Americana (and wrote "So Long, London" to mark the end of years spent in the company of Brits), other high-profile couples are now spotlighting that special UK-US relationship: Tom Holland and Zendaya are regularly spotted in New Malden Waitrose; Andrew Garfield took Monica Barbaro to Wimbledon.

In the opening episode of Lena Dunham's new Netflix show