Diary of a Gen Z Student: Thieves doing it for the Louvre of the game

Soldiers patrol in the courtyard of the Louvre museum, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

You know the way you’re told not to believe everything you see online? Well, I usually don’t. So, when I was scrolling through Instagram last week, and saw people joking about finding jewels from the Louvre on Vinted, I assumed it was some new trend I had missed the memo on.

I didn’t think much about it. Until I was speaking to a few friends in college, and they brought up the Louvre heist. It is rare I see something capture the fascination of my friends like that. We had assignments due, lectures to attend, presidential candidate controversies to dissect, but we couldn’t stop talking about those bloody thieves.

I mean, the glamour of art theft is hard to articulate. There’s something chic about it. Yes, you’re committing a crime. But you wouldn’t stoop to the level of bank robbery. You’ve got an image to uphold, you classy guy. I couldn’t get the image out of my head — some guy in a mask trying a priceless necklace on, just to see what it would look like. We’ve all been there.

It was like living in a Blockbuster film. Broad daylight, during opening hours, disguising themselves as construction workers to cherry-pick their way to millions.

You know, sometimes you’re watching these films and you’ll criticise the writers. There’s no way that could actually happen! Plot holes everywhere. Obviously, there would be some high-tech security measures in place so you couldn’t just pick up a necklace that Napoleon gifted to his second wife, without so much as an electric shock.

If I were sitting in a cinema, I’d be choking on my popcorn and waiting for George Clooney to jet ski down the Seine.

Now, I don’t want to give the impression that I support the theft of priceless museum artefacts. I don’t. But life is tough right now. Cost of living going up, ChatGPT keeping universities running, hospital waitlists growing, skinny jeans coming back into fashion. 

It can feel like we’re all powerless to ‘the man’. But those Louvre thieves didn’t get bogged down by obstacles. They wanted a new tiara. And they bloody well went out there and got it. I have to say, I’m not unimpressed.

And they stayed true to who they are in the process. They went in at the very reasonable time of 9.30am. Enough time for a cappuccino and a croissant to fuel their work (it’s Paris, who can blame them).

A basket lift used by thieves is seen at the Louvre museum Sunday Oct.19, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Alexander Turnbull)

By all accounts, it looks like they’ve been following the sage advice of some Instagram guru; not sacrificing sleep to achieve their goals; no need to worry about what others are doing, they focused on themselves. They didn’t even hold anyone at gunpoint. And while the selfie sticks were undoubtedly in full swing in front of Ms Mona, they didn’t just see a tourist attraction. They saw their next pay cheque.

Anyone can make it these days if they’re willing to hustle. That’s what all those pyramid scheme influencers say. Those guys talk about selling training courses. But these thieves, they dared to dream big. They didn’t waste time in a getaway car. Economical and stylish, they travelled by motorbike. How very French.

And in those first few days, I was half hoping they wouldn’t be caught. Because if they could make it out there, maybe the rest of us can too. They didn’t need violence, just a serious amount of gall. People were inspired for a brief moment. The number of Halloween costume ideas on my Instagram feed that consisted of dressing as a construction worker and wearing a tiara was too high to count. The memes were excellent. I was on a bit of a high. I almost didn’t notice the presidential election happening. I had bigger things to ponder.

But then a few days ago, the news broke: two of the four thieves had been arrested. One of them was picked up at Charles de Gaulle airport. And the gig was up. Take off the necklace, pal, you’re going to the slammer. That’s how I imagine the arrest taking place. Maybe I’m just living in a Hollywood movie of my own creation. It’s very possible.

But if anyone is seen jet skiing down the Seine, or scuba diving for jewels, do let me know. It’s been a while since humanity left me feeling so inspired.