I guess it’s official. Millennials are no longer cool.
Once considered the hip, trend-setting generation that was blamed for “killing” nearly everything that was once popular in American culture, millennials have now been replaced in that category by Gen Z-ers.
Or at least according to a vocal group of Gen Z-ers — the generation born after 1995 — who have taken to various social media platforms to give millennials (1981-1995) a taste of their own medicine by deeming certain hallmarks of their generation uncool.
Much like millennials killing nearly every longtime staple of American society implemented by previous generations, such as outdated workplace concepts, department stores, cable TV, spoiler-free movie experiences, traditional marriage, and even napkins, Gen Z-ers have now accused millennials themselves of being out of touch.
I was first alerted to the culture clash by one of The Item’s new reporters, Allysha Dunnigan, who mentioned during one of the newsroom’s creative sessions that it was no longer cool to wear skinny jeans and a woman’s hairstyle could also be dating her, as side parts are now out of vogue, according to the 25-and-under crowd.
Apparently, the battle has come to the forefront on the popular (at the moment) social media platform, TikTok, with teens and 20-somethings clashing in videos and comments with millennials, an albeit older, but still equally internet-savvy generation, over what has consistently been trendy in millennial culture.
If you’re unconvinced like I was, an apparently out-of-touch millennial myself, log onto CNN and you’ll find an article that was posted Wednesday about the phenomenon.
According to the exchange documented in the article, not only do I need to overhaul my skinny jean-filled wardrobe, but I also need to pay attention to what emojis I’m using. Apparently, the laughing crying emoji, 😂, which is one of my most frequently used judging by how quickly I was just able to find it to insert in this article, is no longer cool.
Or as one TikTok user put it, “it’s so off,” according to the CNN article, which also mentioned a video from another woman, who said she has cut back on using it since learning that kids don’t.
“I use everything but the laughing emoji,” 21-year-old Walid Mohammed told CNN Business. “I stopped using it a while back because I saw older people using it, like my mom, my older siblings and just older people in general.”
The article goes on to suggest Gen Z-approved alternatives for conveying laughter, such as the skull, 💀, emoji, which translates to the slang phrase, I’m dead,” or “I’m dying,” the loudly crying face, 😭, or simply writing the longtime favorites, lol or lmao.
Sadly, but perhaps unsurprisingly, my go-to, haha, which usually accompanies my texts, not so much as a form of laughter but as a way to be polite so I don’t appear cold and unfeeling in my virtual communication with others, did not make the cut.
Oh well, I’ll just chalk that up to another aspect of my now, off-trend millennial existence.
As someone who has never cared much for trends anyway, even when I was apparently a part of them, my reaction to this generational clash is to just shrug it off.
Who cares really? Life is too short. Wear what you like, have your hair styled however you want, and speak to others in whatever way that is unique to you. If everyone was meant to think and look exactly the same, we would be a pretty boring, stunted society.
And if you are a fan of fashion trends, don’t despair. Everything that is old becomes new again eventually anyway. For instance, current women’s fashion is already heavily influenced by earlier decades.
So, don’t throw out those skinny jeans or rush out to the salon for a new haircut just yet. Odds are you’ll be back in style in no time.
Gayla Cawley is the regional editor of the Daily Item.
