The feud between millennials and Generation Z…does it even exist? People all over the world and the U.S. have been comparing millennials and Gen Z, including right here at Columbia Heights High School (CHHS), arguing over which generation is better than the other—not unlike past comparisons between millennials and Baby Boomers, or between Gen X and the Silent Generation. From the differences between generations’ fashion to the stark contrast in the way people in the generations act, it’s clear that no matter what, the discourse is real.
Millennials’ birth years are from 1981-1996, meaning they are currently ages 28-43. The commonly used name ‘Millennial’ originates from a book called “Generations” (1991) by William Strauss and Neil Howe, who stated the name fits for the first generation to reach adulthood in the new millennium.
Millennial fashion is an especially prevalent topic online. Unlike Gen Z or “Zoomers” (birth years 1997-2012, so all current CHHS students), you probably wouldn’t see a millennial walking around in the Dark Academia aesthetic (European-inspired formal clothing with autumnal colors and retro patterns), a style which has more popularity among younger social media influencers. Most Millennials choose to wear things that are more comfortable and practical for their day-to-day life such as skinny jeans, a French tuck (a shirt tucking style which is done by tucking in only the front part of the shirt and letting the back hang loose), flat loafers, ankle boots and more. Gen Z and even some newly influenced millennials think that this fashion sense is outdated, although some still say that many Millennial trends are still considered “in” or simply need to be styled a little differently so they can fit into the fashion trends today.
Gen Z also has many fashion trends and aesthetics, often. mixing up older fashion with some modern touches to make a new trend. They also like to bring back past fashion eras such as 90s grunge or Y2K (both of which, ironically, recycle millennial trends), in addition to 70s looks like tie-dye, 80s combos like plaid skirts and blazers, plus many more.
Social media is another contentious topic among the two generations. Nowadays, people of all ages are on many social media platforms. Research shows that Facebook is a platform that many Millennials are on compared to more Gen Z-friendly apps like TikTok, but with the rise of social media, it wasn’t a great time for users to be online. During adolescence, Millennials and Gen Z struggled with their health from social media usage. People said harsh things to each other which resulted in cyberbullying, low self-esteem, lack of sleep, anxiety, and depression. On both social media platforms, Facebook and TikTok Millennials and Gen Z’ers made the mistake of creating a bad space online.
“I am so, so, so glad that I was able to experience my formative and teenage years without the presence of social media or cell phones,” CHHS Social Studies Teacher Mr. Mike Prellwitz said. “We millennials come from a childhood in the 1990s where most of us truly felt optimistic about the future. We could do anything that we want to do with our lives. I definitely feel like [Gen Z] are much less optimistic, more skeptical, and don’t always have the brightest outlook on the future. Seeing as their childhood has been filled with wars, [a] pandemic, toxic politics, and a non-stop stream of social media content, I guess I don’t blame them.”
Indeed, Gen Z was the first generation to be around when smartphones and social media were already created. Since they grew up with social media, the most used app was Musically, which was renamed TikTok in 2016. On TikTok, anything can go viral just by making a dance, making a sound for trends to start or perhaps brain rot. “Brainrot” is a newer term coined by Gen Z to describe a lot of this kind of bite-sized, often trivial content. Urban Dictionary says it’s a term popularized to identify when you are thinking about something (a show, book, specific character, meme, topic, etc.) so often to the point that it feels like it’s rotting your brain.
The two generations have their opinions and taste when it comes to popular culture too and particularly music, especially since recent studies suggest that music tastes are intrinsically linked to one’s formative years. Though not every millennial will listen to and love music from their time, not every millennial will take a liking to the new “trendy” music either. Social media compares and contrasts the music tastes between Millennials and Gen Z. Some catchy songs that were around during the millennial generation were “Dreams” by the Corrs, “Rhythm Is A Dancer” by Snap, “Return of the Mack” by Mack Morrison, and “ Bound for the Floor” by Local H.
Gen Z music can be seen as childish to some millennials, but it’s nothing compared to Gen Alpha’s taste—a subject we won’t delve into for the sake of staying on topic. There are many amazing pop songs from the 2010s, like “Dynamite” by Taio Cruz, “Paradise” by Coldplay (who millennials might know more for songs like “Yellow” or “The Scientist”), “Young, Wild, & Free” by Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa ft. Bruno Mars and “Ain’t it Fun” by Paramore.
With these differences between the two generations and the added tension of how close they are to each other on the generation chart, they tend to have complications with each other. Millennials often have the opinion that Gen Z is lazy due to their open criticism regarding long working hours, unreasonable living conditions, needlessly tedious tasks and more. They also tend to believe Gen Z is “too young” to understand anything from their and the older generations’ time, leading to impatience and becoming overly reliant on technology.
Gen Z, on the other hand, has its fair share of haters who think millennials are old, humorless, self-obsessed and sensitive people who are trying to be younger than they are via social media. Some say that Gen Z brought the “ war” between millennials and themselves by making fun of them on social media, calling them “cringe” or criticizing their stale social media presence. A popular TikToker who goes by the name Misty (@misty270) makes skits about Millennials and Gen Z arguing, even going so far as to parody millennials by recreating that generation’s viral TikToks. For example, she posted a video talking about Auntie Lisa (@absolutely.lisa), a fellow Tiktoker about how “cringe” she acts, impersonating the faces she makes while giving reviews or talking to her followers about things that happened that day. The video fueled Gen Zers to comment on Aunt Lisa’s and other notable millennial accounts calling them “weird” or “cringe.” This aggravation caused a perceived feud between the generations to worsen and continue.
“I like being Gen Z because it’s a fun experience seeing how goofy and funny people can be,” J’angelo Irons Ross (10) said. “Millennials are old, but they are not [so] old that they [don’t] still have a fun side..”
Millennials and Generation Z have their opinions about each other and how they feel about fashion and popular culture from their moments in time. They may not all be so negative to each other but can also connect on things with one another. At the end of the day, these are just generations who have different experiences and points of view. All of this “beef” could have been avoided, but perhaps it’s also just part of growing up in a fast-paced, competitive society.
