First it was the side partings, then it was our use of emojis, and now it’s our jeans. We millennials just cannot catch a break from Gen Z’s wrath.
The first to go were the skinny jeans, which were outlawed a few years ago in favour of baggy boyfriend jeans. This time, it’s the ‘mom’ jean look - specifically a pair of mid to high waisted jeans, with a jumper tucked in the front waistband, and a pair of heeled ankle boots.
TikTok user, @indigotshai, who is actually a millennial (so we’re just coming for each other now, huh?), recently posted a video calling out other millennials on the style choices that are “ageing” them.
“I can’t believe I’m even having to explain this right now, but stop. Just completely stop with the ‘mom’ jeans. They are embarrassing at this point,” Indigo said in the video that has been viewed over 1.4 million times.
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“This look is so painfully old,” she continued. “I’m beyond words that I even have to discuss this. The front tuck with these little booties? A Karen in the making.”
In a follow-up video, which has been viewed over 2.1 million times, Indigo outlined some other styles that “age” millennials. This included skinny jeans, ankle boots, lip fillers, overly arched brows, cat eye-style eyeliner, and slip dresses. We feel attacked – but we weren’t the only ones. The backlash came swift and quick from millennials raging in the comments section, with one person writing: “So tired of the rules. Why should we not look like millennials, since we are millennials? Sorry but I don’t want to look like Gen Z.”
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Another added: “I’m 30. I’m ok with knowing an 18 year old doesn’t think I dress cool.”
I, a fellow millennial, am also OK with not changing my style to suit the latest trends. I think this is because when it comes down to it, millennials are ageing. It’s just a fact. The millennial generation spans from 1981 to 1996, meaning the oldest millennials are now in their early forties, while the youngest are in their late twenties. So, why can’t our style reflect this?
Whether we’re still in our twenties or if they are long past – that decade was for getting more in tune with our bodies, deciding what we liked and didn’t like to wear, what we felt comfortable in, and the style we felt expressed ourselves the best. For some people, ‘mom’ jeans with a jumper tucked in the front is the style they feel the most comfortable in. Others love a jumpsuit, some love skirts and dresses, and others will never stray from their oversized-everything looks.
In fact, one study found that the age that people feel the most comfortable with their personal style is 33, which is probably why millennials are so adamant that they will continue to wear whatever they like, TYVM. Plus, as we enter our thirties and beyond, we have other life phases to consider. We’re probably making strides in our careers; some have started or are thinking about having a family; we’re seriously deciding whether or not to take an adult gap year – and scratching our heads wondering if we will ever be able to jump on the property ladder. As one TikTok user said in response to Indigo’s video, fashion for millennials now is as much about style as it is about form. If we find a style we’re comfortable with and that suits us, why add any more to our plates by having to change it? (Millennials have been named as the most stressed generation, after all).
Not to be outdone by Y2K style, the years that immediately followed—characterized largely by statement necklaces, peplum tops, skater skirts, and infinity scarves—are slowly winding their way back.
Fashion is also, ahem, expensive. Keeping up with the latest trends can put a serious dent in our payday budgets – which is probably why many of us millennials have created our own version of a capsule wardrobe, with pieces we love that we can wear over and over again. For me? My love of a floral midi dress knows no bounds, and I will never listen to any criticism against it. It’s a style I love, one that suits me, and something I feel the most comfortable in. Yes, I will die on this hill.
Millennials have been hard done by in every aspect of our adulthood so far. We fight tooth and nail for almost everything, so please, just let us wear whatever the heck we want and stop with the millennial fashion slander, eh? We would just really like some peace and quiet, and maybe an early night with a face mask and a cup of tea. (Yes, that's our new reality and we're not mad about it).
Gen Z – and now even fellow millennials – can come for our style, our beauty looks, and our colloquialisms all they like, but you know what? You do you and we will keep doing us, ‘mom’ jeans and all.
