The divide between millennials and Gen Z is pretty real when it comes to certain things like, *ahem* fashion.
While I love seeing what the girlies are wearing on TikTok and what fashion trends are happening at the moment, there are times when it feels like I — a 30-year-old millennial — just cannot keep up.
Fashion trends and fashion lingo that were considered normal — or dare I say cool — by millennials are now being severely called out by the younger generations. The “stop dressing like a millennial” videos on TikTok stress me the F out!
The first example of a trend that supposedly makes a millennial stand out is the classic front tuck. I’m someone who’s always loved tucking a little bit of a top — especially one that’s a little loose or boxy — into my pants to give my waist some shape. Well, apparently, the front tuck is a millennial look that is now considered “outdated.”
If you do a quick search of “front tuck out of style” on TikTok, countless videos with millions of views pop up with people trying to come to terms with this fashion tip being dead.
Some people on TikTok have ditched the front tuck life, like 28-year-old Melissa McCormick who told BuzzFeed in another post, “I have actually already stopped doing the front tuck. Not necessarily because it’s a millennial signifier, but because I really like knowing what the trends are and trying them for myself.”
While others — such as myself — will ignore the haters and continue to front-tuck all we want.
Another trend that makes a millennial stand out is distressed skinny jeans. While I do agree this style is a bit dated, I think sometimes — I’ll speak for myself — we millennials don’t always want to wear loose, baggy jeans. So there might be some confusion about what other style of jeans we should be wearing. As perfectly said in this TikTok, “I’m just a millennial trying to figure out what to wear since we’re not doing skinny jeans anymore.”
Then Gen Z decided that millennials using the phrase “going out tops” (aka a phrase to describe nice tops you’d wear on a night out) is…cheugy. I cringed as I wrote that.
As the great Tinx said in a TikTok, “To my millennial sisters — we can still have our ‘going out’ tops, but they just have to look a little differently now and we have to wear them a little differently now.”
“Because I was very disoriented when they said, ‘You can’t have them, that’s cheugy blah blah blah.’ I love them. What the f**** else do you wear when you want to go out and look nice?” Tinx continued in her video. Preach, girl!
A fellow confused — I assume — millennial, commented:
And a very interesting take from a Gen Z’er:
Oversized T-shirts over bike shorts is another style that seems to make a millennial stand out.
This millennial favorite always gave Princess Diana vibes and I loved that about our generation.
I guess the Gen Z girlies are tucking the back of their oversized tees into their shorts or pants instead? We millennials might need a manual at this point…
And there’s also been some talk about millennials showing their age when wearing no-show socks. The caption of this person’s TikTok sums it all up: “A millennial desperately trying to keep up with current sock trends after a lifetime of ankle socks.”
There are too many rules!
Last but not least, a trend that really makes a millennial stand out is a certain kind of statement necklace. I heard that statement necklaces are making a comeback but the Gen Z version looks very different from the Charming Charlie ones we were wearing back in 2010.
Honestly, this is a trend I’m okay with millennials ditching and instead embracing the newer versions of because I do agree that those chunky, steel stone necklaces we used to wear are just not cute anymore.
Overall, regardless of the trends and generation divide, I think people should dress in what makes them happy and whatever makes them feel the most confident because we’re sleepy girlies and it’s too much to keep up with!
Share with me all your strong thoughts and opinions on this in the comments below!
