The Rag | Style
One Way Gen Z Is a Lot Like Millennials
Generational trends often marginalize people of color
For some reason, I can’t stop thinking about the Gen Z and millennial wars that kicked off in February when Gen Z canceled our skinny jeans and side parts. Initially, I thought my persistent annoyance came from being an Old who just can’t let things go, a distinct possibility given that my anxiety often presents as rumination. But then I remembered that I also felt alienated from all the millennial in-grouping of the aughts and 2010s.
In America at least, we overwhelmingly defined millennialness in terms of what young, white, and privileged people were doing, or saying they were doing on social media. It seems like the same thing is happening now with Gen Z. I felt left out then and, as a WOC, I feel doubly irrelevant now.
Gen Z is America’s most diverse generational cohort, but influencer demographics and the trends influencers are mainstreaming via social media don’t necessarily reflect that. Although they are often associated with TikTok, this rising generational cohort is actually more active on Instagram, a social media ecosystem that has been criticized for prioritizing white influencers, birthing blackphishing, and using shadow bans to marginalize content from already…
