"It's Exhausting Working With Them": 18 Older Women Are Sharing The Mind-Boggling Habits Of Gen Z'ers And Millennials That Really Grind Their Gears
Even if I don't always agree with it, I know there are complaints older women have about today's generation of women. Recently, we posted about a few of their opinions on being very puzzled by the trends and habits of young women today. It turns out that even more women had something to say about what confuses them about younger generations. Here are a few of the things they shared.
1."My two millennials detest making phone calls. They only make the phone calls they absolutely have to. They communicate with their friends and boyfriends solely by text. To me, the art of human communication is lost because texts do not convey emotions."
—Anonymous
2."A friend just shared a post about memories from high school. The point was that we didn't have social media, the internet, or cable television, so our free time was spent hanging out with friends and talking. We'd go to the drive-in or pizza joint and sit around in our cars, listening to music and talking. I feel that those younger than me who have spent their lives in a social media bubble have missed out on how to just socialize with each other. That a teen life without the anxiety of social media, without 24-hour streaming services, and without parents tracking your every move, created a healthier adult."
3."They don’t want to get a driver's license at 16. At my age, it was a right of passage."
—Anonymous
4."People in their 20s are doing children's activities. We took my then-8-year-old to a pumpkin patch one Sunday a few weeks before Halloween. He loved the kiddo rides and the petting zoo. The line was about two hours long. I looked, and at least 50% of the people there were in their 20s and taking selfies. What the hell! Act your age and go to a bar or a coffee place with adults!"
5."Vaping. So much vaping. Your lungs need you to stop."
"Vapes make me SO sad because there was such a huge effort when I was a kid to discourage cigarette usage, and it WORKED! Cigarette smoking, especially in public, became seen as gross, rude, and just downright unnecessary. Nicotine addiction rates plummeted and then came e-cigs/vape pens. Now, we have a whole new generation of young people addicted, and all that hard work of educating the public on the dangers of smoking went out the window."
6."All of my kids and all of my friend's kids do not care about keeping their homes clean. Their personal hygiene is good, so why do they 'drop the ball' when it comes to their home? I understand they're busy with work, school, and school activities, but a clean home is important. My kids were not raised in a cluttered, unkept home, and I wonder how my grandkids will come out of this."
—Anonymous
7."I work with some Gen Z colleagues, and while I admire their ability to stand up for themselves to a certain extent, I don't understand the desire to make everything a fight. Some of them know they're on their way to being fired, and some don't. But they all continue to fight every single thing, feel attacked by every single thing, and involve HR in every minor aspect of work. For example, one coworker made an HR complaint against my boss, not hers, because she felt 'the vibes were off' and my boss was 'masking and not being genuine.' It's exhausting working with them."
—Anonymous
8."I'm just over everything being so performative these days. Do good things just because you want to do them, not because you need to post them and get praised for them."
9."This generation is so accepting of all, including less-than-perfect shapes, and yet requires perfection from themselves. I didn't know anyone growing up who had Botox, etc., in high school."
—Anonymous
10."The self-diagnosis of mental disorders for online clout. All the work that was done to fight stigmas and get the mental health treatments more available is just destroyed because now every kid that has a TikTok claims to be autistic, has ADHD, OCD, or whatever the hottest trend is. It makes it so much harder for people (like myself) with real diagnoses to be taken seriously. Mental disorders and conditions are not cute and not a fun trend. They are real issues that impact lives daily. Stop thinking just because you forgot your keys once, you have ADHD, or because you like your clothes folded a certain way that you have autism. If you think you have an issue, please call a professional for help, not just your favorite social media page."
11."The younger generation understands how important climate change is to their future, but they buy tons of clothes and things that are made of materials that are toxic to the environment and the slave labor it takes to produce them. The idea of unboxing on TikTok is a sad waste to me. They should be buying less or buying second-hand."
—Anonymous
12."As a millennial, I'm really not bothered by anything the younger generations do EXCEPT filming strangers for 'content.' That shit needs to stop."
13."I hate recording in public spaces like the gym. It should be a felony."
14."I don't understand the amount of makeup in the eyebrows. Y'all look like you're in a cartoon. I understand if you have a scar or something, and you're trying to make the left one match the right one, but you shouldn't have fair-colored hair and dark black hyphen-looking eyebrows."
15."I think younger folk are more accepting about certain things but can also be assholes about the smallest things too. For example, you're considered untouchable if you don't have a Stanley Cup. Social media makes things like that worse."
16."The pessimism of today's up-and-coming generation breaks my heart. My granddaughter had an assignment asking her thoughts on 'The American Dream.' Over 90% of her class thought that The American Dream was dead, mostly due to being unattainable. For example, affordable housing, the cost of a college education vs the expected salaries, and the likelihood of being able to 'launch.'"
—Anonymous
17."I am amazed at the lack of privacy! I applaud body positivity, but many posts are not positive worthy, whether posted by women or unauthorized. Everyone has a smartphone, and unauthorized videos of women's clothing choices open the door to hateful comments. Everyone knows what's going on in their lives on social media, even after it's deleted."
18."Full face makeup at all times. I saw a 20-something woman working at the hardware store wearing flawless makeup suitable for a special event such as a wedding. It was the kind of makeup that a professional makeup artist could have applied. How much time does that take each day? She looked beautiful but seriously 'overdressed' for the hardware store!"
—Anonymous
If you're an older woman, tell us in the comments what confuses you about young women today. You can also fill out this form to remain anonymous.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
