Only Millennial Women Will Be Able To Understand The Level Of Confusion Gen Z Women Are Currently Experiencing Dating And Texting Millennial Men

There's no easy way to break it to you, millennial dudes. Gen Z currently categorizes you as "older men."

Elderly man sits by a window, resting his head on his hand, looking thoughtful and contemplative. A pair of glasses and a beverage sit on the table before him
Watchara Gumnerd / Getty Images

But don't worry, old farts, there is a silver lining: Gen Z women still want to date you. However, they are now noticing there seems to be a common theme with your communication style that they are STRUGGLING with. It is how you TEXT:

A smartphone screen shows a message reading "Cool" with options to Reply, Copy, and Translate
@zoeyberghoff / tiktok.com

Which I guess should be rephrased to your "lack of text."

A text message conversation is shown with a response "Ok" and options above it for reactions, including thumbs up, thumbs down, and more
@zoeyberghoff / tiktok.com

In fact, some of you millennial men defer to texting one singular emoji as an acceptable form of communication instead of words:

User's message says: "You lucky got 'Ok' mine only gives'" a thumbs up emoji
@zoeyberghoff / tiktok.com

So Gen Z'ers are coming forward in solidarity to spread awareness (likely in hopes you'll change your texting ways):

Oh my GOD YES. The 'ok' or 'Lol' GETS ME. He's 33 ?"
@zoeyberghoff / tiktok.com

Because the vague — and sometimes very business-like exchanges — are leaving hundreds of thousands of women utterly confused:

"Had a 35 year old tell me it was 'great to connect' and we should 'stay in touch' after a date"
@yogiinpinkk / tiktok.com

But thanks to TikTok, these women are finally finding solace in realizing it's not just them:

"Me trying to decipher a 37 year old's texts right now.... So it's not just me???" with a laughing emoji
@yogiinpinkk / tiktok.com

It's a universal discovery that warrants attention:

A comment saying, "Okay so we're all experiencing this" with a smiling face with the sweat emoji
@zoeyberghoff / tiktok.com

Especially because some relationships are ending due to this type of communication style:

Another person says, "We broke up because of this with a crying emoji. I started getting insecure he didn’t like me but it was just the age gap"
@zoeyberghoff / tiktok.com

Nearly all of the millennial men dating texts being shared by Gen Z'ers include two-word sentences with little context to full-blown grammatically correct (but still vague) sentences:

Text message conversation where a man says, "Hi. I had a good time with you last night. Have a good day" and the recipient responds, "Thanks, good day sir?"
BuzzFeed

These "older men texts" have truly left the Gen Z ladies exhausted (and likely many millennial ones, too):

Instagram comment: "Dude it’s painful! Tragic! Confusing! Lonely at the same time"
@zoeyberghoff / tiktok.com

The messages leave women overthinking things when they shouldn't have to BECAUSE OF YOU:

One person commented, "The lack of emojis and exclamation got me overthinking" with a laughing emoji
@yogiinpinkk / tiktok.com

Especially since the type of confusion these texts create is unnecessary:

"NOOOOO LITERALLYYYYY!!!! I thought I was over thinking?? Like bae do you not love me?"
@zoeyberghoff / tiktok.com

These women want you to know that using periods when exclamation points are warranted can make them think you're angry...

"NO EMOTION BEHIND THEM WHATSOEVER JUST STRAIGHT TO THE POINT and don’t forget the ..... after the message sometimes"
@zoeyberghoff / tiktok.com

So, some type of emotion to avoid wrong text interpretation is always preferred:

A person says, "He texts normally exactly how I text when I'm annoyed"
@zoeyberghoff / tiktok.com

Oh, and the ellipses. They don't like them:

  @zoeyberghoff / tiktok.com
@zoeyberghoff / tiktok.com

All that being said — even though some of you may be texting with one finger — Gen Z women are still willing to overlook it and date you:

YUP!! And he's probably typing it with one finger too ??
@zoeyberghoff / tiktok.com

Despite already knowing how text exchanges with you may go:

"I have never had an original experience"
@yogiinpinkk / tiktok.com

So, if you're a millennial man reading this and these texts look acceptable, you are the problem.

"I realized I was old when I didn’t see an issue"
@yogiinpinkk / tiktok.com

Please fix it.

"Seem entirely normal. I'm 40"
@zoeyberghoff / tiktok.com

Drop your wild — okay, maybe vague and boring — text exchanges dating "older men" (aka millennial men) in the comments!!!

A woman with long hair in a plaid shirt gesturing towards herself with a caption that reads, "Oh, so I'm the problem?" from SNL
NBC / SNL