# Gen Z Trends Older People Will Regret > Older generations warn Gen Z trends will age poorly in years to come. - Title: Gen Z Trends Older People Will Regret · BuzzFeed | Shortify - Summary: Older generations warn Gen Z trends will age poorly in years to come. Gen Z's social media habits and trends will be seen as embarrassing by older… - Keywords: gen z, social media trends, older generations, trends, regret, ageism, self-diagnosis, vaping, sexism, ghosting, influencer content, tiktok - Source: BuzzFeed — https://buzzfeed.com/abbyzinman/dumb-gen-z-trends-age-badly - Published: 2026-10-26T11:31:02+00:00 - Read time: 1 min - Topics: gen z, social media trends, older generations, trends, regret, ageism, self-diagnosis, vaping, sexism, ghosting, influencer content, tiktok ## Gen Z's Self-Centered Family Views Millennials warn Gen Z's self-centeredness on family obligations will age poorly. > Self-centeredness, especially when it comes to family obligations. No, you didn't ask to be born, but I think you do owe them something on a moral level (although there are obviously some exceptions). No, nobody can MAKE you help them, but we are all struggling out here! Young people think they have a monopoly on worrying about their retirement. When you are a child, you're in the 'taking' period of your life. Then you're an adult, and it's time to stop taking and start giving. ## Gen Z's 'Girl Math' Culture Gen Z's 'girl math' and feminine intuition trends are seen as embarrassing by older generations. > 'I'm just a girl,' 'girl math,' 'girl dinner,' 'feminine intuition,' and all that trad-adjacent stuff that makes me want to vomit. I get that the 'boss' culture of the 2010s was corny, but I'd take shallow empowerment over this embarrassing crap any day of the week. ## Gen Z's Anti-Nonchalance Movement Gen Z's anti-nonchalance trend will shift toward self-discovery in their 30s and 40s. > I think Gen Z will look back and say that their era was full of stifling expressiveness and individuality. I suspect that when Gen Z hits their 30s and 40s, the trend will shift toward an anti-nonchalant revival. They'll talk about how society dulled their shine, and how they've rediscovered themselves at 38. ## Social Media Over-Interest Gen Z's interest in social media trends is seen as cringe by teachers and older generations. > As a teacher of younger folks, the trend I'm most concerned about is how having any interest outside of social media is seen as 'cringe' or 'embarrassing.' I remember certain pursuits being 'cool' or 'uncool' growing up, but in the classes I have been teaching lately, literally anything that isn't a social media trend gets derided, be it playing an instrument, dance, reading, painting... ## Broccoli Haircut Trend Gen Z's broccoli haircut trend will be seen as funny by older generations. > That weird, forward-swooping broccoli haircut. It's kind of bushy on the top and in the front, but short on the sides and in the back. Your kids are gonna look at that and laugh their butts off! It's OK, though; as a Gen X person myself, I still look back and laugh at our mullets from back in the day. ## Excessive Flash Tattoos Gen Z's excessive flash tattoos are seen as a sign of financial struggle. > This is a much more superficial one, but the excessive flash tattoos. I have nothing against tattoos, to be clear; it’s just that when you’ve got 20-plus flash tattoos and no big pieces, it just makes you look like you were always too broke to afford a real piece. ## Over-Self-Diagnosis Gen Z's over-self-diagnosis of mental and physical issues is seen as problematic. > Over-self-diagnosis. They insist on having every mental and physical issue that can squeeze into the box. ## Stranger Photos Without Permission Gen Z's photos of strangers without permission will be seen as weird by older generations. > All the photos and videos that people take of absolute strangers and post online without their permission. I hope we one day live in a world where that is an unthinkably WEIRD thing to do. ## Buccal Fat Removal Gen Z's buccal fat removal trend ages people by 20 years. > In a very literal sense, the buccal fat removal trend. It ages even twentysomethings by a good 20 years. Time is not going to be kind to those who do this! ## Hyperawareness of Being Recorded Gen Z's hyperawareness of being recorded causes crippling self-consciousness. > There's a very sad hyperawareness that they're almost always being recorded. Someone always has a phone in their hand; anything they do, say, or wear that could be embarrassing can be captured and disseminated. If we embarrassed ourselves as teens or in our 20s, only our social circle knew, and they probably forgot about it pretty quickly. Kids need space to make mistakes, and they don't have that. ## Calling People 'Unc' and 'Old' Gen Z's use of 'unc' and 'old' terms causes ageism. > Calling people 'unc' and 'old,' because ageism always ages poorly if you're blessed enough to age. I don't even wanna think about it happening to them, because the moment they start aging, I'll be 42. ## Looks-Maxxing Gen Z's looks-maxxing with steroids and GLP-1s won't age well. > Looks-maxxing. The constant use of steroids and GLP-1s won't be offset by the moisturizer and weightlifting routines they have going. ## Excessive Slang Terms Gen Z's excessive slang terms like 'low-key' lose meaning. > Using slang terms excessively, to the point that they totally lose meaning. One that I see ALL the time is the use of the term 'low-key.' It's either a reflexive habit, or not wanting to commit to having full feelings about anything for fear of being judged. For example, they'll say, 'I low-key wanted to take her to the concert, and was excited that she texted me.' ## Red-Pill Manosphere Gen Z's red-pill manosphere attitudes will age poorly. > Red-pill manosphere stuff. I think most young men (plus some women, too) will grow out of it, and look back and cringe at their younger selves. They'll eventually realize their adversarial attitude toward the opposite sex is counterproductive to finding someone to date. ## Key takeaway Gen Z's social media habits and trends will be seen as embarrassing by older generations in decades.