9 Everyday Things Gen Z Thinks Are Cool That Millennial’s Just Don’t Get

In the spirit of true honesty, every generation has that unique moment where they realise that they’re not the cool ones anymore. For millennial’s, this was the day when Gen Z announced that side parts and skinny jeans were dead. Now they’re walking around using flip phones like they’re vintage and corded headphones like they found the best invention ever. Meanwhile, millennials are sipping their iced coffee and trying to understand what timeline we woke up in. So buckle up and get ready for a fun ride because today we’re diving into everyday things that Gen Z think are cool that millennial’s just don’t understand.

1. Micro-Trends

Gen Z lives in a fast world and thanks to TikTok, Pinterest and Instagram reels, a style and aesthetic can explode overnight or fade away completely. These short-lived fads are known as “micro-trends”. Gen Z doesn’t care if something is “in” or not. They care if it feels like fun in the moment. Contrary, millennials grew up with “macro-trends”. They were taught to find their personal style and stick with it. Gen Z thinks micro-trends are cool because they symbolise the freedom to play and not take yourself too seriously but for millennials, they feel chaotic and completely unsustainable.

2. Crocs

Millennials once mocked Crocs as the ultimate “ugly shoe” but for Gen Z, they’re a fashion staple. Everyone has a pair and they wear them at least once every day. The chunky, rubbery clogs made a massive comeback! Gen Z particularly loves taking something that was traditionally “uncool” and morphing it into a statement. All they need to do is add some charms and the perfect pair of socks and the Crocs have gone from footwear to self-expression. Millennials associate Crocs with practicality, not style, but Gen Z has a completely other idea about them!

3. BeReal

For the generation that was raised in a social media world and is obsessed with filters, perfect timing and clean aesthetics, BeReal changed the game. BeReal users receive a random daily notification to snap a photo with their front and back cameras. They have two minutes to complete the task. There’s no filters, staging or retakes. BeReal is an anti-curation app that invites people to celebrate the messy and unplanned parts of life. It’s less about showing off and more about showing up. But millennials don’t understand the allure of the app. It feels like posting a terrible selfie is celebrated and that doesn’t make any sense to them. For Gen Z BeReal is spontaneous and authentic, but for millennials, it’s terrible and too raw.

4. Stan Culture

Gen Z is the generation that levelled up fandoms with stan culture and they’re obsessed. Stan culture is an obsessive way of celebrating artists, personalities, celebrities, etc. Stan culture is community, creativity and identity all in one. It’s a way to connect with people over shared passions and excitement. For millennials though, it can feel overwhelming and quite performative. It doesn’t feel as natural to millennials to be a stan as it does for Gen Z.

5. Digital Cameras

Millennials used to reach for digital cameras all the time, but mostly because they didn’t have another option to capture those photos. Millennials grew up constantly upgrading from film to smartphones. Gen Z has taken digital cameras and transformed them into an aesthetic statement that oozes vintage and nostalgic vibes. It gives a certain look that no iPhone filter can duplicate. But, pulling out a digital camera seems extra to millennials. They don’t get the hype when they could just capture any photo on the camera of their smartphone.

6. Low-Rise Jeans

Low-rise jeans have made a dramatic comeback with Gen Z and to be frank, millennials don’t understand why. Low-rise jeans are seen as a statement piece. They’re worn with confidence and often with tiny cardigans or crop tops. To gen z they feel fresh and daring, bold and unapologetic. But millennials are still haunted by wearing them in the early 2000s, and they’d rather not go back to them. They think of them more as an awkward fashion mishap that they’ll spend the rest of their lives trying to dodge.

7. Emotional Vulnerability Online

Millennials often curate their social media for it to look perfect, but Gen Z embraces emotional vulnerability. Gen Z believes that being vulnerable online builds community, connection and relatability, increasing happiness. But millennials see it as too personal and as something that should be kept private. Gen Z don’t hold back when it comes to sharing their feelings online, whereas millennials would just rather not.

8. Gender-Fluid Fashion

Gen Z thinks gender-fluid fashion is cool because it goes against the rules of traditional clothing and encourages self-expression, comfort, and being unique. It’s not about making a statement when you wear skirts with trainers, oversized blazers with crop tops or pastel hoodies with baggy pants. It’s about being yourself and having fun. This style may be strange or confusing to millennials, who grew up with stricter fashion rules and clear gender roles. For Gen Z, gender-fluid fashion is freeing, creative, and in line with modern values. For Millennials, it can feel radical just because it goes against rules that have been around for a long time.

9. Rejecting Hustle Culture

Gen Z thinks rejecting hustle culture is cool because rest and self-care beat constant grind. While Millennials grew up idolising the hustle, Gen Z values balance, soft living, and doing life on their own terms and calls it empowerment, not laziness.

In the End

In the end, it turns out there are several everyday things that Gen Z thinks are cool but millennials just don’t get. From Crocs and BeReal to stan culture and low-rise jeans, these are just some examples. Gen Z values self-expression, creativity and a statement and that can be seen in these everyday things they think are cool. Millennials are more reserved and private. Which of these everyday things that Gen Z loves and millennials just don’t do you find most cool?