Gen Z is reliving my youth. I'm scared to point out why they're wrong
She spent much of the early 2000s watching my sisters and I hand-sew panels into our straight-leg jeans to turn them into flares, search Big W for flowy paisley tops and borrow Beatles CDs from the library to transfer onto our iPods. With each passing fascination that felt entirely new and fresh to us, she'd roll her eyes or laugh, and tell us she'd been there for the trend the first time around – and that one day we'd see our era of fashion return.
It felt inconceivable to me then. No one would be clamouring for the neon T-shirts printed with puns in massive block text like the ones we bought from Supré. The songs on Top 40 radio seemed so fleeting and ephemeral – none of those could possibly last.
You know where this is going, of course.
I didn't begin to feel my age when I bought eye cream or experienced my first two-day hangover or skipped a party with an open bar to stay in and do a jigsaw puzzle the same way I felt it when I first saw micro brows and skinny jeans make their return.
Loading
We thought we'd all moved on. Women my age whispered in fear – 'Are we going to have to do it again? I just got my brows tattooed on!'
But what we failed to consider was that 'we' would not be participating in the trend revival. That was a luxury reserved for those not alive to witness Y2K. The ones with no baggage attached to names like Ed Hardy and Von Dutch. People who only knew Paris Hilton as a DJ and the Olsen twins as fashion designers.
Recently, while scrolling TikTok, I got an insight into a highly specific niche of Gen Z nostalgia. In a series of montages, some kids were expressing sentimental yearning not for a vague 'era' of life in the 2000s, but for the year 2014 specifically.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
2 days ago
- News.com.au
‘What a lunatic': Jackie O admits to controversial bathroom act
Jackie 'O' Henderson has revealed she's very much guilty of 'bathroom camping', a phenomenon Gen Z is obsessed with. You might think going to the bathroom at a social event, lingering in the toilet and doing some doom scrolling on your phone doesn't have a name, but you'd be wrong. Gen Z loves to come up with names for everything, and in 2025, that is now called 'bathroom camping'. To be clear bathroom camping can also be something you do in your own home for comfort or if you're just desperate for privacy. Henderson explained on The Kylie and Jackie O Show that she does get 'overwhelmed' at social functions and takes solace in the loo. 'It becomes – when there's too many people I don't know, I get a bit overwhelmed,' she explained. The radio star's co-host, Sandilands, seemed genuinely puzzled by the idea of hanging out in a bathroom. 'So what? Are you worried about them looking at you?' he asked. 'No. It is a brain drain, like sometimes it becomes very draining for me,' she explained. That didn't seem to clear up any confusion for Sandilands who continued to pepper her with questions. 'So you can't handle being around normal people?' he asked. 'I can't handle being around a large group of people where I have to small talk a lot. I hate that,' she explained. 'So that becomes a brain drain. And so what I do is I go to the bathroom and I just sit there and have time out, and I just chill.' Sandilands remained baffled. 'What fun! You'd never forget to invite Jackie to a party,' he joked. Henderson kept trying to explain, saying sometimes in social situations she just needs 'alone time' for a little recharge, but Sandilands remained dubious. 'What a lunatic,' he mused. 'I thought that too. I thought I was a lunatic, but apparently this is quite the thing,' she argued. 'It now got a name for it. People do this. I'm not alone. It's called bathroom camping.' Henderson's not wrong it certainly is a very big thing. The phrase 'bathroom camping' has garnered over 10 million views on TikTok. People online are also divided on the act with a lot of people arguing it is 'rude' to do when you're out in public. 'Bathroom camping in public is crazy and inconsiderate,' one noted. 'I'm embarrassed by how selfish people from my generation are,' another said. 'Bathroom camping outside your house is so rude if there's one bathroom,' someone mused. On the other hand, others argue that it is perfectly okay to take time for yourself when you need to. 'Such a relatable concept! Sometimes, we all need a little escape to recharge and gather our thought,' one argued. 'It is one place we don't get bothered,' someone else pointed out. 'I used to lie on the bathroom floor for hours. It felt so peaceful and calming for some odd reasons,' another shared. 'People think I'm crazy but I swear any bathroom is my safe space,' someone else noted.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Perth Now
Billy Joel: I didn't enjoy Woodstock
Billy Joel "didn't enjoy" Woodstock. The 76-year-old star attended the legendary music festival in 1969, but he didn't actually have much fun at all. He told People: "I didn't enjoy it, to tell you the truth. "I wanted to see [Jimi] Hendrix. I wanted to see The Who, and I missed them. I just saw the first day. And it was so muddy and rainy and messy and no place to use the bathroom, and everybody was drugged out. I wasn't doing drugs or anything back then." Despite this, Billy can understand why so many people remember the festival so fondly. The singer also appreciates the "communal aspect" of the festival. He said: "I got that. And same thing with what I loved about the Beatles. I loved the Beatles, but I recognised, as I grew, it wasn't just about the Beatles. It was about us. "I had a lot in common with my fellow boomers who were listening to the Beatles. 'This is great. Everybody's on the same page. We're all growing up and listening to this stuff.' I really appreciate that about my own generation." Billy is the focus of a new HBO documentary series called Billy Joel: And So It Goes, but the veteran star recently admitted that he was hesitant about committing to the project. He told People: "I've resisted this kind of thing for so long. I'm sick of talking about myself. Some of the stupid stuff I did, that's painful to talk about. (But) they asked me for some thematic guidance. I said, 'Just tell the truth.'" The chart-topping star initially just wanted to get the documentary - which features contributions from his family and friends - "over with" because he doesn't enjoy talking about himself. The Uptown Girl hitmaker - who is one of the best-selling artists of all time - said: "My goal was to get it over with. "When I do interviews, people just ask you about yourself and you get a little self-conscious about it eventually. It's almost embarrassing. "When you're talking about your personal life detached from the material ... I suppose there's a little bit of wariness involved."
Perth Now
4 days ago
- Perth Now
Sydney Sweeney feels 'confident and comfortable' in jeans
Sydney Sweeney has declared she feels "confident and comfortable" in jeans after signing up as the new face of American Eagle Outfitters. The 27-year-old actress stars in the brand's new denim campaign which will feature the slogan "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans" when it launches later this year - and Sydney has admitted it suits her laidback style. She explained in a statement: "There is something so effortless about American Eagle - it's the perfect balance of being put-together but still feeling like yourself. "Their commitment to creating pieces that make you feel confident and comfortable in your own skin is something that resonates with me. "It's rare to find a brand that grows with you, the way American Eagle has for generations. They have literally been there with me through every version of myself." Craig Brommers, chief marketing officer for American Eagle Outfitters, admitted signing up Sydney was a a huge deal for the company because the actress is the "It girl of the moment". He told WWD: "I think this is potentially one of the biggest gets in American Eagle histor. "Sydney Sweeney is the It girl of the moment, and she is helping us create the It jeans campaign of the season. Sydney really encapsulates American Eagle. "She is the girl who can play the red carpet but she's also the girl next door, and that duality really defines Gen Z and Millennials." Brommers revealed that Sydney made it clear she "legitimately loves our jeans", adding: "I think she just has this magnetism that everyone, women and men, are drawn to." The news comes after it was reported that Sydney is branching out into fashion herself by launching a lingerie line with backing from Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos and his new wife, Lauren Sanchez, who have "invested" in her project. A source told Us Weekly that Sydney's new lingerie line is launching "very soon" but she has actually been working on the lingerie line for "for the last year" and it's now close to launching. The insider explained: "This has been a huge project for her and something she's been working on for the last year."
