Time is the one thing that can never stop. No matter how much retinol or sunscreen one may slather on, how often you exercise, or how clean you eat, you cannot freeze the clock. Rest assured though, Generation Z will certainly try to anyway.
Young people today are increasingly focused on reversing the aging process. Today’s teens are adopting lengthy multi-step skincare routines, while young adults are preemptively experimenting with Botox and fillers, all to delay aging before they ever see a wrinkle. Ultimately, young people are doing everything possible to fend off the inevitable.
This fixation has given rise to phenomena like the “Birthday Blues,” where each approaching birthday stirs up a stomach full of dread and anxiety, amplifying fears about the passage of time and the uncertainties of growing older.
This all begs the question, what fuels this intense fear of aging in a generation that hasn’t yet reached their thirties? Is this all merely a trend or does it signify a deeper issue crafted by a society that profits from our insecurities?
Online, Gen Z often voice their anxieties about growing older. Recently a TikTok video went viral as the influencer posed a question to the viewers, “Am I the only one afraid of growing up?” They go on to express their distress over the relentless passage of time and how the thought of no longer being a teenager is frightening. The response was overwhelming, 1.2 million people liked the post and echoed their fears in the comments.
In another viral TikTok, a debate questioning whether Gen Z is “aging like milk” went viral earlier this year. The conversation flooded the platform with hundreds of response videos, sparking widespread insecurity. The premise appears almost laughable, considering the oldest members of Gen Z are only in their late twenties.
Is Gen Z aging normally? If so, what is driving this obsessive focus on appearances and aesthetics within this generation?
It’s no coincidence that the previous examples of this growing fear were taken from TikTok and Instagram, as social media is a key player in why Gen Z may be so apprehensive about growing up. These platforms are responsible for planting these anxieties and fears within Gen Z and stoking the flames.
TikTok is practically a breeding ground for insecurities and according to the Children’s Society, for young people “seeing these videos regularly can lead to an unrealistic view of what a ‘normal’ body looks like.”
In society, people have always had anxieties about aging, however, the amplification of this anxiousness among Gen Z feels almost unparalleled, thanks to our era’s hyperfocus on physical appearance.
On social media, appearance is a commodity. Influencers’ faces and bodies are their brand, and this, mixed with general attraction, naturally trickles down to generate viewers. In a world where attractiveness and youthfulness are synonymous, a perceived loss of one is seen as a loss of the other.
Young women are particularly targeted and impacted by this anxiety. Corporations are quick to exploit insecurities, marketing products that claim to “cure” the so-called ailment of aging. Skincare companies like La Roche Posay and The Ordinary Push have creams and serums that claim to erase fine lines, reinforcing the notion that visible signs of aging are flaws that need to be corrected.
This messaging has created a culture where even preteens are creating hyper-fixations about their appearance, leading to the rise of a phenomenon dubbed #SephoraKids. Young girls who have skincare and makeup on their wish lists instead of Barbies, games, or anything age-appropriate.
The issue runs deeper than just consumer habits. There’s a pervasive cultural idea regarding a woman’s worth and her beauty. Society objectifies women in this way by giving them expiration dates once they reach thirty.
This narrative is not only perpetuated by the beauty industry but is also deeply ingrained in the media we consume. Television shows tend to solely cast younger women in leading roles. In a report done on major films produced in 2023, only 28% of women characters were above 40.
However, when older women do appear on the big screen according to the American Society on Aging, older women in the industry are “expected to conceal signs of aging” and “have work done so well that it’s impossible to tell what work was done.” Ultimately, these messages send the signal that aging is something to be hidden, not celebrated.
This cultural fascination with youth is perfectly captured in a popular letter written by singer, Lorde, on the eve of her 20th birthday.
She reflected, “All my life I’ve been obsessed with adolescence, drunk on it. Even when I was little, I always knew that teenagers sparkled. I knew they knew something children didn’t know, and adults ended up forgetting.”
This sentiment encapsulates a part of why Gen Z may be so fearful of growing up—being afraid of losing that “sparkle.”
Gen Z has tied a large portion of their identity to youthfulness, playfulness–and fun-loving energy. Growing up may feel antithetical to everything Gen Z represents because it simply is. Stepping into a world of seriousness and tough decisions, where the carefree spirit of youth will be overshadowed by the weight of adulthood is not only scary, but can be disheartening.
As Gen Z navigates the complexities of aging in an image-driven society, it’s crucial to remember that these fears are not insurmountable. Just as previous generations learned to embrace their wrinkles and the wisdom that comes with age, so too will Gen Z.
Sari Botton, editor of Oldster Magazine, a publication dedicated to exploring aging, hits this point directly on the head. Botton believes that our anxieties stem, in part, from the uncertainty about what comes next in life.
In an article, she said the impending “quarter-life crisis” as “the realization that they’re going to have to make some big adult choices that they are going to have to live with.”- a resounding message for the new adolescent.
Copy edited by Anijah Franklin
