Is Gen Z Aging Not Like a Fine Wine?

Plus, quiet vacationing. Shhhh.

Gen Z is flipping out because they feel like they look older than their elder millennials. Could this be true? And if so, why?

This Gen Z fear launched a super fun trend on TikTok where people would post videos asking strangers to answer the question, “How old do I look?,” as if the answer was going to build healthy self-esteem!

THAT SAID, I totally get the temptation because having any perspective about how old you look is impossible. For most of my life I was blessed with looking younger than I actually was. When I was 36, a coworker assumed I was 14 years younger. Am I bragging? Yes! But that’s because suddenly when someone passed me the new-mom baton with postpartum depression streamers followed by a coronavirus pandemic chaser, I suddenly sprinted right past my peers with wrinkles, gray hair, and the reality that my face is trying to slide off, well, my face.

I am older than Cindy Walsh (Carol Potter) when she was filming Beverly Hills 90210. Do I look older than Cindy? Honestly, she FEELS older to me, but she looks so good. Do I look that old to the youths? It’s impossible to know. Plus, Cindy didn’t have the benefit of botox, so she is the reigning champ, no cap.

But enough about me and my BFF Cindy, are Gen Z aging faster than millennials? Let’s think of all the things there are to blame! Please note, I am coming at this from a Gen X / older mill perspective.