Baby talk, chokers and high waisted jeans: The biggest Millennial icks according to Gen Z

As a generation, Millennials seem to have some of the cringiest habits, fashion trends and obsessions to have ever seen the light of day. And those of us who are Gen Z just can’t fathom them out.

From baby talk to butterfly clips, from “Disney adults” to their very own dictionary full of the strangest slang, Millennials are like a different breed to us Gen Z’ers. Trying to decipher a Millennial is like trying to crack a seemingly impossible code, scratching your head over a puzzle that doesn’t seem to have a solution.

So, in a desperate attempt to try and help us all understand what really goes through the mind of a typical Millennial, here’s a comprehensive rundown of the biggest Millennial icks from a Gen Z girlie’s perspective.

As a proud and patriotic Gen Z girlie, there are countless cringey things that Millennials say and do that just give me the ick.

Cringey slang

@claytonfarris4ever

When Millennials Break Up 💔 w/ @stephbarkley #breakup #genz #relationship #drama #tiktokdrama #comedy #millennial

♬ original sound – Clayton Farris

I’m sure that all of Gen Z collectively agrees that Millennials are the generation with the most bizarre slang ever to exist. In other words, Millennial slang is certainly not da bomb.

Millennials seem to use so much weird slang that they have appeared to resort to talking in riddles. I was bemused and puzzled to say the least when I discovered that “metrosexual” wasn’t an obscure term for a sexual orientation, but in fact a term used by Millennials to describe a stereotypical straight male hottie who simply cares about fashion and grooming?

At this point, it would probably take a Millennial language translator to decipher their strange slang. All of this is enough to make Gen Z feel a bit nauseous, and, at this point, Millennials might as well just talk to the hand.

Abbreviating absolutely EVERYTHING

@lklogic

#learnontiktok #lklogic

♬ original sound – LK

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When texting a Millennial, it’s clear to see that their entire generation has been collectively traumatised by the SMS 160 character limit for text messaging, and the absolute nightmare of having to press a certain number about five times on a flip phone every time that you wanted to type a particular letter. Millennials abbreviate absolutely everything, because this saved them time as text-obsessed teenagers back in the day, and allowed them to convey every detail about their day or how they were feeling while adhering to the limit.

However, technology has moved on (thankfully). Millennials evidently haven’t.

Modern day mobile phones don’t have a measly character limit, and you don’t have to press number one three times just to type “C” nowadays, so why do you feel the need to still abbreviate things? Mobile phones have moved on and so should you. And if another Gen Z’er catches you excessively abbreviating, prepare for them to be given the ick.

High-waisted jeans

@

♬ –

You might be wondering how Gen Z can moan about high waisted jeans when they were all the rage way back when. But, hear me out.

High waisted jeans have taken fashion precedence over low waisted jeans since the 2000s. Long gone are the days of girl bands at the turn of the millennium being photographed on the red carpet wearing low waisted jeans with chain belts around their hips. However, when it came to comfort, at least those girlies understood the assignment.

Ultra high waisted jeans just feel uncomfortable and restrictive, especially on hot days. I just don’t understand why Millennials seem to be obsessed with making things difficult for themselves by voluntarily choosing to wear the most uncomfortable clothes they own. Maybe it’s to justify the struggle of “adulting”, to make themselves feel like they’re slaying at everything. That certainly gives me the ick.

Hair accessories and headbands

@overthemoonfaraway

Skinny elastic sport headbands 4ever ✊🏻 #2007 #2000s #millennial #memories #FindYourCore #throwbacks

♬ Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill) (feat. Akon, Lil’ Wayne & Niia) – Wyclef Jean

As a Gen Z girlie, I never understood why it was fashionable in the 90s and early 2000s to dream up the most atrocious hairstyles and secure them on your head with these super skinny head bands. What was the point?

Whatever the reason might have been, it’s irrelevant now. Sports headbands are irrelevant in 2024, and it gives Gen Z the ick witnessing Millennials that are completely oblivious to this.

Please, save the headbands for schoolgirls. Just because I religiously wore headbands all throughout primary school, and fashionably matched a navy headband to my navy school uniform at secondary school, it doesn’t give Millennial adults the green light to go ahead and wear them themselves. The Millennial headband trend needs a return to the classroom for better education on fashion trends!

Statement necklaces

@sideofsequins

These were life and the whole outfit 😂😂 statement necklaces, statement necklace, 2010s style, 2010s fashion#2010snostalgia #early2010snostalgia #nostalgiatok #2010s #nostalgia #statementnecklaces

♬ original sound – Jess | Millennial Nostalgia

Fashionable girlies like me know that accessories make or break an outfit. And necklaces are the perfect way to add a little extra sparkle to an otherwise boring ensemble.

However, statement necklaces are the exception. They look bulky and clunky, and I can imagine them to be very heavy and uncomfortable around your neck. So I just can’t comprehend why Millennials insist on wearing them.

The only exception to this rule would be wearing a statement necklace to a special occasion, like prom or a wedding or a really posh dinner. To me, that’s reasonable. Otherwise, it just looks like you’re trying way too hard to look fancy, and this in itself is enough to give any fashion-conscious Gen Z girlie huge Millennial icks.

Chokers

@overthemoonfaraway

*Pretend my shirt laces up the front* #2016 #throwbacksongs

♬ This Is What You Came For – Calvin Harris & Rihanna

As a Gen Z girlie having a moan about Millennial icks, I hate to admit that I used to wear chokers back in the day. I would collect lacy chokers and sparkly chokers and hang them on my jewellery stand with my necklaces.

But I still can’t fathom why Millennials insists on wearing chokers in this day and age. First of all, chokers are really uncomfortable, and I don’t understand why you’d voluntarily choose to go about your day feeling like you’re being strangled. Secondly, chokers just aren’t as cool as they once were. They went out of fashion years and years ago, so, again, I just don’t understand why Millennials trying to revive a trend that has been dead for over a decade and ought to remain back in the 90s where it belongs.

So when I see a Millennial walking down the street in 2024 with a choker around their neck, I can’t help but grimace, not only because I know all too well the physical discomfort that she is feeling from the choker practically strangling her, but also because it’s genuinely painful how she doesn’t understand that chokers are just way out of fashion.

It just makes me cringe.

Using baby talk

@justbluemyself1

♬ original sound – A swizzle

I’m not entirely sure why Millennials are so obsessed with baby talk and speaking in silly baby voices, especially because they like to boast to everyone that they’re “adulting” now. But, as a Gen Z girlie, it gives me the ick regardless of the reason.

There’s always that one cringey Millennial couple with their canine friend who refuses to call a dog a dog. Instead, they have to add a silly couple of letters to the end to make it “doggo”. Why!? If you’re really “adulting” now, you wouldn’t be talking like a three-year-old.

In short, if you have a pet dog and you call it “doggo”, just…please stop.

Disney adults

@claytonfarris4ever

DISNEY ADULT #disney #disneyland #disneyworld #fyp #comedy #disneyadult

♬ Comedy (Funny Playful Tuba Pizzicato Clown Music) – Eliosmusic

Whether you’re a Baby Boomer or Gen Alpha, it can’t be denied that the Disney parks and films are for the whole family. Whether you’re young or old, there’s nothing like spending the day immersed in captivating themed rides at Disneyland, or settling down after a hard day with a Disney comfort film from your childhood.

However, Millennial Disney adults take their obsession with the corporation to a whole new level, and to a Gen Z girlie like me, it’s beyond cringey.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for respecting other people’s passions and interests, but Disney adults have an unhealthy obsession with characters, parks, films and soundtracks.

Picturing a 20 or 30-something-year-old wearing Minnie Mouse ears and bursting into happy tears at the mere sight of the Cinderella Castle gives me a massive ick. I think it’s because Millennials are so confusing and contradictory. One minute they’re “adulting”, the next they’re acting like Sleeping Beauty or Ariel or whoever they met in a meet-and-greet at the park is actually real. Please make your mind up.

To Gen Z and literally everyone else, this is one of the biggest Millennial icks.

Practically sharing their whole life story on Facebook

@jakelambertcomedy

Why are we like this? #millennial #introvert #comedy #sketch #funny #millennialsoftiktok

♬ Party Ambience – Anton Hughes

Like, calm down. Why are you writing your whole autobiography on Facebook? No one really uses Facebook anymore. And at least wait until you’re famous.

Or, if you believe you’re imminently about to hit the star-studded heights of fame, actually use a word processor on your computer. That’s what it’s there for.

Taking photos of food and uploading it to social media

@callmekristenmarie

Ohhh the good ole days #throwback #30s #millennial

♬ Pursuit of happiness – Reneé

This is THE most obvious tell. Especially overlaying a sepia filter. This is the crown on the cake of Millennial icks.

For more like this look at Millennial icks according to Gen Z and all the latest news, drops, quizzes and memes, like The Tab on Facebook. 

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Featured image via TikTok @claytonfarris4ever @overthemoonfaraway