Millennial Hand Gestures Are Back—Thanks to One Woman's Viral Video

Newsweek

4 days ago

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It's often said that actions speak louder than words, which is why one millennial woman wants to bring back some of the most iconic gestures from the early 2000s.
Evie Levitin, 38, may be a married mom-of-three, but deep down, she still feels like a youthful 25-year-old. Life was so different back then, not least in how we communicated.
Millennials (people born between 1981 and 1996) didn't communicate through Instagram Reels or TikTok videos in the 2000s and 2010s. Rather, conversations were based on TV and movie references, specific slang terms, and who could forget the hand gestures?
Whether it was an 'L' on the forehead to use as an insult, creating a 'W' shape with both hands, or just putting up a flat palm to shut someone up. Levitin, of Boca Raton, Florida, tells Newsweek that they're "the perfect response when words just can't cut it."
Evie Levitin, 38, showing the hand gestures she wants to bring back.
Evie Levitin, 38, showing the hand gestures she wants to bring back.
@thebalancedcompany / TikTok
They may not be en vogue now, but Levitin still loves using the iconic hand gestures from time to time. Once a millennial, always a millennial.
"My favorite response is the 'suck it' crotch chop gesture," Levitin said. "Nothing else compares to that, it's just the perfect thing when you have no other words. I also love saying peace when I am finished with a conversation. I still call my close friends 'dude.' If I am in a bad mood, I say 'I feel crusty.' It's the perfect word to describe when I am feeling off."
What Levitin loves so much about these gestures is how universal they are. If you use one of them, it's almost guaranteed that the other person knows exactly what you're trying to say.
She shared a video on TikTok (@thebalancedcompany) suggesting that we need to bring the "core millennial" signals back, and the clip instantly went viral. In just a matter of days, it generated over 221,700 views and 16,100 likes on TikTok at the time of writing.
As it turns out, Levitin isn't the only millennial who wants these gestures to make a comeback.
"Millennials came out in solidarity. It has been so fun reading the comments on millennials reminiscing back to those times, adding in other core millennial gestures or responses we used to say. There's nothing like it anymore," Levitin said.
She continued: "Nothing summons a generation more than bringing back things millennials used to do and say. We all remember that time so fondly."
It can be odd at times for Levitin to still feel like a 25-year-old (especially given that her eldest child is 12), but there was so much joy and nostalgia during those days. She recalls the "overall excitement" that people felt, the fashion, the movies, the TV shows of that era, it was such a special time.
"Those times were amazing times, and I am sad that the current generations do not have what we had. I love thinking back to it all, sharing some of it with my kids by showing them some of the amazing shows and movies we used to watch. I miss it a lot," she told Newsweek.
With over 680 comments on the viral TikTok video so far, millennials have come out in force to share their love for these timeless gestures.
One comment reads: "I'm a millennial and I approve this message."
Another person wrote: "You forgot 'talk to the elbow because even my hand doesn't want to listen'!"
While another commenter joked: "Was I supposed to stop doing these?!"
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