Millennials Are Calling Out The Style Trends Gen Z Doesn't Realize Are Actually Extremely Uncool, And Oh Boy, I Fear I've Been Called Out
1. "I'm all for you doing you, but I am BEGGING men to stop with the mullets."
"Women can look pretty cute — it's a fun shag, a Joan Jett kind of thing. Dudes with them though, good God, what are you doing?"
— garebehr
2. "Always looking like a slob, no matter the occasion."
— georgia007
3. And similarly, "Wearing pjs everywhere... the airport, mall, supermarket, etc. They literally roll out of bed and go out. It's so trashy."
— pastelmoon72
4. "The pimple patches on your face in public."
"Like, don't draw attention to it — everyone knows what's happening…it's a bit cringe."
— fillyfromphilly
5. "I am Gen Z'er, and Yeezys with mismatched socks. A looooot of guys my age wear them."
"They will slide their feet in and out of them to fidget. You see their feet sweat stains, and it's nasty."
— savoryorc15
6. "Birkenstocks, especially with socks."
— jaleeahchesson
7. "Mom jeans."
— aliradcliffe89
"God they are so uncomfortable. Why do they have to be high or low? Why can't women just have normal, sits below the waist, but not low enough for muffin-tops, jeans like men?"
— stephaniev23
8. "I know it isn't just a Gen Z thing as I've also seen millennials hopping on board, but I cannot for the life of me figure out the bleached eyebrow trend."
"Am I the only one? I get if you bleach your hair and want your eyebrows to match, but these people typically have darker-colored hair and bleached eyebrows. Any time I see someone with those creepy brows, I just automatically think of Lord Voldemort."
— embneal
10. "Slick-back hair."
— twilightravenclaw27
11. "I don't understand the chunky foam shoes. Does anyone? Because they are just plain ugly."
"No offense to anyone who wears them."
— smileyturkey342
12. "I think it's funny when you see a TikTok of a like 30-year-old girl trying to recreate 2000s fashion (skirt over jeans, tons of patterns, cardigans and layers) and then the top comment will be a younger person saying, 'Lowkey, it's giving.'"
"It just cracks me up because they really love those looks! And in general, they love chaos, and taking silly things and making them into fashion.
It's so fun to watch how they think and create looks!"
— areyoukidding
13. "Their weird ideas (and strong opinions) about socks."
— terrible_yam13
14. "The socks over leggings."
"I'm a cusper and see it in the gym all the time. It's so strange to look at. Like, does it offer more compression? I know it wouldn't make sense to have long socks UNDER the leggings, but why not wear shorter ones?"
— arions
15. "Dark lip liner. I'm sorry, but it makes your mouth look like a butthole."
— malloryf4c060efed
16. "Fanny packs and bucket hats, although bucket hats were just starting to return in 2015 my senior year. But it's gotten worse."
— savannahg4e56476eb
17. "Dudes wearing shorts outside in freezing temperatures for the attention."
— le02
18. "Fake nails. Normal nail polish looks so much cleaner, and it's way easier to do."
— twilightravenclaw27
19. "It's not clothing, but here goes: I don't get why they're so afraid and offended by a dome cup when they order drinks. It's dumb when they ask for a flat lid for a frappé with whipped cream and the cream just gets squished everywhere."
— senpainoticedu
20. "Barrel jeans. Why do you want to look like a cowboy who has been sitting on a horse for too long?"
"And they are not flattering on a single person."
— taylorchristiannep
Jeremy Moeller / Getty Images
21. "Baggy pants, oversized t-shirts, and platform loafers. It just looks stupid."
— austinb137
22. "Gen Z'er here, but: having your shorts or pants all the way up your buttcrack."
"There is this girl I know, and she pulls her pants so far up that she gets a cameltoe, and she says that it's going to start trending. Girl, no, it's not."
— ameliathomson10
23. "I just hate tight clothes paired together."
"Like a compression shirt with Nike Pros or something. I just can't."
— poeticshield272
Miniseries / Getty Images
24. "Rolled-out-of-bed PJs with a full face of glam."
— dizzychicken474
25. "They all wear black shirts, mom jeans, crew socks, and oversized sneakers."
— ultraviolet4910
26. "Not a style trend, but the sea of cell phones at concerts these days is baffling."
"Paying for a ticket to be there, live, with your favorite artist on stage, only to experience it through a phone screen? It just doesn't make sense to me. What happened to the pure joy of being present? The jumping, the dancing, the singing along?
At The All-American Rejects this past Saturday, I was stunned by the amount of phones, each one a barrier between me and the actual experience. It's like we're trading real memories for digital recordings, and I can't help but wonder what we're all missing."
— thegloriasophia
Gilaxia / Getty Images
Now it's your turn! Gen Z'ers, tell us which millennial trends you can't stand, and millennials, tell us what other Gen Z trends you don't like. Leave them in the comments below 👇
I'll go first: I hate skinny jeans. Like, no thank you, millennials.
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Tweens Keep Saying 'Clock It'—Here's What It Actually Means
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Refinery29
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I found solace while scrolling through the thousands of comments on Becky G's video as countless other people commented 'sparkle gang,' shared their graying stories, and even replied with photos of themselves letting their grays grow out as well. ' "No, I do not care that my canas are showing. It's natural. I call them my sparkles, and so I need my sparkle gang to pull up." becky g ' 'Found my first gray at 14 years old,' Becky G wrote in her caption. 'Could be that I am the eldest daughter of a Mexican-American household, started working at 9, the fight-or-flight response, which involves the release of norepinephrine, can contribute to hair graying, simply genetics, or ALL OF THE ABOVE. No pues como que no voy a tener canas guys, like be for real.' It's 2025 and still rare to see Latina celebrities open up publicly about having gray hair, let alone a Gen Z star like Becky G. 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It's a daily reminder to accept myself fully and not feel like I have to hide or change to be beautiful. I love that celebrities like Becky G and Salma Hayek are embracing their grays and encouraging others to do the same. Embracing my gray hair has helped me gain so much confidence. I used to feel embarrassed and try to hide them but now, I show them off proudly. They're part of who I am. Samantha Carranza, 32, Texas When I got my first couple of gray hairs at 28, I felt so confused. At 30, I noticed more grays coming in. I started to feel insecure when I realized I couldn't pull my hair back without the grays being noticeable. As a little girl, I noticed my grandmother always dying her hair to cover up her grays. I never heard her complaining about it, but my grandmother never exposed her grays in public. My mother now does the same. Looking back, I think witnessing my abuelita and my mami dye their grays had influenced me to want to do the same. I recently got my hair professionally done and instead of covering my grays up completely, like I have in the past, I decided to blend in my grays with a new hairstyle. I had every intention to get my hair done and cover up my grays, but Becky G's TikTok post really inspired me and made me feel less alone. I want to break the cycle by embracing my grays. It symbolizes strength and resilience. It reminds me of being a mother and of going through difficult seasons but still pushing through. I want to be able to inspire other women to love themselves completely. I have vivid memories as a little girl of when my great grandmother would visit from Mexico and I would brush her hair or run my fingers through her beautiful thick white hair. I want one day for my granddaughter to run her fingers through my hair. Dulce Maria Rodriguez, 32, Texas The first time I noticed I had gray hair I was around 17 years old. I would pluck them out of embarrassment. 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Newsweek
an hour ago
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Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The "clean girl" aesthetic, long the defining look of social media's minimalists and wellness aspirants, is being eclipsed by a new wave of chaotic chic. The rise of the "messy cool girl" signals a shift in how beauty, style and authenticity are being reimagined by Gen Z—and it is anything but beige. "Beauty is such an accessible way to signal who we are and how we are feeling," Angie Meltsner, founder of cultural research studio Tomato Baby, told Newsweek. "The move away from clean girl comes at a time of major uncertainty in the world, and a way of coping with that uncertainty can be embracing a kind of chaotic, subversive energy, which is being channeled into these bold, maximalist, playful looks." This pivot from polished to unfiltered, driven by stars like Addison Rae and Olivia Rodrigo, is gaining traction across TikTok and beyond, where wired headphones, oversized bags, and deliberately scruffy yet still effortlessly chic hair are being celebrated as part of a wider pushback against curated perfection. From left: "Messy cool girl" Alexa Chung attends the British Fashion Awards, London, in 2008; and "clean girl" Hailey Bieber walks around Los Angeles, California, on December 13, 2024. From left: "Messy cool girl" Alexa Chung attends the British Fashion Awards, London, in 2008; and "clean girl" Hailey Bieber walks around Los Angeles, California, on December 13, 2024. Getty Images Gone are the dewy no-makeup makeup looks and neutral-toned outfits epitomized by trendsetters like Hailey Bieber and Matilda Djerf. In their place, messy buns, indie sleaze layering and a cigarette hanging from the lip à la 2000s-era Kate Moss signal an aesthetic marked by attitude over appearance. Anne Valois, a 31-year-old creator who posts under the handle @curatingambiance, laid out the trend's momentum in a TikTok video from July 7. "After years of Minimalism and quiet luxury, the messy cool girl is back," she said. "The idea was polished and optimized, but lately that [clean girl] aesthetic is starting to unravel; it's not just a vibe." @curatingambiance The messy era is back. And by no means do I mean the song. I mean an actual cultural shift: away from beige minimalism, toward character, chaos, and mood. If you're building a brand or working in marketing, this isn't just an aesthetic trend - it's a real consumer shift, backed by data. Platforms like Particl make it traceable ✨ Not just what brands post - but what actually sells. The Messy Comeback is here. Might want to take notes. Annonce #trendforecast #stylesignals #particl #culturalshift ♬ original sound - Anne Valois Valois noted that this is more than a superficial trend reversal. Pointing to real-time consumer data tracked by the platform Particl, she highlighted surging interest in products and behaviors far removed from the clean-girl canon. "Tobacco products are up 843 percent; alcoholic beverages, up nearly 1,000 percent in the past 12 months," she said. Valois also cited brands such as Coach and Ganni as beneficiaries of this shift—labels with a looser, more character-driven design ethos than the quiet-luxury titans that dominated in recent years. "Suddenly, having a beer in cowboy boots feels more aspirational than having a green juice and going to Pilates," Valois said. "It's less about optimization and more about character, pleasure and mood. Day-to-night dressing is trending, and imperfect beauty is back." Anne Valois, who splits her time between Mexico, Florida and Europe, said that the increasing presence of the messy cool girl trend is a reaction to "a collective unraveling" of the clean girl aesthetic and a return of character. "What began as a calming, minimalist ideal has become something more rigid," Valois told Newsweek. "The clean girl look became more about performance than personality, and people are exhausted by the pressure to look the same, behave the same and follow identical routines. From left: "Messy cool girl" Addison Rae performs with Arca at the Gobi Tent during the 2025 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 13, 2025; and "clean girl" Hailey Bieber attending the 2025... From left: "Messy cool girl" Addison Rae performs with Arca at the Gobi Tent during the 2025 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 13, 2025; and "clean girl" Hailey Bieber attending the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 2, 2025. More "Conformity used to be a status symbol, looking like everyone else was once aspirational, but now it reads more like a lack of imagination or algorithmic compliance." Cultural researchers see the change as deeply entwined with larger social dynamics. "Young people are feeling fatigued with the pressure of a hyper-manicured perfection that dominates social media and influencer culture," Meltsner said. "They yearn for some hedonism and a sense of letting loose without judgment." The clean-girl look—"glazed doughnut" skin, slicked-back hair, pastel and beige palettes, a matcha latte in hand—once symbolized control, health, and upwardly mobile chic. It aligned with minimalist tech aesthetics and the aspirational self-branding of a generation raised on Instagram. But, over time, its uniformity began to chafe against a broader cultural desire for imperfection and uniqueness. "We're also living in the age of algorithmic-driven cultural flattening," Meltsner said, "and a way of rejecting that is by embracing personal taste and expression, leaning into the quirks that show that we're unique and human. "We're seeing this through more analogue and DIY-inspired looks like wired headphones or 1990s and Y2K aesthetics, and even intentional typos to signify non-AI writing." Addison Rae as Today's Messy Cool Girl The aesthetics of the messy girl are not sloppy—they are intentional, playful and referential. The look channels late-2000s It-girls such as Alexa Chung, Sienna Miller and Gossip Girl character Serena van der Woodsen, all known for tousled hair, oversized sunglasses, thrift-store finds and nonchalant confidence. Addison Rae, former TikTok star who more recently pivoted into movies and music, is being heralded as the current poster girl for the messy cool girl revival. With indie-style music videos and unedited social media posts strongly resembling a MySpace or Tumblr profile from over a decade ago, Rae leans into an undone aesthetic. The "Diet Pepsi" singer has been applauded for showing more authentic, no-makeup and disheveled hair looks than her more traditionally glam Gen Z peers in showbiz, like Sabrina Carpenter. Rae has also collaborated with resident cool girl, Charli XCX, who spearheaded the "Brat summer" trend of 2024 and is known for leaning into indie sleaze and hyperpop. Rae, by association, has become synonymous with this cool girl archetype, softening it slightly, making her a perfect addition to the messy cool girl's Pinterest board. Gen Z singer Olivia Rodrigo has also been held up for conveying a more authentic look, often made up from attainable 2000s and 90s inspired soft grunge pieces. On TikTok, where trends can crystallize in seconds, other creators are celebrating this new mood with posts that show off bedhead and oversized tote bags brimming with personal clutter. Alexan Ashcraft, posting as @trendsofthetimes, declared in a March 31 update that the messy girl's appeal lies in her "carefree spirit" and in being herself. Ashcraft, the 25-year-old founder of digital magazine Trends of the Times, told Newsweek: "The messy girl comeback is not just another TikTok trend, it's a mindset shift, a cultural reset." Much like Valois, Ashcraft said that trends can be more complex than they appear, often reflecting deeper social changes. "We live in an age where visibility is currency, and image can make or break your chances of it," she said. "On the surface, the clean girl might have symbolized simplicity and polish, but it has just become another symbol of pressure to keep up, look perfect, stay relevant, and be seen. "In contrast to the clean girl–polished, on trend, and picture perfect–the messy girl is disheveled, unplugged, and unbothered, she opts out of the algorithm, and she does not subscribe to trends; she does not dress or buy for posts, likes, or to be seen." Ashcraft added that the messy girl's so-called dismissal of trends is what makes her cool, captivating and a source of intrigue in the first place. Eagle-eyed creators like Valois and Ashcraft believe the trend reflects a rejection of Minimalism and productivity culture, while signaling a desire for depth, humor and human messiness—the kind that resists optimization. As Valois put it: "It's not just aesthetic fatigue; it's cultural realignment."
