Gen Z is reliving my youth. I'm scared to point out why they're wrong
I just know my mother is saying 'I told you so'.
She spent much of the early 2000s watching my sisters and I hand-sew panels into our straight-leg jeans to turn them into flares, search Big W for flowy paisley tops and borrow Beatles CDs from the library to transfer onto our iPods. With each passing fascination that felt entirely new and fresh to us, she'd roll her eyes or laugh, and tell us she'd been there for the trend the first time around – and that one day we'd see our era of fashion return.
It felt inconceivable to me then. No one would be clamouring for the neon T-shirts printed with puns in massive block text like the ones we bought from Supré. The songs on Top 40 radio seemed so fleeting and ephemeral – none of those could possibly last.
You know where this is going, of course.
I didn't begin to feel my age when I bought eye cream or experienced my first two-day hangover or skipped a party with an open bar to stay in and do a jigsaw puzzle the same way I felt it when I first saw micro brows and skinny jeans make their return.
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We thought we'd all moved on. Women my age whispered in fear – 'Are we going to have to do it again? I just got my brows tattooed on!'
But what we failed to consider was that 'we' would not be participating in the trend revival. That was a luxury reserved for those not alive to witness Y2K. The ones with no baggage attached to names like Ed Hardy and Von Dutch. People who only knew Paris Hilton as a DJ and the Olsen twins as fashion designers.
Recently, while scrolling TikTok, I got an insight into a highly specific niche of Gen Z nostalgia. In a series of montages, some kids were expressing sentimental yearning not for a vague 'era' of life in the 2000s, but for the year 2014 specifically.
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Herald Sun
an hour ago
- Herald Sun
Sad scenes emerge from 'Australia's biggest toy sale' of the year
Don't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News. "Where is everyone?" That's the first thought that popped into my head as I walked towards the entrance of my local Big W. It was the opening of what has always been hailed as their "biggest event of the year" - the BIG Whopping Toy Sale - except it was looking a little different this year. There was no massive group waiting outside to get in. No buzz outside... just one lonely worker standing at the front of the store holding a catalogue, bidding me a good morning. "It's the first day of the toy sale, right?" I asked her. She smiled and confirmed yes before pointing me in the right direction of the bargain items that could be nabbed. Not that I needed it, there were huge signs everywhere - and plenty of bright yellow price tickets on shelves that could hardly be missed. Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this. Big W's Toy Sale has launched with hundreds of toys discounted and stocked on shelves. Image: Supplied Big W's Whopping Toy Sale is back! The BIG Whopping Toy Sale officially kicked off on Monday June 10th, with over 500 toys and tech on sale - including 300 new products big and little kids could get excited about. Chatter began early online, with eager customers counting down the days to the biggest event of the year - and one that sees them stock up ahead of time for Christmas. TikTok creator and mum Tara (aka @mamtaramae) was just one of them. "Counting down till when I can sneak off leave kids at home with dad to do a layby for Chrissy," she declared online ahead of the launch. But instead of being greeted with the usual chaotic scenes of toys, parents, grannies, prams, and tantruming children screaming "BUT I WANT ITTTTT!!!!" everywhere, she too walked into a somewhat quiet store. "To be honest, it didn't seem like much was on sale. There were toys EVERYWHERE though! Literally every aisle around the whole store seemed to have toys in it," she posted in an update. Another blogger, Food Mumma Ren, also commented on how different the toy sales look these days compared to previous years. "My oldest is 21 years old now but when he was a little boy the toy sales used to be worth it. Line ups so long. I even started working at Kmart I was employed just for the toy sale, and it was crazy people lining up from midnight to get a deal," she posted on Facebook. So what's the deal? RELATED: Big W's amazing $23 dupe for $220 Missoni towels Some popular toys are a massive 50% off. Image: Supplied Eager beavers getting in early Although the two stores I visited in Sydney's east were fairly quiet, different scenes emerged at the Big W store in Penrith. "There were people lined up from 7.30am and shoppers filling their trolleys full of toys - we are sure this is just the start of the Toy Sale rush," a Big W spokesperson told Kidspot. While the sale officially kicked off on the 10th, many customers hit social media to share that their local store already had toys on sale. "My store already has toys on the shelves. So excited!" one customer declared in a private Facebook group. "I went in the week before the sale officially kicked off and things were already discounted," another mum told Kidspot. "I got a heap of LEGO stuff for my kids. I thought I might as well get it now than wait for those crazy scenes to hit when the sale officially launches!" RELATED: TikTok video reveals what 'W' in Big W stands for The 10 picks According to Big W's Chief Toy Buyer, Christine Faulkner, many customers had an idea of what they were going to purchase before the sale kicked off. 'It's great to see classic brands, like LEGO, Barbie and Hot Wheels at the top of our customers' wish lists again this year, with some newer favourites like Squishmallows and Jurassic World joining the top ten," she said. "If it's building or collecting, there's a toy on the list to pique every kind of interest.' Making their way into the top ten this year are: The LEGO Record Player with Flowers, $26 Barbie Party Unboxed Pet Birthday, $19 (more than half price) Hot Wheels Monster Trucks 1:24 Scale Remote-Control Toy Truck, $14 (more than half price) The VTech 4-in-1 Alphabet Train, $79 40cm Squishmallows, $14 Little People Ultimate Farm Gift Set, $69 Mega Construx Pokemon Jumbo Pikachu, $44 Bluey Escape Convertible, $17 (down from $35) Jurassic World Chaos Theory All-Out T-REX, $40 Stitch Dance & Sing plush, $39 (save $41) As for me, I think I'll be heading back for those floral LEGO sets. So pretty (and cheap!) Originally published as Sad scenes emerge from 'Australia's biggest toy sale' of the year
The Age
17 hours ago
- The Age
Gen Z is reliving my youth. I'm scared to point out why they're wrong
I just know my mother is saying 'I told you so'. She spent much of the early 2000s watching my sisters and I hand-sew panels into our straight-leg jeans to turn them into flares, search Big W for flowy paisley tops and borrow Beatles CDs from the library to transfer onto our iPods. With each passing fascination that felt entirely new and fresh to us, she'd roll her eyes or laugh, and tell us she'd been there for the trend the first time around – and that one day we'd see our era of fashion return. It felt inconceivable to me then. No one would be clamouring for the neon T-shirts printed with puns in massive block text like the ones we bought from Supré. The songs on Top 40 radio seemed so fleeting and ephemeral – none of those could possibly last. You know where this is going, of course. I didn't begin to feel my age when I bought eye cream or experienced my first two-day hangover or skipped a party with an open bar to stay in and do a jigsaw puzzle the same way I felt it when I first saw micro brows and skinny jeans make their return. Loading We thought we'd all moved on. Women my age whispered in fear – 'Are we going to have to do it again? I just got my brows tattooed on!' But what we failed to consider was that 'we' would not be participating in the trend revival. That was a luxury reserved for those not alive to witness Y2K. The ones with no baggage attached to names like Ed Hardy and Von Dutch. People who only knew Paris Hilton as a DJ and the Olsen twins as fashion designers. Recently, while scrolling TikTok, I got an insight into a highly specific niche of Gen Z nostalgia. In a series of montages, some kids were expressing sentimental yearning not for a vague 'era' of life in the 2000s, but for the year 2014 specifically.
Sydney Morning Herald
17 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Gen Z is reliving my youth. I'm scared to point out why they're wrong
I just know my mother is saying 'I told you so'. She spent much of the early 2000s watching my sisters and I hand-sew panels into our straight-leg jeans to turn them into flares, search Big W for flowy paisley tops and borrow Beatles CDs from the library to transfer onto our iPods. With each passing fascination that felt entirely new and fresh to us, she'd roll her eyes or laugh, and tell us she'd been there for the trend the first time around – and that one day we'd see our era of fashion return. It felt inconceivable to me then. No one would be clamouring for the neon T-shirts printed with puns in massive block text like the ones we bought from Supré. The songs on Top 40 radio seemed so fleeting and ephemeral – none of those could possibly last. You know where this is going, of course. I didn't begin to feel my age when I bought eye cream or experienced my first two-day hangover or skipped a party with an open bar to stay in and do a jigsaw puzzle the same way I felt it when I first saw micro brows and skinny jeans make their return. Loading We thought we'd all moved on. Women my age whispered in fear – 'Are we going to have to do it again? I just got my brows tattooed on!' But what we failed to consider was that 'we' would not be participating in the trend revival. That was a luxury reserved for those not alive to witness Y2K. The ones with no baggage attached to names like Ed Hardy and Von Dutch. People who only knew Paris Hilton as a DJ and the Olsen twins as fashion designers. Recently, while scrolling TikTok, I got an insight into a highly specific niche of Gen Z nostalgia. In a series of montages, some kids were expressing sentimental yearning not for a vague 'era' of life in the 2000s, but for the year 2014 specifically.
