Status: 16.01.2024, 09:33 a.m.
By: Romina Kunze
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Poverty in old age, climate change, wars: thinking about the future can make you anxious. Generation Z, however, is afraid of getting older for completely different reasons.
Munich – The fear of aging has a technical term: gerascophobia. Until now, general anxiety about old age has not been assigned to a specific age group, and experts even consider it normal to a certain extent. But now there seems to be a certain trend in this direction among Generation Z – Gen Z for short.
Is life over at 30? Gen Z seems to be afflicted by the delusion of youth
It is not exactly said that the next generation, who were born between 1997 and 2013, wastes a lot of thought on the future. Instead, Gen Z is too carefree and lives too much in the here and now, according to the accusation. Young people are also blamed for a rather poor work ethic, primarily by the generation of so-called "baby boomers" (born between 1946 and 1964).
Now it turns out that Gen Z is very much concerned about what will come later. But it's not about solid retirement provision, health or financial security. They are much more concerned with the fear that their youth and their good looks could go down the drain. They have identified the 30th birthday as the expiry date. At least that's the conclusion of a Reddit user who shares his observations on the social media platform.
Rejuvenation of a young at heart: Tips against aging are piling up on social media for the worried Gen Z. Like here from a TikToker. (Screenshot/Photo Collage) © TikTik/Screenshot/Photo Collage
He has increasingly noticed young women in particular, who share their concern on the channels that they are suddenly no longer "sexy" and "valuable" at the age of 30. There is also a fear among the early twenties that they will end up as an "old saddle pad". The worries even went so far that they subordinated everything else to them: healthy eating, a solid professional career – what's the point if life ends at 30 anyway, according to the supposed tenor on the Internet.
Social media trends show: Gen Z is afraid of wrinkles and blemishes
In order to counteract this, a worrying trend does indeed seem to have developed among the Gen Z representatives. Under the hashtags "#antiaging" and "#genzskincare", dozens of short clips are currently trending. In a TikTok video, for example, an over-30 user calls for actively fighting aging in her early 20s and promptly provides the appropriate form for this.
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On the one hand, the self-proclaimed beautician advises in her fountain of youth cure to always sleep on your back, otherwise wrinkles would form on the affected side of the face due to the pillow. On the other hand, acidic face masks – as early as possible and not only when the big 3 is already in front. Because then the child would have fallen into the well long ago. Unambiguous post description: "I wish I had started these favorable routines much sooner".
Some of these social media routines even go so far as to inject themselves with nerve agents. Quite a few users share their experience with "Baby Botox" and recommend the chemical anti-aging club to their followers. This is a rejuvenation cure that, like conventional Botox, is also administered by injection. The only difference is that the dose of the neurotoxin "botulinum toxin A" is significantly lower and is only injected into the top layer of the skin.
From work to grave: Gen Z doesn't want to put their good years on the job
The Reddit user does not want to denounce Gen Z for this. Rather, he passes the buck to the structures of a capitalist society. Instead of addressing the problems, people turn to consumption in the hope that a product can help. "We have to be better than that – for ourselves and for the younger generation," is the alarmed appeal to the Internet world of the user, who apparently belongs to an older generation.
There is a lot of encouragement in the comments. One person cynically asks what life after 30 still had in store for you. "Non-stop work? Steer? Wrinkles and health problems? Hair loss and the loss of friends and leisure time?" It's a well-known fact that Gen Z is vocal about a better work-life balance. And a study shows that young people would rather be unemployed than have an unhappy job. But they would prefer to be eternally young, apparently. (rku)