Why Everyone Sucks At Writing Gen Z Characters

[@soup_enthusiast]

Writing gen-z characters to speak in SpongeBob quotes would be more accurate representation than what we're getting now.

[@matt.w9220]

Wait, you guys *don't* speak in Spongebob quotes?

[@fettycheese2498]

“How many do times for we have to teach you this lesson, old man?”

[@langstonj2476]

@@fettycheese2498 "I do love the young people"

[@angel_of_rust]

is well-done venison an instrument?

[@snitzelll3710]

Pintamos toda la casa...

[@thekawaiicupcake00]

i dunno about anyone else but i’ve truly never felt more seen than that moment in heartstopper where charlie was excitedly texting his friends and he sent “AHDJDJEJFJNSNEJDJDJD I’M SHAKING” with the straightest face imaginable. now THAT’S a real gen z moment.

[@santos2998]

fr

[@Maria-ob7ii]

charlie* but yes i agree. that scene absoultely sent me

[@Hyqt_]

@@Maria-ob7ii they said Charlie ☠️

[@mm-fe1pn]

it says edited 🤡

[@Hyqt_]

@@mm-fe1pn I didn’t clown her I didn’t see the edited damn 😭🙏🏾

[@soaring-comet]

i think it’s the fact that a lot of these shows sexualise us a lot too, when that was certainly not my high school experience

[@perryjones7771]

SAME!!! Euphoria makes me SOOOOOOOO UNCOMFORTABLE

[@slightly4374]

Same even sex education and heartbreak high were totally unrelatable to me

[@DragnYT]

Fr, these shows think we all get play 💀 most Gen Z are discord mods with no bitches

[@laistoews]

The way that people think we are so sexually active and the whole time 💀

[@sosha20]

they did this with millenials too! most of my friends didn't "lose it" 'til college but all the shows and movies targeted toward me when i was in HS made that seem like a huge deal that going to college a virgin was like a death warrent or something

[@vl0731]

I would like gen-z representation about people with mental health issues, are introverts and more chill. No parties, extreme sex fests and all. I want to see my boring yet complex self represented some day

[@nexxgenesis]

Sort of related and sort of not, but ive seen so many gen z movies/series where they only care about romance and sex and go around partying 24/7 when in reality its nothing like that

[@saisai-z1s7t]

@@nexxgenesis ONG!! EXACTLY LIKE HEARTBREAK HIGH 😭 .

[@AhmedX8]

Write it. Make it a book, comic, TikTok, whatever, but share your experience and make your voice heard, or find like-minded people who'll help you get the rep you crave.

[@lune.bleue4]

@@nexxgenesis I think that represent some of teenagers or young adults, but not all of them ! It's sad that introverts don't have representation, or simply people who don't like to party all the time. I also want to see a show where characters aren't all in relationships, or find love... because not all teenagers find love in high school

[@samuelmcgowan2565]

Try "Everything's Gonna Be Okay"

[@vubsi]

I think what also makes it hard to make shows that appeal to Gen Z is the fast changing pace of trends. I’m an older Gen Z who just graduated as a teacher. I currently teach high schoolers, who are also Gen Z, but the differences in what is interesting and relatable to me vs the high schoolers is already huge

[@marimarianations9355]

Yep. I'm from '97, my sister is from '03. Both Gen Z, but we had very different teenage experiences in some ways. My first phone was a slide phone and the only smartphone that existed at the time was the iPhone, which was considered a rich people phone back then. Cool kids had Blackberries. For many of us, Facebook was our first social network and we used it regularly until university. When I was a child, not having internet at home (at least in my country) was the norm, not the exception, and I didn't have internet at home until I was 10. My sister's never had a phone that wasn't a smartphone. She's always had internet at home, as far as she remembers. Neither her or most of her friends have ever had a Facebook account as it had already become a "boomer" social network by the time people her age were old enough to use social media. Instagram, which I didn't use until I had nearly graduated from high school, was her first social media account. We're very similar in many ways but so different in others, it's pretty fascinating.

[@fantasyfiction101]

It’s going to be a long time until any of the Gen Zers, which started in 2000, will see the inside of a writers room. I’m a late millennial/z cusp and I feel like writers on tv and movie are drawing on their experiences rather then what’s actually happening currently.

[@deen7530]

@@fantasyfiction101 Perhaps not as long as you'd think. The oldest Gen Z's are in their twenties now.

[@cutiedopo17]

@@marimarianations9355 A lot of early 2000s kids grew up with the same stuff you're naming. Your sister just was lucky to get a smartphone. And internet was very prevalent when you were a kid. You just happened to not have it. A lot of 2000s kids had old ass internet as well. So sure you and your sister have those differences, but she was a rare one to have all of that. I think your point resonates more if you compared yourself to someone born with their childhood being a majority in the 2010s.

[@marimarianations9355]

@@cutiedopo17 My situation was the norm in my country. Internet was very limited and definitely not as widespread over here. I started high school in 2009 and like half of my classmates didn't have any internet at home back then.

[@Caitlin2608]

There's this weird phenomenon where mannerisms used online are secluded to online use. Like calling a stranger "bestie" online is seen as relatively normal but in person would be extremely weird. People who aren't Gen Z assume this is how we speak in real life, so portray that in movies. I think having that mirror held up to the ways we behave online is embarrassing, that's why they're so cringey for us to see (lemme if you disagree though. Other countries might be different to mine). Also, age groups vary so much like a 21-year-old is going to behave so differently to a 16-year-old even though the age difference is kinda small.

[@captainmillie4017]

exactlyyyy

[@GirlDo3]

Lol but to be fair a lot of these terms are used ironically or in a passive agressive way and you can tell they can't read the tone cuz most ppl on tik tok call each other "bestie" or other terms like that to be condescending.

[@makyalove988]

sooo true

[@javencummins1426]

I have met people who say "bestie" unironically and ironically in real life.

[@Caitlin2608]

@@javencummins1426 yeah and seeing that portrayed in film probably embarrasses them because they see how silly it looks in real life

[@ashtinwalker6102]

I feel like so many teen shows try hard to provide commentary or 'start a conversation' they forget to make well rounded characters and stories in an effort to tell a message they don't seem to grasp.

[@yuenmienyu]

Ginny and Georgia with bringing up all these different dark topics but not really digging deeper

[@mariaskabardonis8353]

I definetly agree with that

[@Jeremy-wp4yh]

That's because when a good show is made, everyone cries about lack representation. So instead, shows just throw an unrealistic amount of diversity hires into a cliche storyline.

[@JulianSteve]

@@Jeremy-wp4yh … And of course you bring this up to prove your point. What’s the problem with diversity in a TV show that originally was not diverse? We have a right to criticize a show for adding diversity that is bad, inaccurate, or both. It needs to be called out.

[@JulianSteve]

I agree with you, Ashtin. There are better ways to execute a storyline, especially with diverse writers, taking their time to write, and film✍🏾

[@nicolesherman8974]

I definitely feel it’s because people think Gen Z is one-dimensional; since we were born in the technology era. As a person who is a Gen Z we really aren’t that different from the past generation. But I do believe it’s because we are starting to be more open and vocal about issues affecting us like mental health, the economy, the pressures social media has on us etc. They treat Gen Z as if we are niches when we are really being authentic.

[@trixxart777]

Like I will reference internet things sometimes but usually I just talk and laugh with my friends it's why I love Heartstopper soo much because it actually shows an accurate way of how teens act. Also being queer I could relate to that sort of gen z gay culture. Also each character has there own kind of vibe of dress and the way they act wich shows different parts of gen z. Especially as a Brit person I could relate to a lot of things in the show and often British shows show better representation of teens and young adults.

[@tyrajackson6816]

There are a lot of us that are niches tbh. Having moved and traveled a lot, I’ve met the vape girl, or the inner city girl, or the flamboyant gay etc. But overall I think majority of the generation are just laid back and ‘normal.’ But I think that’s why film pick the niche eccentric characters of our generation, because they’re different and not common.

[@RamboQuellz]

omg I was just telling my friend this! I said Gen z is one of the best generations bc we aren't one dimensional so it's hard to really duplicate us in shows and music and old heads don't know exactly what to do to compete with us.

[@JulianSteve]

I be forgetting I am apart of Gen-Z… I do have my mixed feelings about Gen-Z as a whole (like previous generations), but I do think most of us are moving the right way in society💯

[@fuosdi64]

Because Gen Z has no real identity honestly, they're way too young still.

[@mokiwi1234]

As an older gen z we are always forgotten about 😭😭. I would love to see a show about us post-college. Not all of us are in high school or even college still

[@xBirdiee]

IKR!!

[@WolfSpirit_777]

I'm not even on the cusp of Gen Z (born in 2000) so I'm well past the cusp and I'm definitely gen z. People born in 2000 like me have already graduated college, about to graduate college, and many of them started working full time. I have a cousin my age who is working full time.

[@rowanjoy419]

@@WolfSpirit_777 yeah, my brother is 24 he is Gen Z, he has working in many places, has tried to go in university but give up.

[@iimezimouseii3024]

@@WolfSpirit_777 I was born in 2000 and I'm working on my masters. I have friends born in '97 and '98 who already have their masters. Not to be that person who acts like they're so old but gen z is definitely not a monolith, some of us are on a whole different side of tiktok lol

[@Kiwikick238]

I'm also older gen z born in 97 and I'm curious if others find this whole generation wars thing weird and kinda cringey? Idk if that's because I feel like I don't fit into either of the stereotypes like im just out here existing lol

[@emilyjwatchesstuff]

3:54 Hilarious story, but my parents didn’t realise they were millennials for a while (they are on the older end). They would send me these articles that blamed millennials for everything and thought I, gen z, was one. I told them to google it and they were horrified HAHA

[@WeirdWimp]

yeah you sure proved them to not believe everything you see

[@angelnicolesmith]

mine are millennials as well 😅

[@Barfigarfi]

To put it simply,gen z aren’t old enough to be directing shows and we’re really the only people that can portray a gen z cast accurately.

[@basketman2517]

But by the time we are directing shows. Gen Alpha will be the teenagers. So we’ll try and depict high school life for them, but it’ll still probably be inaccurate.

[@kilimanjaro5537]

@@basketman2517 actually it will more than likely be millennials and gen Z directing shows about gen alpha since most directors are like, in their 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. I think our shows(gen z) are still being directed by gen x and some older millennials.

[@nataliadoe7126]

Idk we’re getting there. The oldest kids from 1997 (where Gen Z is said to begin) are now 25.

[@Barfigarfi]

@@nataliadoe7126 yeah defo but most big company producers are in their 30s 40s + since they’ve been in it long enough to have built themselves that status

[@nataliadoe7126]

@@Barfigarfi that’s true, but maybe some younger people might break in? I feel like independent projects might be able to gain traction

[@trixxart777]

I think this is why Stranger Things is soo popular as often it is written by people who mostly grew up in the 80s even a lot of the actors grew up in the 80s. Also it can still be general as it has good character dynamics and story. Also I have seen a lot of parents watch the show with there children and they can enjoy it together because the parents can feel nostalgic for the own teenage years.

[@Monie71793]

💯🥰

[@invoice999]

The first season is pretty nostalgic

[@paigeb1236]

Yes!! My mom loves watching the show with me and pointing stuff out that she remembers from the 80s!

[@helenachester5992]

winona riyderrrrrrrrr ❤❤❤❤

[@pierrebugblatter]

Actually they mostly grew in in the 90s but they were born in the 80s

[@mmikiogt54]

I was watching Midnight Club, and it was so refreshing having nuanced young characters. Alot of times the characters for Netflix shows are like someone put tiktok through an AI and generated the most chaotic script possible lmao.

[@Imetwurld_]

Midnight club good ?

[@mmikiogt54]

@@Imetwurld_ yes you will cry alot tho

[@mmarceline3]

i loved this show a lot. and i agree. it didn’t go overboard and they feel like average kids you’d meet back then or even today. and very nuanced like you said. sure it’s not gen z because it took place in the 90s but the point still stands

[@alabamaslammer3921]

It's a coincidence that I just finished the midnight club right before reading this comment

[@RIPmichael22]

That show disappointed the hell out of me 😢 I hated it

[@annie_is_bored]

My problem is that older generations don't know the difference between us talking online and irl it just ends up being very cringe to hear online lingo being said out loud and they don't know when we're being ironic so they just think we're being serious even tho we're not😭

[@Bax365]

Agree. The levels of irony and sarcasm Gen Z uses are truly one of the deepest in all current generations. Makes it harder for other generations to fully grasp.

[@everygoodhanldeistaken]

does anyone hear that ominous bell tolling?

[@Riley-vy5qm]

MIZOOK!😢

[@vaporwave4069]

Luz from the owl house is one of the most accurate gen z characters ive seen, she gives such immaculate tumblr fandom kid vibes

[@nilladrawsstuff]

Yes absolutely!!! ToH has such good representation!

[@jyjaeskz]

True

[@hamkittens2420]

LITERALLYYYYY she is so me

[@pinksugar22]

she's so real 💯

[@CarynPretorius]

School teacher here... as someone who spends most of her day with high school kids, most of these shows really do not cater for them. Then these gen z kids get a false idea about what it's like to be a teenager. Example... kids trying to copy euphoria and that's nooot it, I'm sorry. Here's a thought...actually getting input from people who work with kids to see how they are seen by adults and actual gen z's themselves

[@brayanvillanueva7527]

Great Comment! In my case, I genuinely like talking about Teen TV shows with my teachers and putting in our insight.

[@JulianSteve]

Yes, bad representation of teenagers is not good. You can like the show, but do not get too inspired by it teens… Shit, this goes for young college students too. Do not mimic what you consume that happens to be toxic💯

[@GirlDo3]

Yea but tbh if I had to describe my high school experience I'd describe it as uneventful. That doesn't make for an entertaining tv show lol

[@pizzapower3166]

I'm at the point where I'm going to celebrate the end of this series the same way I did with Riverdale.

[@pizzapower3166]

@Tyler Rodriguez NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[@SCT11]

This issue though is Clueless and Mean Girls didn’t capture the 90s and early 00s. Most high schools were nothing like that. They just captured an entertaining caricature of a time. And really only focused on white peoples for the most part. I think Gen Z just looks back on those shoes/movies with rose color glasses because they didn’t actually live through that time so it seems “authentic” to them. But the same thing will happen 20 years from now. High schoolers in 2040 will look back on high school shows now and say how they were authentic and represented 2020s. When none of this stuff was ever representative. One Tree Hill and The OC and Laguna Beach were never representative of the average high school Millennial experience

[@milanahoward4736]

Totally agree...Laguna Beach was the "real life"/reality TV version of what the movie Clueless set the tone for, a group of privileged primarily Caucasian heteros in a rich California community fueled by petty drama and Paris Hilton style. There was very little of that going on in the real world for most of us, though it did show up in mainstream fashion and style at the time for some, not all.

[@imuRgency]

oh no the cycle for inauthenticity repeats

[@ruthlessruth4197]

It always will, because THE TEENAGERS ARE NEVER IN CONTROL of the media.... so are always being represented by older people who don't truly "get" what it's like to be them, because they grew up in a different world... but yeah maybe sometimes rarely people get it kinda right, because they may involve and listen to input from a younger generation, or because they may actually just be very perceptive and nuanced storytellers, but yh for the most part teens/youth are kind of always going to misrepresented or sort of caricaturised....it's worse for younger generations bc they are usually less in a position to be actively influential in the script writing etc... but bear in mind it's also true for every kind of people especially any kind of minority... authentic character writing is a rare and valuable gem

[@mintyhippo8125]

I think it is quite alright that Clueless and Mean Girls played up high school/the clothes/etc because they are movies. (Like, watching Clueless, obviously people didn’t wear fuzzy hats to school everyday and have perfect hair and makeup or a computer that helped you pick your outfits lol) With gen Z stuff, the characters don’t act right, but people dress so crazy now that the outfits are actually kinda believable lol (at least for the groups they are presenting) for me, it just gets so boring to see rich weird kids constantly on tik tok/KZbin, and then also have to see them in every movie with gen z characters. Like, ugh. Annoying. There’s more than 1 kind of person. It’s different when you mostly got to see the mean girls type people in movies, and not constantly. There’s always been a rift between real life and movies because it’s what adults think the kids want lol

[@kawaiinekochick2]

Yes, people don't realize that it is the opposite. These movies INFLUENCED our fashion and slang, not the other way around. I think the only real "millennial movie" i watched as a kid was Thirteen.

[@Aaron_Smith_OM]

ALSO!!! Thank you!!! Thank you for pointing out AAVE blowing up on social media and people saying it's Gen Z. No. Slang that people have been making popular have been in the black communities for years. Decades even.

[@Monie71793]

💯🤦🏽‍♀️🙄

[@almaalzu]

Fun fact, Aave means ghost in Finnish

[@heav2582]

People attribute aave as a gen z thing probably because it’s one of the first generations to not only accept but also accurately represent black culture. Millennials also did, but we weren’t as widely understood and properly represented 10 years ago as we are now.

[@Aaron_Smith_OM]

@@heav2582 Don't fully agree with that at all. You got a lot of people be it Gen Z, Millennials, and some X'er's on social media using it as digital blackface. People attribute it to Gen Z mainly because of the rise of TikTok. And there you have a lot of white influencers copying black creatives for the views and because they have a larger audience, and the don't credit the people that originated the work.

[@Matty002]

@@Mushriimpp dont forget over using it and then getting sick of it, so they take a new aave word to replace it and call it the new 'gen z/internet slang' word until the cycle repeats good old systemic linguistic racism at work

[@quasi8180]

As a gen z i hate when they call us lazy when we are stuck cleaning up messes from generations before us.

[@wojosquad4680]

Nah Gen Z sucks

[@sillau9]

Nah,what mess you even talking about..cuz us generation before y'all was better than y'all..y'all went crazy nuts over here,lol..we had the best eras culture 😎

[@wojosquad4680]

Nah Gen Z The most mentally fucked up

[@hollowayJunior]

@@sillau9 what.

[@kiba1225]

@@sillau9 So why is your generation creating the ipad and beige baby generation? Seems like quite a horrid representation

[@mjsmusic9125]

“Oop chile slay Periodt ahh Periodt uhhh” a sentence I feel like would have been written in the many inaccurate shows that represent our generation.

[@saturnisgay69]

no but they’d 100% do that- it’s like the updated version of that one tv show i remember watching a few years ago where a character unironically spoke like “OMGCICBJATMBISE!!!” and her friend would be like “oh em gee Jason texted you back?!” like anyone could understand wtf she was saying (there was also a scene where the internet went down or smthn and a teacher was like “ok there a test next week and this time u can’t just look stuff up on your phones ur gonna have to use a pencil on paper like we did back in the day!” and some kid was like “u mean the wooden thing with the rubber doo-dad on the end?” and the teacher was like “yes Jamie the wooden thing with the rubber doo-dad on the end” like pls srsly find me one teacher that just lets u google the answer to the tests and ffs we know what pencils are-)

[@ramonaflowers2813]

I am not sure how Heartbreak High got it so right they literally had the lingo the emotions the feels of a gen z without being a dig on the generation. And honestly few high school dramas got it right as opposed to the plethora offerings I think the 90s did it best but they had shows like Dawson's Creek the dialogue is almost Shakespearean lol. I also fking loved Grand Army's take very effortless representation

[@thesturmfrei]

honestly, heartbreak high was one of the most generationally accurate shows I've seen that represent gen z, and the whole show in itself is good, and the wardrobe was my favorite part :)

[@zoemcfly]

from what ive seen it looks like the actors improvised so much of the lines or gave their opinions on what gen z would actually say and i think that helped them massively

[@meganmcleod6152]

@@zoemcfly i love that

[@elicxc]

@@thesturmfrei yeah, same for me, nobldy was perfect and everyone did Bad things, It made me laugh many times because many lines i literally hace said with my friends, the only one that I feel is not so realistic is the protagonist because she is so exaggerated.

[@ellyssa3484]

@@thesturmfrei i was stalking all the actors social medias and I'm pretty sure their wardrobes were literally just what the actors normally wore, like on gemma and ashers instagrams they have the same style as their characters. Really helps it feel so much more realistic anyway

[@spicynuggets690]

the only shows i really relate to as a 16yo are young royals, sex education, heartstopper and heartbreak high (maybe euphoria). those are the only shows i really relate to on some aspects and see myself in the characters...

[@Imetwurld_]

As a 16 years old same ! .

[@fayephos]

those are all literally my favorite shows !! u have superior taste :)

[@kiiikaaaaaaaaaa7099]

I do not relate to heart break high or sex educated or young royals how do u relate to that? Like I haven’t ever kissed a guy let alone get dirty with 100 of them.. heart stopper is the only somewhat relatable one

[@GirlDo3]

Me euphoria for the mental illness, the fashion, the surrealism that kinda depicts the elevated emotions you feel as a teenager and Rue's dialog. Also Lexi and Kat season 1 before their caracters got ruined.

[@meganmcleod6152]

same but not euphoria lol

[@Birta66]

One thing that I think you missed is the importance of SKAM, a norweigian show that first came out in 2015/2016. I am at the older end of gen Z and was a teen at the time and I remember it vividly being the very first teen show that truly portrayed the teen experience as I myself experienced it. It really kicked off the diaspora of gen Z teen shows we see today and had a lot of influence on how gen z can be authentically portrayed.

[@mel_zzz_]

I didn't watch SKam Norwegian version because it wasn't popular in Latin America, as far as I know...or maybe I was too busy watching k-dramas and that's why I didn't know someone fan of the show in my country or the continent in general. The thing is I watched the Spain version first in 2020 and I think it's one of the most realistic TV shows about adolescense in general...comparing it with the Norwegian version I think it was even better. I watched an interview with the director and the director is a woman and made a studio about how teenagers of this era behave going to schools and asking them questions and she noticed it wasn't that different from her generation and she looked among 35 and 40 years old. The TV show focuses more about women and their relationships, lesbians, heterosexuals, etc women of color, white women, women with different religions and beliefs doing it a way that feels more real for women from Spain and even I would dare to say to Latin American women as well. Skam Norway is an amazing show but the way teenagers live in Norway is very different comparing it with teenagers from other parts of the world. I just watched 2 ep. of the Norwegian version and 1 ep. of the German version.

[@anna-ie5lk]

Skam was undeniably the very first show to get the gen z experience right, or honestly even the first show i’ve seen to get being a teenager right. But it wasn’t very accessible because of the language gap, the captions not being made by the company and instead made by kind norweigian fans, and the amount of the story that depended on you being there to see the texts, instagram posts, and videos in between the episodes. So i think it was undeniably the first to get it so perfect, BUT we have to understand why it doesn’t get talked about - an english language show on netflix or hbo max will always be more accessible and hence be more talked about than skam

[@emken7442]

skam is one of my all time favorite shows for this reason! i was the same age as the characters as it was being released and the social media aspects were so fresh and all of the characters were so on point ugh what a great show

[@melz9591]

bro i love skam sm

[@KeikeiCaldwell]

SKAM was sooooo good!!

[@itbechelsea]

I was totally the millennial who was “born in the wrong generation” 😂 but now that I’m older and I understand the older generations I thought I belonged to, I realize… nope, I’m a millennial. I may not have have been interested in the same pop culture/fashion as my peers, but ideologically, I’m a millennial. And I embrace the pop culture of that time now because I don’t have that pretentious hipster/“not like other girls” mindset now.

[@daniellewalker256]

I feel like having a “not like other girls” phase is the quintessential millennial experience.

[@keerahh2378]

I understand feeling like you were born in the wrong generation. I think a lot of people in the older spectrum of Gen Z feel that way because we are not old enough to be a millennial, but are not young enough to truly fit in with our generation. We grew up with the influences and shows of the 90's, with yes good technology, but still nothing like today. I had a slide phone for my first phone, there were little coding classes to take. It was different, and even though my brother (13) and I are technically in the "same generation" I feel like we really aren't.

[@Kiwikick238]

@@daniellewalker256 similar still going on but called a "pick me"

[@heavenlysadist]

I feel the same way as a gen z, it almost feels like I don't belong here but I do respect some parts of them. Especially the social media thing I'm an old-fashioned gen z, I don't like technology that ruins the fun of childhood, it's making me look shameful without doing memorable lifestyle. My dad is responsible for making me curious, adventurous, and straightforward for myself. I don't need those expensive gifts, love and meaningful life are what I wanted for years

[@madmachanicest9955]

@@keerahh2378 this same thing happened with millennials and Gen x and In part Gen Z. Millennials are the largest generation in time and we are vary much like the generation before and after us. Originally generations where historical named after the fact passed on large ideological trends . Then in the 80s it became a tool for marking and thy started naming and trying to define them as they happened. This resulted in generation being named for thy have a really identity.

[@pinkmazohyst]

I’m on the older end of Gen Z, damn near about to be 25, and it bothers me SO bad the way people write Gen Z for teenagers and teenagers ONLY. Like I don’t talk like a chronically online teen born after 2007 who only gets their personality from tiktok. We all aren’t kids 😂

[@yukiandkanamekuran]

YEAH!! I'm almost 24 and its rough

[@marimarianations9355]

As a '97 who's had people online assume I was a teenager just because I said I was Gen Z... Man. I am 25. Graduated from uni. Have a house, car and full-time job. High school feels like a lifetime ago.

[@saturnisgay69]

i feel kinda targeted from that last part as a 2008 kid whos lowkey addicted to tiktok 😭

[@Kappy25]

I’m a teen and we’re not all like that either. Only the fuck boys on tiktok.

[@theofficalsilentraven]

My bestie is 20 now

[@XennialAndAPuppyyy]

I’m 40 and i think the difference is that people in the 80s and 90s followed movies and TV to know what to wear and how to dress so the characters were being written (and thus we were being brainwashed) by older writers/capitalists/advertisers shaping culture. Like our fashion came from seeing how Drew Barrymore “Mad Love” dressed or seeing how Rayanne on “My So-called Life” dressed or Clueless, 90210, catalogues, actual paper magazines like Seventeen. So the writers were writing the culture. Whereas now culture and fashion is shaped by influencers who are the same age and other things so older tv/movie writers are trying to catch up and write Gen Z characters instead of writing anything and having the masses follow them.

[@TheBiggestMoronYouKnow]

people gave less of a shit, people wore jeans and tanned in the 90s lol

[@simsthre4078]

Underrated comment

[@nomicurrier1909]

I think you spot on. That's a really intersting answer.

[@KatieThomasCreative]

Yes, I think you're so right!

[@kphoria1009]

@@TheBiggestMoronYouKnow they do that now

[@linawaller2086]

Most of the gen z targeted films and tv shows i’ve seen feel like they’re trying to be the “Clueless” or “Mean Girls” of our generation with a gen z punch and it comes across as disingenuous. It doesn’t feel like they’re telling a story that could be iconic but instead writing a story to be iconic. Characters, storylines, clothes, heart, depth, and the WRITING all matter. It’s a lot of reference heavy work that will age before it’s put out. Certain aspects of all films and tv shows will age, it’s natural but it’s a matter of execution of the work.

[@GirlDo3]

Do revenge. No idea why ppl liked it sm

[@clairee527]

@@GirlDo3 i was gonna comment the same thing. the writing was so terrible idk how people love that movie

[@peppito8408]

@@clairee527 great styling and color choices wich is lacking a lot in recent teen targeted series and campy story plus many great references that appeal to the audience

[@MONET8iAM]

I’m not sure the inspo behind Euphoria, but it seems like the gen z version of Degrassi.

[@kphoria1009]

@@MONET8iAM except degrassi could be watched by anyone like 12 and over, euphoria is more explicit so it’s like who are they really targeting?

[@jademerrick8758]

I'm gutted that Grand Army didn't get a second season. I'm a younger millenial, but even I could tell how authentic it was and true to teens today. It just felt real. The outfits were cute and true to Gen Z fashion without being overly cartoon-y. Also, something that I love to see in teen shows is how the kids' schoolwork, homework and academic lives factor into the plot. I'm always hyperaware of teen shows where the kids are seen at school jut goofing around or having bg/gf drama and absolutely nothing else. No backpacks, no textbooks, just vibes. I loved GA for actually showing the characters doing work. Maybe that makes me boring lol. I can sniff out Gen Z shows that are written by elder millenials from a mile away, because they can't quite find the line between Gen Z humor/culture and late millenial humor/culture. And it usually makes for cringy dialogue and awkward use of slighty outdated slang. But I never got that from GA at all, I felt it was very easy to digest.

[@iluhvpiink]

ga was probably the most accurate teen show ive seen in a while. the performative activism, the SA, the racist stereotypes said by other teens when the bombing incident happened, everything about it just seemed so real. im so upset it got canceled like it’s so unfair 💔💔

[@catie8685]

SO FUXKING TRUE! THABK YOU FOR SAYING THAT!

[@star.punk.]

Grand Army is the best piece of teen media that I have ever seen and I honestly felt like I knew and loved the characters. It’s a travesty that it was canceled. I think it should be mandatory viewing for people seeking to understand gen z

[@one-onessadhalf3393]

No no, you’re not boring. I’m from Gen Z, and it bothers me how people who are supposed to be, like, 16, just have no stress and are just fucking and partying and once in a while having an internet scandal, while I’m over here, stressed to death about balancing all of my schoolwork with my extra curriculars while not being able to summon the motivation or focus to do anything about it

[@pale_hispanic2429]

I have to disagree. The way they talked was somewhat realistic, but some of the scenarios felt very cookie-cutter and inauthentic.

[@marsgal6027]

I loved heartbreak high, it was so nice seeing LGBTQIA+ characters without their whole personality or arc is them coming out, these teens are out and proud. I also love Quinni, an absolute sweetheart with a heart of gold. You are so right, I needed Gen z representation and even though I'm in my twenties, I love seeing the fashion and lingo being comfortably used

[@saturnisgay69]

same (except for im still in my teens)

[@BADcheer]

Can I give my opinion as a millennial here? A lot of the shows we watched as teens weren’t representative of us either. We weren’t going around talking like we were on Gossip Girl or pretty much any tv show. Even Mean Girls, which is an absolute gem, isn’t truly representative of how we spoke to each other or how our social hierarchies were structured; it was just a fun-house mirror of the real thing which is what made it so interesting to watch. It’s not that we enjoyed watching an older, less-savvy generation write for us. And it’s not that we felt truly seen by watching dialogue and jokes on tv. Rather, we saw the humor in just how ridiculous we were as a generation and enjoyed watching it exaggerated on the tv screen. Our real lives were probably pretty boring, but take our real lives and make us a little more rich, a little more hot, and a little more clever? Yeah, we ate that shit up. I think all generations can probably relate to that. On the other hand, that market tends to get pretty saturated, so it can feel refreshing to see the real thing on tv/KZbin.

[@saginevital-herne3750]

By any chance, did you grow up watching Degrassi? If so, how did you like it? Do you feel like it accurately portrayed millennials?

[@nutyyyy]

Gen Z seems especially obsessed with aesthetics and putting everything into a box. Obviously, that's a generalisation, and it's not so much criticism. Just an observation. Previous generations weren't really representative of media. It was the other way around.

[@sophiaisabelle027]

I agree with you in this. One of the few shows that I think properly portrayed Gen Z people/culture is ‘Young Royals’. The second season is coming out real soon and we couldn’t be any more excited for that. As always, your reviews/insights are widely appreciated. Seems like you’re far more knowledgeable than some may possibly assume about you. Keep up the great work. Happy Halloween to you and to everyone else here.

[@chelseakavanaugh9567]

November

[@mino3675]

@Gloriellee X nov 1st

[@akongie]

YES

[@marialouisa5888]

Same with heartstopper, It captures it perfectly

[@Em-._.-]

@@marialouisa5888 ehhhh Heartstopper wasn’t a very good portrayal, I didn’t think, but it also wasn’t horrible

[@milanahoward4736]

I'm an "elder millennial" at the end of my 30s, and I feel there are some consistent similar themes of feeling misrepresented & misunderstood. I grew up in an era of super wholesome family sitcoms like Full House, Boy Meets World, Saved By The Bell, Family Matters, (all of these watered down any 'real' threats like drugs/violence/identity issues, etc.) and yes, movies like Clueless and Mean Girls. For the tv shows, there was a very hyper idealistic focus to what relationships were for kids, teens, and child-parent interactions for sure. I didn't know anyone realistically who lived such squeaky clean lives. This entertainment was marketed to us I guess to push morals and shelter us from very cold, hard realities of the world that we see and face now. For Gen Z, I watch a show like Euphoria for example, and I think it goes the opposite way now to maybe push hyper extreme edginess as a way to try and get in touch with you guys or see if you respond to such ramped up behavior, style, vices, ways of speaking, etc. I think the general apathy is something we may have in common at this point, because there is always marketing done by those that aren't a part of your generation group to try and see what you might participate into from more of a consumer/economic kinda standpoint. On a side note, as it was for me, a show like My So Called Life (which only got 1 season), was much more on point with the nuances and subtleties of what it was actually like then.

[@luciemoody1830]

Yes!! My So Called Life was the only show that ever felt like an authentic depiction of teenage experience for me too x

[@ryanjacobson2508]

Actually, I think 80's and 90's pop culture did a much better job of addressing gritty social issues than other eras.

[@MONET8iAM]

@@ryanjacobson2508 as far as tv shows like the ones mentioned, they would do “a very special episode” on those deeper darker grittier subjects

[@em6644]

I’m old gen z and I definitely feel the apathy towards media. Even shows that start off pretty well often fall apart because they start being treated more like a big moneymaker and less like a story. I grew up in a strict religious home so I also relate to the moralising and watered down stuff 😅 Thankfully I’m in a better place now. To me it’s really disturbing how often adults who want to represent teens, who are still kids! Choose to represent sex. Especially in an aesthetic, more adult way and not in an awkward, clumsy way. It’s creepy to me because I was creeped on way more at that age than I have been in my 20s and any women I’ve talked to about it say the same. So I don’t buy the “realism” or other excuses they make

[@MyFictionalChaos]

Im a zillennial and i think euphoria did a great job of portraying gen z. The issue is that it is dramatized (oh no, a television show having drama?! What a crime!) And people always bring up the issue of it "glamorizing" hard topics. I dont think it glamorizes sex and drugs at all, but it does from a teenager's POV. For example, Rue thinks she can do drugs and it makes her feel good but we see the other characters feel bad for her or have disgust at her for thinking that way. We also see the consequences of these actions. Similarly, Kat becomes "confident" after doing SW and changing up her personality and style to be liked. And we see the other characters start to dislike her because of how shes acting. Is it real? Definitely not. I dont think there's any TV show that can be the most authentic. But I really like the messages in euphoria, and wish it would be critiqued on a deeper scale than one dimensional - that many people make fun of it for being out of touch, but I dont feel like it is so. I would LIKE to think that "most teenagers" dont have these issues, but physical/emotional abuse, drug abuse, SW, and hating the way you look, and hating your friends and having arguments with them, are all things that teenagers deal with, especially in lower socioeconomic regions, of which the show takes place

[@Tjnovakart]

I know this one is kinda contentious, but The Mitchells vs. The Machines really resonated for me as someone on the older end of gen Z who’s been really active in both the art and meme communities since 2012. Of course it’s super exaggerated, but the way they harken back to the style of MLG videos, KZbin poop, and old Tumblr posts really made me nostalgic. It represented the chaotically creative niche I grew up in in such a cool way. Didn’t think that “art kid born between 1994 and 2001” was a niche I needed to be filled, but here we are Edit to add on: It definitely steers a little “younger millennial,” but there’s a lot of common ground to be found I feel- the eras of our lives we associate that kind of culture with are just shifted.

[@JKthejokerpersonthing]

I dont even think young gen z acts like the characters they write

[@laurync4342]

i LOVED that in generation the “flamboyant” gay character was also an athlete and really into his sport and it wasn’t really presented as an issue where he wasn’t accepted by the team bc i feel like it resonated with my experience in high school playing water polo on a super diverse team. Changing the millennial and Gen x narrative of who a “jock” or athlete is.

[@alywayart]

i always found it super weird how people assume that because we were born in the gen z era, we only grew up experiencing that kind of culture. i know that as a 06’ kid, i grew up with lots of 90’s influence because it wasnt that long ago, as well as 60’s/70’s influence because my mom was a 70’s kid and i lived with my grandparents.

[@daisykisses8803]

I’m saying. Not all Gen z has the lives like on Euphoria or other shows similar. A lot of us grew up in different influences.

[@alywayart]

@@daisykisses8803 thats so true. especially folks who couldn’t afford the latest tech or toys

[@dontmindme7653]

Same but as a 02' kid

[@lyric5989]

i agreeee, its like they either think we are completely wild 24/7 or just wayyy too mature and miss the ball completely

[@mi3ki]

to be honest, while yes representation in our generation is important I don’t mind if they’re unrelatable cause I watch tv to escape actual reality and not have like Twitter threads shoved down my throat. but heartbreak high took my attention cause it feels so uncringey and like still feel represented but also not relatable cause it’s still exaggerated idk if that makes sense

[@nazzie9208]

Thank you! You just pulled the words out of my mouth. I don't always have to watch real life on TV all the time. I'm already experiencing real life as it is. I'd like to watch something that'll make me fantasize.

[@mi3ki]

@@nazzie9208 exactly!

[@itspienoon7883]

This is the exact criticism I was looking for. When people say they want "realistic TV" they just mean they want their life story on screen, when the whole point of storytelling is listening to somebody else's perspective

[@mi3ki]

@@itspienoon7883 yes

[@Just-your-average-JoJo-fan]

Sex education and heart stopper were brilliant Gen Z representation for me, but I am also British so it’s very close to home for me personally. Heartbreak high was also very good as everyone else has stated

[@Elibd123]

I really appreciate how for the best Gen Z shows you picked one for an American audience (grand army) and Australian audience (heartbreak high) and a British audience (sex education). As a Gen Z Australian who is always late to Gen Z trend heartbreak high felt so real because it had our own trends, lingo, jokes and so much more. It was quite refreshing. Thank you for mentioning it ❤

[@beetlebob4675]

As a 1990 "millennial", everything about "Gen z" just makes sense to me. Like, I've never been confused by y'all or didn't understand the humor. You're like millennials, just ✨saturated✨ and it fills me with joy. I have definitely been influenced by y'all being in work spaces and in social circles, and I'm not mad. I constantly make references that expose my age, but i look young enough to confuse new people, and the unintentional assimilation of genZ internet BS has definitely only helped me. Until i open my mouth wider and quote some rando Nickelodeon thing no one within earshot has ever heard of. 😂😂😂 🖖

[@MONET8iAM]

Yeah me (27) and a 33 y/o at my job were talking about Bananas in Pajamas, because two 19/20 y/os were eating bananas. I pulled it up on here and they were like “what is that? When is that from?” They were shocked at my age. I have a sibling born in 2001. They just took everything we put out there, and enhanced it (for better or worse in some cases). Being on the cusp, I identify deeply with both, but there are certain I can’t get with on both sides.

[@beetlebob4675]

@@MONET8iAM LMFAOOO i literally asked a coworker about that show days ago, before i read this. 🤣 why are we like this?

[@kphoria1009]

omg u used these ✨✨ emojis so ur definitely gen z lol

[@cutiedopo17]

Well millennials and older gen Z all grew up with much the same stuff. Especially in the 2010s.

[@lotus_flower2000]

@@kphoria1009 I thought that meant boomer?

[@mslizzieforbes]

I’m convinced Heartbreak High is the only show about gen z written by gen z for gen z

[@smileyxkiss5067]

As a younger-ish gen z that’s in high school I always feel like the shows resonated in high school are a hit or miss. Things like heart break high (praying for a season 2) are not over dramatized but something that could really happen with our generation vs Ginny and Georgia which makes no sense at all, but it’s more like a parody and growing up we thought high school would be like.

[@sofiajohnston5407]

i feel like heartbreak high was spot on for the fashion and diversity, but not so much the plot. as a 15 y/o, i didn’t find my self relating to the plot. also i had no clue what age they were supposed to be. where as i feel sex ed was spot on in all/most categories

[@ambershoba]

The principal said they were in year 11 so I’m guessing 16 turning 17 or already 17, which makes sense with how sexually active the students were (although that’s not a universal experience)

[@blancadiordior3164]

Yeah they were in year 11 which would be around 15/16/17 just depends. Or for cash he was pulled back a year so he’s 18. I feel like the plot was just for drama but it does happen.

[@Cirex_]

the plot was very much relatable to the older Gen Z's you're probably still too young to relate to it.

[@meganmcleod6152]

i think they were 17 and while it’s not accurate to all teens now it is accurate to a very specific group of gen z teens and that’s the closest we will get

[@Morbid-k8b]

They are 17-18 years old in Australian collage (mainland) basically adults/older teens

[@mandarubi912]

Series recommendations of the video : 14:04 Heartbreak High (reboot) 14:35 Grand Army 15:00 Sex Education 15:30 Generation

[@SolRahji]

Gen Z and Millennials are closer than the previous generations and that's contributing imo. The internet has let anyone that grew up with it (millennials most of their lives and gen Z their whole lives) connect on issues easier since, like you said, all of the information is out there. Great video

[@sakinaalia1067]

As someone who is gen z but has only been on social media since quarantine this is very interesting because I don’t understand or didn’t notice what you pointed to as millennial dialogue but I’m gonna check out heartbreak high and I think that’ll help me understand what was missing. I think do revenge is a great gen z movie though!

[@thesaraijuliana]

Heartbreak high is good representation of Gen Z. Do revenge is a new of age version of Clueless and John tucker must die.

[@chaeyoungsstrawberryfarm3327]

I feel like heartbreak high and heart stopper has been some of the most realistic ones. When Nick just responded “gay” to Charlie I laughed it was so real😭

[@dylan90510]

honestly the most accurate way to portray gen z is do what they did in heartstopper when nick said “Maybe you should try it not on a cucumber sometime” and charlie just replied “gay”

[@bonnie4754]

I honestly think that most gen z shows rely on stereotypes and overused tropes such as: • Our entire vocabulary is based off Tiktok • Every Gen Z is an activist and talks about politics • All we do is party, have sex, drink, smoke, and do drugs • The soundtrack is like top hits or tiktok songs. • The token best friend (either black or gay) • That one gay person who makes their sexuality their whole personality • The actors have perfect bodies which really warps our sense of what teenagers actually look like • We always have a desire to date • If the show does take place in high school, they are never seen studying. I usually don't mind these but I'd like to see something other than these tropes.

[@frightenedalistair]

across the spiderverse was the PEAK of gen z teenage writing. not to mention all the cultures they managed to capture

[@agirlfromtraken6820]

as a fifteen year old gay ausie girl my lord is heartbreak high so true to my life. they got everything right, the way we talk, the way we use tech to coomunicate, the clothes and the outlook on life plus the getting shit-faced during the school term. its just perfect.

[@vineeta6645]

As a writer I'd say its more about writers constructing dialogue like exchanges you'd see on twitter, because that's where they "research" the generation, instead of approaching dialogue the way its meant to be approached.

[@boredomcentury1748]

To be honest, there is no definite way of portraying Gen Z in the media since in a way we’re kind of similar to past generations. While there are differences, there are similarities between Gen Z and the past generations. For example, you’re going to come across Gen Z who are liberal and those who are conservative, you’re going to come across those who live their lives online and those who don’t. Again, there is no definite way on portraying Gen Z and that’s fine. If you want an “accurate” portrayal of Gen Z write them how you write every other character: normal.

[@booboosnack]

THIS

[@nazzie9208]

Thank you. Well said.

[@xcalium9346]

Yeah I don't relate to most Gen Z stuff despite being Gen Z. And forget all the fucking sex in those teen shows nowadays. A lot of us aren't fucking, especially the less attractive ones (such as me lol)

[@VoidAlien]

I know right? The teens in shows will manage to get a partner and do sex with them the first week of knowing that person. And no one watches shows for sex scenes so why do they put them in there??

[@kphoria1009]

yeah i agree

[@quianwarren9203]

honestly having ur humor kind of have aspects of ur satirical online personality is great, especially when u have ppl that have ur exact humor and understand ur references to things

[@davidzahalka2766]

Hey there! I really enjoyed the video and I'm glad I found a new great youtuber. I would like to add something regarding AAVE - since I am not a native speaker of English (though I have a C2 certificate now) and I was always just a bit ahead of our English classes, I usually "soaked up" English like a sponge from media that I consumed, be it music, movies or youtube videos. The result is a strange mix of many dialects and linguistic features from all around the English-speaking world. Most of my English was "soaked up" from various US English speaker (I would say around 80%). What this means is that I often switch between various dialects and/or fixed phrases from all around the world. It took me a long time to even find out that some of the English I use daily was "soaked up" from AAVE and even now I am sometimes not 100% sure where does a certain thing I say fall. I might use AAVE, RP English from Britain and Southern US English in one sentence without even realizing. So I am not sure if I can speak for all non-native speakers, but for me AAVE is not "yeah I will sound cool so I'll start using it", but at some point I was simply like "yes, this is one of the ways to speak English" and it simply stuck with me. Thank you one more time for your video, it was really interesting and I'll make sure to check out more of your content!

[@marynoname3701]

One of my favorite tv shows rn is "the sex lives of college girls". It's one of the few times where I've seen relatable and interesting gen z story lines outside of high school. Seriously, y'all should check it out.

[@DA-yy8rs]

YES, maybe it's because I'm an older Gen Z (24, born in '98) but that show felt like maybe one of the few authentic, natural, messy, diverse, fun representations of youth/the Gen Z experience not in HS cause a lot of Gen Zs, now that it's not like 2012 anymore, are either already waaaayyy out of High School or are basically almost done.

[@KH0LRA]

I had someone who was 3rd year college recommend it to me, and I'm purposely waiting for it to run its course so I could finish it when I'm midway through college myself!

[@solei24]

I liked "Do Revenge" and "Crush" in a sort of like fantastical interpretation of gen z, and not in a realistic sense. Like Crush took a satirical approach to the genre of the carbon copy cheesy romance, and just made in genuinely fun and kind of relatable. It introduced these character types that I had never seen before-- the social media obsessed NB, a healthy, success obsessed, disgustingly affectionate 'power couple', the independent single mother w/o a tragic backstory. And Do Revenge was definitely a fever dream but I liked how they applied definitely gen z concepts (ex. the granola lesbian, cis hetero men championing women identifying students league, and the transformation of the formally white patriarchal popularity pyramid into something more realistic) into a very fun and vibey movie.

[@andiman44]

Crush is so underrated! I liked Do Revenge as well but it got its props. Crush seems to have flown under the radar.

[@skyofbob]

heartbreak high went way to hard on that gen z rep and also why do they always pick like olivia rodrigo or billie eilish for their "gen z songs"? we like more songs than that...(do revenge, I love you, but you do this too)

[@oliviallau]

that last take was true af

[@hannahturner4466]

As a 19yo, aka gen z, I really enjoyed heartbreak highs writing. Like, sure, the vocabulary is taken straight out of tiktok, but I genuinely speak exactly like that sometimes, because tiktok has become such a big part of our identity. I also just think they meant to exaggerate a bit to make it more comedic, which I honestly liked. The point about Billie eilish songs tho, super valid

[@xapokalypse]

I watched The summer i turned pretty with my bff and the soundtrack pissed me off lmao they were trying so hard. Too much Taylor, too much Olivia, too much Billie. Like calm down 😭

[@sabahk]

@@xapokalypse this is literally what I was about to say like, they just shoehorn in whatever feels popular and not what would actually fit scenes the best. a show that popped off with the soundtrack imo is heartstopper

[@captainmillie4017]

@@xapokalypse no fr im glad someone else said it cuz I kept hearing people be like "omg the soundtrack was amazingggg" for summer I turned pretty and do revenge but its literally just all top 40 stuff

[@Zinervawyrm]

Give it 25-30 years, and Gen Alpha will complain that Gen Z writers don't get them.

[@kylerobinson1985]

As a millenial I really felt the collection of headlines you showed about us being lazy and entitled. It's so ridiculous because we are saddled with high debt and low wages in a way that previous generations were not. I believe millenials, at least the ones I know, really like Gen Z even if we don't understand you fully. Keep on keeping on.

[@caress8973]

100% agree. I think the "Laziness" is due to millennials' job hopping. Gen x and boomers hate the fact that we dont stay in a job for 10-plus years or stay somewhere where we're not happy. I adore Gen Z, and I've learned a lot about them.

[@-toby-329]

I swear thank you so much. I know you might not believe me, I've seen a lot of older generations say gen-z fake mental health issues, but I struggle a lot and reading these comments I fell down a rabbit hole and I've been feeling awful. Seeing these two comments literally lit me up so much. I really appreciate it. If either of you've had a rough day just know you've done someone some good. I'm genuinely glad you two understand and like us! It can hurt sometimes to see so much hatred directed towards my generation when I know we aren't all like how we're stereotyped. This was so nice to see! Ah- thankyou!!!

[@caress8973]

@@-toby-329 One of I things I love about gen z is that your not afraid to be open about your mental health. We need more open conversations about it! Gen X and boomers are still very dismissive about it while battling their own problems. Glad to know I've put a smile on your face 😊. Just remember it's ok not to be ok, take one day at a time and try not to be to hard on yourself.

[@-toby-329]

@@caress8973 thankyou! That means a lot to me :)

[@WishGender]

@@caress8973 the interesting thing is that I have millennials to think for my openness about mental health. It wasn't other Gen Z people that made me feel comfortable talking about mental health. It was people like Dan Howell and Anthony Padilla being brave enough to share their struggles so publicly.

[@onny7316]

The characters (like actors) we play online is what represents us. Of course like all generations we are more outspoken and dramatic when on media, it’s no different than magazines and such. I feel this is why we are misrepresented, it’s because they only look at the online world not the in person experience. It’s an exaggerated version of ourselves, the main difference is WE (gen z) created this exaggeration of our personal identities while in 80s set movies for example the common door sh1t ditching prank and over the top patterns and colors are curated by people not a person. Gen Z is multiple exaggerated characters already, where past gens are an exaggerated group that is made for films. w/ tiktok, insta our self-made charcters are what represent us, when this is looked past in creating movies they continue the exaggeration, rather than starting from scratch(aka me sitting on the couch eating popcorn while my friend snores over the movie)

[@wg2914]

I was born in 1996, so technically I am a millennial. But I cannot claim millennial culture or '90s culture as my own, because I was too young to actively participate in it. Those of us on the cusp of millennial and gen z occupy a liminal space where we identify with both sides yet feel alienated from them as well. I am often reminded that I am simultaneously too young and too old, which is a very strange feeling at only age 26.

[@cocoacoolness]

I'm the same being born in '99. I am old enough to have participated in lots of millenial culture in the 2000s and early 2010s, but I was always slightly removed from it because of my age. Now I've been working full time for three years and all these highschoolers are making new trends so I feel like I'm too old for it.

[@DA-yy8rs]

Very relatable, born in '98 & was in the same grade growing up as people born in '97-'98. It's a unique experience being at the tail-end or very beginning of a generation and not feeling like you fully belong to either.

[@fuosdi64]

Were called "Zillennials".

[@fuosdi64]

It's because the BULK of a generation is usually represented through the core of them. Gen Z is really represented by those born in the 2000's. So those born at the start or end of it get no representation.

[@majlordag1889]

Yeah I'm born in 1997 I don't feel like I relate to millenials because I'm too young to relate to most of their stuff , I somewhat feel like gen z because I got on the internet at 12 yo and the 2010s really was the decade when I grew, however I also don't feel like most gen z would claim me as one of them due to my age, I also don't watch tiktok or go crazy over y2k fashion

[@kaleem9162]

Heartbreak high is the best representation i have seen on tv

[@roisinbnc]

I just had a question about AAVE as a white teenage girl. Is it okay to use it as long as we recognise the roots of the language and it's origins? Like recently I was explaining what slay, ate, and serve means to my genx mother, and she asked where do people get these words from. I immediately responded, the drag community, the LGBTQ+ community and black people. I just wanted to know to understand a bit better it's use. Great video by the way! Such an interesting topic as well. :) PS: I'm Irish and one show that represents Irish youth so well is Derry Girls, even if it's set in the 90's it still feels real and relatable.

[@redvelvetslayed]

imo, as a black teenage girl, it's okay to use as long as you don't misuse it or discredit the community that made it. but its okay. just dont be like "ooh chile this finna gonna be ate!!!" or shit like that lmaooo.

[@WishGender]

@@redvelvetslayedI'm a (white) trans guy and whenever a "new" "slang" term comes up, I immediately assume it did not originate with straight white women but probably with queer black women 😭💕 it's honestly insane how often the assumption turns out right

[@mitchlynroberts4726]

Millennial here who wants to work in film but currently (& reluctantly) works in marketing and one thing I have found absolutely fascinating over the last 5+ yrs has been the absolute inability of both TV and marketing to pin down what to expect from Gen Z. Like, when I first started in marketing, everything was about "How to market to Millennials" and there were hundreds of articles out there with varying levels of accuracy, but I'd find a new one just about every day. Then, they tried to shift to Gen Z and it did not go well. I rarely see articles on the topic and the ones I do see are usually picked apart mercilessly as inaccurate trash (and usually rightly so). I'm neurodivergent and love anthropology, so for me, I absolutely want to know what makes Gen Z tick. I think one of the things I've noticed is most of you seem very good at pivoting interests quickly and although the social politics seem consistent (ish), Zs are very hard to identify as consumers (which I personally think is great, though makes my day job harder). Also, I could just be having a hard time finding them, but usually I like to use comedians as one of my gauges of what a Generation is in to, but I've had a hard time finding Z comedians who have anything resembling a significant following. Not sure if that's because y'all don't have a super consistent culture, so there's no "this one speaks to us" comedian for you, or if they're just harder to find because they haven't established themselves yet. Love recommendations if you have them. From what I've seen, Gen Z seems unpredictable, effective at disruption and organizing, focused on equality, have labels for every identity while accepting just about anything (that doesn't harm others), generally more aware of the corporate attempts at manipulation, and scary (in the best possible way). And I'm sure you've got your own brand of idiots (every gen does), but overall you seem pretty cool. If any of you want to educate a Millennial, I'd love to know how much I got right and where I'm way off. lol. I'd like to be able to be supportive and if I ever get to seriously work in film, represent you as well as possible (and yes, I will absolutely talk to Gen Z folk if I'm trying to write Gen Z characters).

[@kiranicole7445]

I feel like Gen Z constantly gets portrayed in a heavily satirical way. The first few times I was like oh ok this is kinda funny then it just got old cause it was just AAVE and like “influencers in the wild” type stuff. I agree with you that there is a lot of reboots happening trying to follow the same success as the boys meets world and girl meets world. Where they miss the mark I think is the lack of Gen z understanding and the time frame for the shows reboot. Like the GG reboot was so crazy to me like it’s weird to reboot a show that went off the air like 5 years ago. A large portion of the audience you are targeting already watched and rewatch the original. I never actually finished the show cause I was so put off between the teachers being GG and the forced activism. I have more fun watching TikTok’s guessing which OG character would be an anti masker!!! In the case of euphoria I feel like S1 and the special episodes was so special and captured a darker essence of older Gen z however they started down the typical teen show path on S2. They had a chance to flesh out our background characters and utilize Hunter as a writer but went into the stereotypical best friend and the boyfriend. Like at 20 I have watched this story line for almost 10 years it’s tired. On the other hand I think that moves like Not Okay do a good job at poking fun at a specific subculture of Gen z. Having the movie focused on virality and influencer culture within our generation was interesting. In my opinion they went about the satire in a good way by making it clear it’s focused on influencer culture and not Gen z as a whole.

[@dorcass-gg]

The reason is because there is no Gen z perspective in writing rooms or they don’t care to seek it out. It’s sad like you can’t do the extra mile of running it by a focus group of actual young people to make sure you’re actually doing the right thing.

[@SocarellaDeToussaint]

For me the movie that portrays the best Gen Z is Two Girls One Cup. What an emotional yet realistic portrayal of our generation. Saturn Award.

[@xapokalypse]

Never heard of that. Two Girls One Cup did remind me of something else unfortunately...

[@imuRgency]

girl get out LMFAOO

[@ik1149]

Not you purposefully posting misinformation on the internet

[@yasdaiana]

I cried watching it

[@syds8752]

Electric chair

[@raindeer9787]

2:17 this also applies to commercials. I've heard so many ads that have that "millennial quirky" vibe to them, and its like, yk that gen z are also adults now, right? And can buy things? And who you really should be advertising to if you want to be "relatable to the youths?"

[@CrepuscularQueen]

I never heard of Heartbreak High until this video. When I looked it up I was amazed at how relatable and realistic the style was. How the people look like kids that would go to my high school. It was strange but wonderful and I think I understand now as a gen z what kind of missing authentic generation repersentation we don't have. I really want to watch this show now because it feels so weird but wonderful seeing people that look like my age and recognizable style that I it could literally just be another teen from my highschool as a main character.

[@AzzyLera]

Im a millenial, really loving the perspective you give in this video! You always give spot on examples and it really shows me how genz might not even get to see themselves represented as much as previous generations. Very insightful & well done!!

[@Anonymous_JK_Lover]

I agree! I'm a millennial too and I feel like he made great points. Like truly until he said it I didn't realize that most of Gen z theme shows are stuck in high school. Funny enough I love sex education because I thought it was more realistic than most of the shows. I think millennials and Gen z definitely have gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to representation. Millenials got pretty much bashed lol and for Gen z most shows just miss the mark like overly edgy for no reason.

[@nils2321]

I do very much appreciate well written geez representation! not only cause of reliability to different characters, but just to feel at ease. like heartbreak high was sooo good, it felt like my friend group honestly. and I definitely want/need more actual gen z representation in shows and movies. but on the other hand we cannot forget that this is still entertainment, that's why im not complaining at all when it comes to euphoria. it might be too much or romanticising but its different from what we've seen before. and I love that!

[@paranoidjunkyard6947]

gen z'er here: i want more scifi/fantasy-taken-seriously movies that aren't reboots or re-imaginings of older movies/shows. i love science fiction or those very few pieces of media where fantasy elements are explored scientifically, and i'd love to see more of that geared towards us and our culture. we see modern fantasy settings all the time in fanfiction, but when is it our time to see that in a mainstream movie?

[@alexanderavila4662]

Sorry for the length and if there are any grammar mistakes. The Shin trilogy is somewhat what your saying. There are 4 franchises in total and there may or may not be more later. This is called the Shin Japan Heroes Universe To explain what that means is that the Shin Trilogy is the live action aspect of it relying on 3 of the franchises of the 4 that are in it. This Shin Trilogy is of tokusatsu legends, that being based on franchises in the same genre as the type of films and shows of Godzilla and Power Rangers (which is somewhat an American made take of Super Sentai which is what PR is based on) and other things alike. The trilogy consists of Shin Godzilla, Shin Ultraman (Ultraman was made by someone who would work on Godzilla films), and Shin Kamen Rider ( Kamen Rider was made by the same guy who made Super Sentai. KR who has had a few American made takes but both KR and SS are present as their original selves in the west too, KR the most) anyhow the trilogy is connected through marketing crossovers and references in films as of now but they are retellings of the original stories and the original title character, being as accurate to the original and what it was meant to be in message, cinematography, and such, holding the original message against the many perspectives and interpretations of the what the message was meant to go up against like its modern counterpart. All these stories have a lot in common but these are some things titular with the original, Godzilla: A gigantic, prehistoric, dinosaur-like amphibious creature powered by nuclear radiation, Godzilla began as a metaphor warning against the dangers of nuclear proliferation in the wake of World War II and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Ultraman: Ultraman (ウルトラマン Urutoraman) is an alien from a place called the Land of Light in Nebula M78, who chased the monster Bemular to Planet Earth, and merged with Shin Hayata during his tenure there. He is the first Ultra to visit Earth and defended the planet against Kaiju. Kamen Rider also know as Masked Rider: college student and motorcycle enthusiast Takeshi Hongo is abducted by the Sustainable Happiness Organization with Computational Knowledge Embedded Remodeling, also known simply as Shocker. Shocker is a mirror of society causing and bystanding next to conflict big or small, normalized or abnormal, but it is more than meets the eye as at their core these issues can reveal the shallowness of people regardless of topic. Shocker is an all-loving society that pursues happiness for humanity. Shocker converted Takeshi into a cyborg as part of their plans for world domination. Before they can brainwash him to do their bidding, he escapes and uses his new enhanced abilities as the superhero Masked Rider to wage a one-man war against Shocker. Masked Rider has pledged to fight Shocker so that human beings stay human and all life is defended, "innocent" and "guilty". All these stories as a whole explore themes of war, the shallow reasons behind the rejection of love and the acceptance of love, the hatred that so many would somehow bond over, and so on, no issue too small or too big, the shin trilogy within each respective film acknowledges all these things and the situations they were shown in the original work. These are True/ True Superhero tales, typically a superhero is an outcast. These are "True/True Superhero" tales because they examine and show what it means to be one, they are not shallow or glorify violence, the movies are dark at times and symbolic and true to the original works in its fantastical elements while showing scarily realistic scenarios of the original events because in what may look to an unware person, a campy exterior, lies behind dreadful stories that follow up with holding out to hope in times of despair, Shin Godzilla makes reference to the bombings while speaking of another disaster, Shin Ultraman showed the title hero not have to go through tragedy to do what's right, and the upcoming Shin Kamen Rider is a man vs society superhero tale. These 3 were part of the childhoods of thousands of people around the world in some shape or form and were made by people who were fighting for a cause beyond what many may protest or debate over, these are causes that relate to truth and right from wrong. The creator of Astro Boy, Black, The Princess Knight, Bomba! and so on is Osamu Tezuka, he was the teacher of Shotaro Ishinomori creator of Masked Rider and Super Sentai among many other stories. There are other greats as well but typically these are the people that did their work for a good cause, to acknowledge as much as they can and give even some the knowledge and the inspiration to fight what was called right wrong, and these weren't simply about calling something wrong simply because some thought it was outdated they were much better than that, it was about issues and problems people would justify, issues that happen still but somehow have easy solutions, stories of men from all ages and walks of life and backgrounds fighting the crowd through heart and intellect. These stories have scary concepts and beautiful and hopeful messages. In an episode of the tv show of the first Masked Rider in the 70s tv show he says "life is more important that even justice or peace" when put thought into it you can see what its about.

[@shashakarim7596]

Great vid! I think including more clips from the shows mentioned would be a wonderful addition that would help showcase your points 🙏

[@Maizzy42]

I'm a millennial BUT BUT I work in the entertainment industry. Just wanted to contribute my observations from my little slice of said industry: Even if a gen z person gets a foot into a writers room, they're still WAY not anywhere near holding power at the moment. Execs are young boomers or old gen x, and they aren't usually that interested in the creative process of making media, but sometimes think they have brilliant ideas to contribute that then HAVE to be factored in. Across the board from what I've seen, the real powerhouses behind creative direction at the moment are all gen x. Millennials are juuust starting to get up to creative director positions in my field, but mostly it's still all gen x. they're too young to get out of the game and open up the positions for millennials and definitely not for gen z yet. So what I'm saying is, you're 100% correct about having a few more years of awkwardly inauthentic feeling gen z media 🫠 creative teams have to bow down to their directors and directors are two generations out of touch at the moment, not even just one.

[@joosbeastmode5354]

As a millennial, I grew up on Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, and Vampire Diaries and not a single one of those shows had an ounce of diversity or relatability. Still, they were so good at the time. I think you are right about needing that distance because ultimately you watch a show to have fun and escape reality for an hour. Forced representation, especially in the shows that try too hard just, kills the vibe. That's why I agree with you about Sex Education. That show just does it right.

[@jsiahc]

i’m so happy u brought up AAVE and the reality of it

[@casidelbowen2675]

I'm an old millennial and I can tell you, our media representation was NEVER accurate. Always one dimensional. And we clowned on it all the time, even the good ones. But the ones that stuck stuck, not because they were accurate, but because they were aspirational or simply entertaining. Which I think goes to show that what Gen-Z really needs isn't ACCURACY in its characters. Y'all just need GOOD CHARACTERS with resonant individual personalities.

[@hoppyhoppy9267]

Based and true.

[@F_YTB]

So happy you mentioned heart break high!!! It was so well executed 👌🏾👏🏾

[@c-eaveraa950]

I’m a sucker for well structured opinion pieces and this just ticks all of my boxes ❤️❤️

[@Chuuzus]

$ex Education to me is a great Gen Z representation

[@lisaklassen9743]

i personally think the reason why heartbreak high is so accurate is because it's an australian show made for gen z australian viewers. and as its target market i can say that it was very accurate and did do a rlly good job at representing our generation without looking like they tried too hard. i've seen many people talking online abt how heartbreak high wasn't representative of gen z but the ppl saying that aren't australian and they don't realise this was, like i said, targetted at australian gen z viewers so it has lots of australian references.

[@syds8752]

I remember some popular media (can’t remember which) interviewed some Gen Z high schoolers and questioned how they felt millennial culture and gen z culture were different. One Black person being interviewed stuck out to me because they were describing how they typically don’t see much difference between say Black Twitter (millennials and gen z) and popular Gen Z culture because we all typically find the same things funny or interesting while white millennial vs popular gen z culture is where you find the true differences. I think about that shit all the time. We need more Black representation in general but specifically Black Gen Z and Millennial reps

[@ShiniGuraiJoker]

The first video my feed has ever recommended for you. Gave you a thumbs up. Great video. Gonna have to check out more.

[@butterfly-bm7zy]

Gen Z for me: - speak openly about mental health - open minded (LGBTQIA+, pronouns) - activism (social, environmental, political) - memes - relatability in terms of growing up in a technological world I think there is a lot of internalized hate lol amongst my fellow Gen Z’s, but we are actually not as bad as we’re often portrayed.

[@Main3account]

The 2 and 4 is NO

[@violetmarlo2978]

Thank U again for the lovely content; this is such a cool topic. Something I’ve always wondered about is how unrealistic they make high school students in tv. Like they can be sophomores and be going to beach houses, taking week long trips, they be grown😅. I think it gives young people unrealistic expectations, including myself.

[@Leo-Galaxy]

*Heartstopper is also a great representation for Gen Z.*

[@juancruz-ps3cs]

Sorry but heartstopper is soo Disney, I mean I love it but thats not real

[@meganmcleod6152]

@@juancruz-ps3cs it’s not so disney at all. read the books- the only thing different is really that they don’t swear in the show

[@juancruz-ps3cs]

@@meganmcleod6152 I have all the comic books and I loved them just like the series. I’m not being a hater I’m just saying it’s not realistic like other shows such as Young Royals or SKAM. It’s a great show though I don’t need another skam or another YR. Heartstopper is great, I just don’t find it realistic .

[@majlordag1889]

@@juancruz-ps3cs i think heartstopper really seemed like out of a Tumblr girls imagination which it was and not a real depiction of how young people act

[@octavianschaefer7294]

Heartstopper is kinda a best case scenario less than a truly accurate portrayal

[@lilil9752]

Gen z characters are rarely going to be written by actual people from Gen z , also a lot of the writers collect their information from the internet

[@TheBiggestMoronYouKnow]

yeah, cuz most of you still ask if you can go to the bathroom lmao graduate college, get a writing degree

[@katgreer6113]

Bro, these writers need to ask teachers or people who work closely with kids to tell them how kids really act. Some actors even literally become their character before actually filming meaning going to a high-school, talking with teens, etc. I mean I heard the creators of frozen legit went to a whole nother country just to get accurate representation of Nordic culture in the animation.💀

[@VoidAlien]

Wait, there's Nordic culture in Elsa?

[@lilil9752]

@@TheBiggestMoronYouKnow i already graduated, i do have a literature degree, i don't see the need for hostility

[@BitchChill]

The majority of gen z kids live their life on the internet

[@salomeeserol2129]

For me as a French Gen Z, the show I most relate to is Skam FR. It is my references, my humor, my problems, and I could know those characters, they could be friends, family... It really hit close to home so I hope it will continue for long !

[@amyleah08]

ik this is not your typical "gen z" show, but I absolutely LOVE Ellie from the Last of Us show (I haven't played the games yet). Granted, she's only 14-15 and I'm a bit older now, but she actually felt REAL. She was written with actual respect and care and it is so rare to see that with characters in my age range (I'm 16, btw). Her character felt like such a breath of fresh air, and I was able to see myself in her. Like you were saying, I didn't realize how much I needed to see myself represented in the shows I watch. The fact that she is lesbian was just the cherry on top as someone who recently started coming out.

[@mmarceline3]

i think my favorite teen shows recently have been heartbreak high and the midnight club. one is gen z one isn’t so ya know there’s that. but both were just like normal teens. and with hbh i mean i already saw ur video and commented so i won’t go off about it but i loved it and thought it did an amazing job. probably one of the best examples i’ve personally seen of an accurate portrayal of gen z

[@mmarceline3]

what you said about grand army made me add it to my list of shows cause it sounds like something i need to watch!!

[@GirlDo3]

Frr and its funny that midnight club feels so gen Z meanwhile it's supposed to be in the 90s.

[@mmarceline3]

i’m back to say that grand army is really fucking good and it was a bit too real at times like i had to take multiple breaks because it fucking hurt to watch. and now i learn there will be no season 2 bc it’s canceled 😭 this is real heartbreak

[@blondeandconfused]

id argue heartbreak high has pretty good characterisation. I found parts of it relatable as an Australian teenager. It certainly does it better than the rest.

[@LindseyStudios]

Sex lives of college girls is one of my favorite Gen Z shows. Especially since it takes place in college and not high school

[@davidpeltier9148]

As someone who is 24 and the progenitor of Gen Z. I 100% agree. I also think you did a great job in explaining it. I wonder if it's because some of us are now out of college and actually contributing to these shows. Awesome work on your video. I'm definitely subscribing.

[@gavrilop]

personally i hate how all "gen z" shows are always about like sendjng nodes or having them leaked to the "whole school" like okay thats not the only issue that can happen to us like huh 😭

[@singmeunder]

As an older Gen Z, I never really felt like TV media was ever actually meant to represent us as much as it was just entertaining. Take Disney shows for example. It feels like I they exist in a completely separate but parallel universe. In the end, I came to prefer user-generated media because it felt more real and was naturally relatable.

[@hafsaelmalhouf7739]

OMG I've been meaning to Thank you so much for the recommendation on heartbreak high I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT, it was so good and I love the representation/the humor/the cute gay relationship/the characters(except Sasha) and I can't wait for season 2

[@jordanbrown3887]

No one mentioned "Betty" on HBO Max!! I'm aa zellenial or older gen z (about to turn 25 born in 98). Betty is a great representation of Gen Z because it shows college aged but not at the university! What life is like for 18-23ish year olds just living life in new york skating, having a good time, making mistakes, and learning life lessons with friends

[@oelekegel]

as an autistic gen Z, heartbreak high was so representative and relatable and recently the second season got greenlit and im soo happy

[@krizhiel6376]

i clicked this video bcs ik that everything that you are going to say here is right. i thought i was the only one bothered and im so happy that someone is finally talking about it. one of the few movies that I actually think that represents gen z so well is 'Heartstopper'. idk if its bcs its made from UK and having british casts but I really love the dialogues and how it portrays the awkwardness most gen z conversations have in real life. sometimes accurate presentation really helps in letting teenagers see what being an actual teenager is and that it is not always so serious, always having drama, always going to parties, and having sex all the time. we have school and priorities and sometimes most gen z's life are boring and average and its important for shows to represent that.