Why Does Gen Z Look SO Old? | Style Theory 

this is just the club penguin meme where 18 and over is represented by a penguin with a walking cane and bent back

i think this is a chronically online thing. every gen z i know and have seen irl looks perfectly fine and their age. ppl need to go outside more

I’ve looked 40 since I was about 12.

You missed vaping! Millennials were the first generation who didn’t regularly smoke cigarettes - but vaping became a thing and Gen Z took to tobacco use.

"age is just a number." is a line you never wanna hear as a child.

Huh I'm experiencing the opposite. Turning 20 and everyone says I look like I'm 16.

As a millennial I don’t think Gen Z looks old. A section of them are just so obsessed with having a glow up & looking perfect at such young ages that they course correct too hard & skip the awkward stages of youth. I honestly think the reason behind it is that they grew up on the internet & smartphones so the risk of being “caught on camera” looking a certain way or behaving a certain way is often at the back of their minds.

THANK YOU! You can't imagine how often I try to explain that to my family and friends. Socrates said 2400 years ago: "The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers." It's the same thing. The old is always complaining about the youth. I'm near 30 now and all my family and friends are constantly criticizing teenagers and kids for everything. It's so sad. I have the feeling that no one tries to understand and we keep repeating the same fights, the same debates, the same problems. Like as we are not able to learn mentally and socially.

In the wise words of Macklemore, "I wear your grandad's clothes. I look incredible."

as a gen z- last week i got asked if i needed help finding my mom in a grocery store (and im old enough to drink)

I call cap on the stress theory because Millennials were born and bathed in stress. We're the first internet generation so the first to experience cyberbullying; half of us were kids when 9/11 and the War on Terror happened, and most of us were either graduating or entering the work-force during the biggest financial & housing crisis since the Great Depression, yet we get told the opposite on how old we look. Also, Gen X (80s teens) is who gets told they looked 30 in HS, not Millennials, especially not 90s babies.

Genetics also plays a role too. I have family members in their 60's that still look like they're in their mid to late 40's, while I also have family members that are in their 60's who actually look it. Honestly, I think it's better to teach the youths of today that aging is a part of life, and that there's nothing wrong with that. It's a natural thing that happens to everyone. We should be embracing that as another stage of life, rather than belittling it. S:

It also feels like we're having these generations grow up with HD cameras that show everything we've ever described as "signs of aging" in greater and more constant detail than ever, so some of it was probably just normal and we never noticed until the cameras showed it all...

11:32 - "It's the fact that we as humans are bad at identifying age based on sight alone." Oh, thank God-I'm not the only one! As a 30-year-old, I'm always wary of trying to flirt with women because I never know which ones are actually teenagers who I'm perceiving as young adults.

My gen alpha child said... "I'm not coming for anyone. I'm just going to be chillin living my life"

I'm sticking with my mom's method of aging, which is to accept it and thrive in it everybody gets old and everybody dies, I would rather spend money on things that make my life more enjoyable for me and my friends and family, instead of trying to look like whatever is trending...

educating on the risks of cosmetic surgery without shaming the victims of beauty culture?? thank you. so much.

dude im a xennial--47 years old, when i saw jordan admit he was younger than zendaya i was floored lol

the face age perception thing is genuinely insightful, great addition to the conversation!!

As someone who plans on getting married in the next couple of years, when someone offered me their wedding dress they wore in the 70s, I said yes right away. Weddings today are extremely expensive!

MatPat hit this on the head. New generations don't have culture tying them together, so they're leaning on older music, older TV, older everything. As a result, they all look like they're cosplaying my parents, and I'm a millenial.

This happens with each generation back in the 2000’s and 2010’s Millennials were the old ones and probably in the future Gen Alpha will be considered “old”

13:08 alphas have been on the internet from too early. I'm 17 and I've been on the internet for not more than 7 years, while these guys are on- my sister, I think from around 7.

Some dude named jordan that does food secrets is like 25 and he looks 42. Gen Z looks old man lol. We were brought up on the right amount of preservatives to mummify us while were alive.

4:00 A gen z person who uses no makeup: I am younger looking than my classmates!

This got old so fast

AMY: “age is just a number” ME: “wanna know what else is a number…..? **911**”

your explanations are always so clear, thank you!

I am Gen Z, and i know that i have MASSIVE bags under my eyes.

I'm a Middle Millennial and have gotten so many compliments from Gen z on my dressier clothes - - they get SO excited when they find out my skirts are literally from the 60-70's and inherited from my mother and her Hippy phase, that my hats are from Halloween costume shops bought in November and then customized to be less specifically a character and more just *fancy*.

Yall should do a video about ASMR makeup videos (specifically shorts), like to see if those “doing your hair/makeup in one minute” videos can actually be done!

Stress was what I was gonna say

I'm a 5'3" 24 year-old woman that wears glasses. If I wear shorts, headphones, and either a graphic tee or a backpack, I look like a teenager.

Before watching this video, I feel like this super applies to gen alpha cause i still remember times before social media and before phones and I was born in the mid 2000’s

As an 18 year old gen z’er i remember not too long ago seeing girls my age or younger look way older because of makeup

Its the stress

3:28 This makes a lot of sense! Yesterday I was trying on new clothes, and I got some flared jeans with lots of pockets, and my grandparents and mom all said I looked like a hippie :P

Style Theory: Gen Z is born between 1997 & 2012 making the youngest age 12 and the oldest 28. Me who’s 27 born in 1996: 🤨

Would love a video on why some ppl have babyfaces. I have a babyface and I'm also short. I'm almost 40 and still have encounters where I'm asked to show ID bc ppl can't tell if I'm over 18. During my 20's ppl would think I was the younger sibling. Having a babyface can be fun sometimes but it can also be a curse. Especially since other ppl my age looks older than me and I'm starting to get tired of ppl getting shocked that I'm atleast 10 years older than they thought. I've never been into skincare, but have tried it. My skin is just very sensitive. I love makeup but rarely use it and can't contour at all. Just as said in the video, contouring wasn't really a thing when I was a teen. I'm afab and spent my teens and early 20's as female presenting. I used concealer to hide acne, foundation, powder and a rough (not sure how it is spelled) to slightly mark my cheekbones. And ofc I used kajal/eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara, lipliner, gloss/lipstick. I would love to do a video one day on how I used to do my makeup, but makeup has become so expensive nowdays. Which brings me to another idea of topic I would love to see on this channel. Which is "How makeup has become more expensive and why that is". For example: I bought some eye makeup the other day bc I was going to a show and my makeup was like 10 years old, and was shocked at the cost. Things were like 3x the price I used to pay. Isadora used to be a brand anyone could afford and now it is expensive. Looking at Isadora now felt like looking at MaxFactor when I was a teen. An expensive model worthy brand I would save my allowance for to be able to buy one product of. I love this channel.

Theory idea: the best way to pack suitcases for a trip! How to fold clothes to fit more, while avoiding creases & wrinkles, and maybe which suitcases are better for fitting more material

I've seen about a hundred articles that all say "Yeah, they've known every little doom and gloom from here to Timbuktu since they could read. They're stressed out of their minds." And I think that's a pretty solid explanation, tbh. It would also explain the discrepancies from one person to another. And for those thinking this is just an online thing, it's not. At my place of work we have issues with customers assuming our newer employees are senior staff because they look older.

Gen Z looking old faster? Boy, i wish, i'm in my early 20s and i still look like a preteen

As a 12 year old gen z I actually only use makeup if I’m going somewhere but only blush and highlighter and only heavy makeup and I also have the biggest baby cheeks and I am like 4:10ft which makes me look 4 years younger than I actually am

This video is making me feel a bit better. I don’t keep up with fashion but my mom often tells me I dress old. I blame my aunt and our friends of the family and my grandad. All of them were born in the 50s and all of them have given me an array of clothing over the years. You can look back on picture of me as a child and Im wearing vintage clothing and I love those pictures. Now that Amy is pointing out just how old our generation dresses it makes me feel a bit more normal. Also I should have realized this but things go over my head sometimes. I notice something but don’t really process it until someone points it out.

*STRESS* That's why! Edit: Hey, I have a crazy idea for a new feature on RU-vid. They should add a "Least Popular" option, so that you can see a channel's least viewed videos

I love the fact that Ollie is the face of Gen Alpha for Team Theorist ❤

Way to go for style theory to bring something up that ive never heard of 😭

I love the Ollie cameo at the end! Let’s be real, if he wants it he can have any channel to theorize about to continue the legacy ❤

Wow… it’s almost like humans age!

think this is a chronically online thing. every gen z i know and have seen irl looks perfectly fine and their age. ppl need to go outside more

This was a great vid that hit a lot of points.

Thank you so much Amy for trying to explain what ever trends my gen Z peers are par taking in which I don’t. I never understood why thrifting and cottage core was so popular. You’re 100% right we need to fear my younger brother and the rest of gen Alpha 😂

Im 24... I look 32... fr! I've never did any procedures or makeup, it's purely and ultimately STRESS! Pandemic? Yes. But also WORK, the wages and the prices of things arent what they used to be in the 90s or early 2000s, that makes our jobs pay less, and stress more! It's crazy, and I hate this being this way!

As a Millennial, I look younger than all my younger siblings, only one of which missed being Gen Z by one year. But I'm also the only one who never smoked cigarettes.

This September, first studying day, a bypasser asked me if I was excited to go to school. I was headed to Uni, as a senior. I had just turned 21.

Another theory video, sign me up. Automatically goes on my watch later list. Alsod o a theory on heavy metal battle vests with loads of patches. Perfect for style theory.

Considering some of the shiitake mushrooms Gen Z and adjacent generations have gone through in the last 10-20 years, much of which has forced them to grow up hella fast... I don't think I'd blame(?) them or whatever about looking or acting older than previous generations did.

ST idea: You know Cindella's glass slippers? Could someone actually wear them? It'd probably depend on the type of glass, the person's weight, etc. And not to mention, floating across a dance floor in them.

gen Z blaming it on stress is not because life is harder or more stressful, its because they are weak and can't handle a fraction of the hardship most of the worlds population has faced

I don't buy the argument that gen z is more stressed than any other generation as every generation has had massive pressure placed on it AND less access to resources than gen z. It's all subjective, but I will agree that the constant use of the phone and social media is a legit source of stress that other generations didn't have.

“age is just a number” prison is just a room, it’s fine!

Someone literally just posted a picture of their grandfather at 18 who looks 25 and himself right now at 18 who looks 12.

I'm pretty sure Gen Z looking old is just an online thing. we can easily tell if that person is young base on their voice, their looks, their style and their way of speaking, especially their way of speaking.

I definitely agree with the first point about clothing!! Personally I loveeee the 70s style. I try to thrift for similar styles which definitely aligns with this point!

"im stuck like this... forever...." the most real line ever. im gen alpha and my sister a gen z looks like she is 20! she is ony 15!

I found this so ironic because I'm 20 years old, almost 21, and everyone says that I look 16.

Love the videos! I would really appreciate it, and it would help the scientific style of the channel(s) if you would cite your sources during the video or put them in the description. Some of the sources could be interesting from a psychological research point of view

0:48 We love the pres of the fast food secrets club getting his own article

"Age is just a number" and prison is just a place

New style theory!

A+ addition of having the Wind Rose short in the end there as a cameo. Rock and Stone!

that is impossible because if everyone looked older then that would just become the normal for that age

why is the title a personal attack ☹️

As a gen Z-er myself, this video has convinced me I live under a rock

I was a little scared of what this video was gonna say, but im glad it got to where it ended. thank you for telling it like it is: not a big deal in the slightest

The little eyes on all the characters are so funny! 😆😹 I enjoyed them! Very nice…

That thumbnail is BRUTAL! I love it, never change.

As a millennial myself, I give GenZ my sympathies for the aging from stress. And I'll give them props on recycling clothing that I couldn't do. Anything else, like make-up, and plastic surgery. That's on them. Deal with the consequences of your own actions. I'll see your wrinkles from the other side. Lol

Vaping is big with Gen Z, so I wonder if that's played a role.

12-27. 28 is 1996

13:03 “…because Gen Alpha is coming for all of us.” Agreed all of the “older” generations need to band together against those young whippersnappers! 🤣

I think older generations say they're less stressed in general because they grew up in an environment that teaches that admiting feeling bad is a weakness

The really scary is that Gen Beta starts NEXT YEAR

a very lovely video, positive and informative

The THREE most significant factors in ageing skin are wealth, smoking, and sun exposure. Millenials were probably the first generation to adopt sunscreen en mass and they started working more in the office. The younger generation are also less likely to smoke (more likely to vape). Generally speaking, the richer you are, the younger you look. The poor age is a lot quicker because of chronic stress. This is not generational because every generation has their share of rich and poor. Therefore, wear sunscreen, avoid sun exposure as much as possible, don't smoke, and just be rich.

Tbf I think it just comes down to the sun. You see 15 year old Americans and they look about 40 but 15 year olds from the UK, where its often cloudy, look about 12. I would imagine gen Z would look younger if anything since a lot of them prefer staying indoors + all the lockdowns we had a few years back. It's an odd one.

This is kind of true to an extent. Many times I used to think a girl was older than her age and was about to ask her out then realize to my horror that they are 10y younger than me.

At first, I thought that covid hadn't really affected me, but then I realised my forehead - only my forehead, is full of WRINKLES

Millennials look young for our age. Idk how since we have been stressed out whole lives but we do.

I'm only 30, but I've always looked old. I was always taller and broader than other kids and I had a full beard by 17. Going bald at 23 also added to the effect.

Hey Amy, love the awesome work you’re doing! I got a suggestion I wanna know that I’d love to see on your channel. So recently Ol’ Spice is saying that it “scientifically makes men’s hair more better” and I wanna know if there’s a clear difference to a regular shampoo brand, Ol’ Space, and possibly others. Have a great day!

Wow… it’s almost like humans age!!

bro gen z is lucky cuz pepole back in the 1800s who were kids look like adults

I feel like it’s also related to the fact that society has been thinking of Gen z as children for so long that seeing an adult Gen z makes them think “wow these kids are old now”

You have put a new spin on sltlye theory and i like it

I got an anti aging ad on this video 💀

For some reason Amy mentioning the pandemic made me want to play animal crossing new horizons

Am I the only one that reflects on my life like this? "Reminds me of when I used to see friends in person.... (6th grade) THAT WAS 10 YEARS AGO? Man, I am getting ooooooold..."

Well,my face stuck at 13 years old, i even needed my mother to clarify that im 18 to take my driving license (yes,it sucks) and I'm still stuck with that face

"Age is just a number" famous last words