Why I was born in the wrong generation
Photo by Eliott Reyna on Unsplash
By Talia Corney
There’s something embarrassing about feeling nostalgia for decades I’ve never experienced. Maybe I’m influenced by TikTok romanticising vintage culture, but I truly feel this generation just isn’t for me.
Hearing about my parents’ escapades during school, their gap years and general social life sometimes makes me think I am just a boring person. But when I look around, it’s not like others my age are out every night, partying into the small hours in London’s most vibrant hotspots.
Don’t get me wrong, I adore my friends and we certainly have a laugh together. But the endless Saturday nights spent hanging out at someone’s house are becoming tedious. While parents wonder why we’re not venturing out so often, when we do, they want to know exactly where we are and what we are doing.
There is, of course, a genuine need to be more cautious nowadays when going out. However, I would put this down to phone culture and social media. ‘We’ll decide where we’re going when you get here,’ inevitably ends in doom scrolling on someone’s bed with the occasional snigger from an Instagram reel that one of us has sent. My friends and I are very conscious of this and often create a ‘phone pile’ when going out to eat or having a deep conversation. But surely this shouldn’t be necessary for us to interact?
While I am guilty of my nightly scroll, my friends often laugh at how incompetent I am with technology. It is true that I take photos with my thumb covering the lens from the most unflattering angle possible and I still cannot touch type at the ripe age of seventeen. But part of me doesn’t mind this. As an A-level English literature student, I fit the stereotype perfectly; I love writing with a pen in hand, wouldn’t dare listen to an audiobook and cherish the smell of a new paperback. I’ve been told I write my essays like I’m 80 years old.
So call me unconventional for this generation, but what people don’t see is that they unconsciously envy the past as well. Let’s take the trending comeback of 80s music and fashion. I know my mum has been confused when I come down the stairs in a pair of extra tight low-rise jeans, with a headband in my hair. “Wow, I remember those from when I was young,” prompts a reply of: “What do you mean, these literally just became a thing.” Cue my mum rolling her eyes.
Perhaps people are finally becoming sick of modern fashion trends such as Pinterest-worthy pink matching sets or parachute pants.
The same goes for music. After hearing the same five songs played on repeat, a techno remix making my head pound, it’s no surprise I am secretly relieved when my parents turn on Absolute 80’s and the headache subsides.
I am, admittedly, a victim of technology, fast fashion trends and the internet’s rapid access to everything. After all, Snapchat and Instagram are simply the ways we communicate now. It certainly brings convenience, if nothing else.
It’s not that I don’t go to parties, use social media and enjoy many perks of this generation. But some aspects of life just seemed more appealing fifty years ago.
And I’ve discovered it is not just me who feels this way.
When gathering consensus from my group chat, the main response was: ‘DW - we feel the same.’
