Every generation has its trends, but some modern ones really get under Baby Boomers’ skin. From lifestyle habits to fashion choices, these trends leave Boomers scratching (and shaking) their heads.
1. Influencer Culture
For Baby Boomers, following influencers and taking lifestyle advice from strangers on social media seems bizarre. Many Boomers can’t get behind the concept of people making a living off curated snapshots of their lives or endorsing products they’ve only just discovered. To Boomers, the “influencer” phenomenon feels contrived and superficial, a departure from authenticity and a symbol of oversharing.
2. Our Obsession with Smartphones
While smartphones are handy tools, Boomers can’t stand how people are glued to their screens around the clock. To them, constant phone use feels like an invasion into real-life interactions, replacing meaningful conversations with distracted glances. The younger generation’s tendency to document every moment instead of living in it is a trend many Boomers find frustrating and unnecessary.
3. Over-the-Top Fitness Trends
Trendy fitness classes like CrossFit, SoulCycle, and extreme HIIT workouts don’t make much sense to many Boomers. They grew up with simpler workouts—think jogging, cycling, or weightlifting without the intense branding. The high price tags, cult-like enthusiasm, and intensity of today’s fitness trends can seem excessive or intimidating, leaving Boomers scratching their heads.
4. Avocado Toast (and Other Foodie Trends)
Boomers can’t understand the hype around certain food trends, especially when they come with inflated price tags. The popularity of avocado toast, overpriced smoothies, and gourmet coffee drinks feels excessive to a generation raised on simpler fare. For Boomers, these trendy (and costly) foods seem wasteful, and they question why anyone would spend so much on what they see as basic food items.
5. Badly Made Fast Fashion
The fast fashion industry is a major frustration for Boomers, who were raised to value quality and longevity in their clothing. To them, buying cheap clothes that only last a season feels wasteful and unnecessary. Many Boomers prefer to invest in durable, timeless pieces that they can wear for years rather than chasing the latest trend with clothes that quickly wear out or go out of style.
6. Extreme Cosmetic Procedures
The trend toward cosmetic enhancements and extreme beauty procedures is foreign to Boomers. From fillers and Botox to contouring and lip injections, today’s beauty standards feel over the top to many in this generation. They see these trends as unnatural and wonder why people can’t embrace their natural features instead of altering them for the sake of temporary trends.
7. Minimalism as a Lifestyle
The minimalist trend and the idea of “decluttering” have grown in popularity, but some Boomers are baffled by the obsession with empty spaces. Many grew up valuing collections, family heirlooms, and items with sentimental value, and the push to live with only essentials can feel cold or impersonal to them. They may view minimalism as stripping homes of warmth and personality.
8. Sharing Personal Lives on Social Media
Social media oversharing is a major point of contention for Boomers, who generally grew up with a more private approach to personal life. They find it odd to share every meal, vacation, and life event online for all to see. Many feel that certain details should remain private, and the trend of documenting every moment can come across as attention-seeking or intrusive.
9. Wearing Athleisure as a Style Statement
Athleisure, or wearing gym clothes as everyday attire, is a trend that many Boomers just can’t understand. For them, gym wear is for the gym, and they prefer more structured outfits in everyday settings. The idea of leggings, hoodies, and sneakers as acceptable attire outside of workouts feels too casual and even lazy, blurring the lines between relaxed and sloppy.
10. Tiny Houses and Van Life
The minimalist “tiny house” and “van life” trends can seem strange and impractical to Boomers, who were raised to aspire to larger homes and stable careers. Downsizing to such an extreme level or choosing to live out of a van doesn’t align with the values of comfort and stability they grew up with. For them, cramming into a small space by choice is baffling.
11. Indulging in “Self-Care”
While taking care of oneself is important, the current trend of extreme “self-care” routines, including spa days, expensive skincare, and “treat yourself” days, feels excessive to Boomers. They grew up with simpler routines and needing a ritualized self-care routine to relax, or recharge seems indulgent or over-commercialized, especially when it comes with a hefty price tag.
12. Oversized, Baggy Clothing
The trend of wearing oversized, boxy clothing feels confusing to Boomers, who were used to more fitted styles. They may see baggy jeans, giant sweaters, and shapeless dresses as unflattering or sloppy. For a generation that embraced tailored, structured looks, today’s oversized fashion trend feels like a rejection of elegance in favor of casual comfort taken to the extreme.
13. Pronoun Preferences and Inclusive Language
Inclusive language and the emphasis on sharing pronouns is something Boomers can struggle to understand fully. While many recognize the importance of respecting others, they may find the frequent mention of pronouns or the idea of “preferred names” unfamiliar and difficult to keep up with. It’s a cultural shift that can feel confusing and hard to navigate, especially if it wasn’t part of their upbringing.
14. Home Delivery Services
From food delivery apps to subscription services for nearly every product, today’s “get it now” culture seems indulgent to Boomers. Many in this generation are accustomed to doing their shopping, cooking, and running errands. Relying on delivery services for everything, from groceries to clothing, can seem excessive and a sign of an instant-gratification culture that they don’t relate to.
15. The “Digital Detox” Movement
The concept of “digital detoxing” may sound absurd to Boomers, who remember when phones, computers, and the internet didn’t dominate daily life. While younger generations feel the need to disconnect from their devices periodically, many Boomers find it odd that people have to “detox” from something they voluntarily overuse. This trend often highlights the generation’s different relationships with technology.