There are a lot of stereotypes about young people today, especially Gen Z and Gen Alpha (people born between 1997 and 2024) Older generations often say we care too much about makeup, skincare, and social media. They sometimes call us names like “Sephora kids” or say we have “brainrot” or that we’re “wearing too much makeup.” These labels can hurt our feelings and make us feel bad about who we are.
One of the biggest stereotypes of our generation is that we all have brainrot. Brainrot is when your brain feels worn out from watching too much low-quality content online. This is sometimes offensive because many of us have found our community with social media and brainrot memes. When parents, teachers, and other adults say things like “stop saying 6-7,” they are unknowingly destroying good things that in reality cause no harm to children.
“When we say brainrot, we say it ironically not because we are the ‘brainrotted’ kids that many people make us out to be,” said Josephine Hernandez’ 31.
Another strong stereotype is that we are “Sephora kids.” Sephora kids are teens and pre-teen girls who are obsessed with “preppy” and “trendy” products. This trend became a big thing around 2022-2023 when “get ready with me” videos became a big hit. In these videos, people show what products they use. All of a sudden, girls were loving products they saw in videos and wanting to buy them immediately. It may be true for some people, but not all of us are Sephora kids. Being labeled this way is harmful because we are being judged unfairly.
Finally, some older generations don’t think we know how to have in-person relationships because we have grown up on social media and online. However, Carrollton is a great example of how this is not true. We have a very strong community and see each other and talk every day. And, in reality, according to one survey, “over half of Gen Z strongly agree that in-person relationships are more valuable than digital relationships.”
To be honest, people should stop judging Gen Alpha and Gen Z kids based on unfair stereotypes. We are growing up in a different world with new technology, trends, and ways of learning. Adults should try to understand us better. Every generation has things that make it unique, and just because something is new doesn’t mean it’s bad. When people listen to each other and show respect, it helps everyone feel valued and accepted. Gen Alpha and Gen Z are creative, smart, and full of potential.
