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13 Youtube channels that people say give them comfort in times of stress

We all need a little comfort watch now and then.

best youtube shows, tasting history, youtube, girl with the dogs

Tasting History with Max Miller, Girl With The Dogs

Some of the best TV isn't even on TV

Traditional television might have once been the predominant way to escape into a simpler world, but more and more folks are finding the same type of comfort on Youtube.

After all, Youtube was essentially the first platform that enabled people to both create and consume content specifically keened into their unique interests, and it remains an entertainment powerhouse because of that.

On Youtube you can learn new things, see spectacular sights, laugh at funny sketches, go on a deep dive into your favorite bits of pop culture, and more. Sure, you can basically do these things on its social media predecessors like TikTok and Instagram, but in bite-sized versions. For those who still appreciate long form content, i.e. old folks, it’s nice to have something that feels a bit like a comfort tv show, with the candidness of a home video. And for that, Youtube is king.

Odds are your Youtube algorithm is well set with creators you enjoy, but if you’re looking to add something new, we’ve got a curated list of options brought to you by our sponsors. Aka Reddit.

Someone by the user name of ThatsMrMuckToYou asked: “What is your comfort Youtube channel?” and people responded with all kinds of different answers. But overall what people really seemed to find comfort in was helpful information (travel videos, history, science, etc.) combined with a host who was down-to-earth, warm and didn’t promote an agenda.

Take a look at some of the best contributions below.

1. Tasting History with Max Miller

Uncover the origins of the world famous PB&J, discover what makes deviled eggs so devilish, find out why the heck the Michelin tire company is the authority on good food, and more with host Max Miller. In each episode, Miller recreates ancient or historical recipes while explaining the very human stories behind them. After each video you’ll feel a little smarter, and a whole lot hungrier.

2. Defunctland

Defunctland got its claim to fame with documentary style videos exploring the history of extinct theme parks and amusement park attractions. Unsurprisingly Disneyland relics make up a bulk of the content.

Nowadays, the Defunct canon also consists of television shows deeply buried within every millennials subconscious, like “Zooboomafoo” and “Between the Lions.”

3. Wolter's World

This channel promises "HONEST travel advice without all the extra fluff" and definitely delivers. Wolter's World primarily focuses on do's and don't of different cities, but will also go off the beaten path every once in a while, like with his "travel scams" video. It's no wonder that folks find comfort in seeing beautiful places around the world, or that they love the charming way Wolter helps them learn about these gems.

4. Steve1989MREInfo

You’ve probably never thought to yourself, “you know what I’d really like to see today? A guy eating vintage military rations.” But still, Steven Thomas quells that curiosity before it happens. Some of Thomas’ most notable reviews are of a 61-year-old peanut butter from a Korean War-era C-ration.as well as an American Civil War-era hardtack from 1863. Besides the obviously unique content, folks really love Thomas’ calm delivery and catchphrases, such as "nice hiss"—referring to the oh-so satisfying sound that can be made when opening hermetically sealed packages.

“Actually really fascinating to see how food preservation has evolved over the decades!” one fan noted.

5. Camping With Steve

Dubbed the “modern day Bob Ross” by some viewers, Steve Wallis doesn’t consider himself a survivalist, but seems to be able to camp anywhere—from mountain terrains to more unusual spots like Walmart parking lots. On his channel, you can learn about all sorts of camping styles, including "boondocking", "urban stealth", “gold mining,” "bushcraft", and yard camping. It’s all in an effort to, as Wallis puts it, to "take back camping for the people."

6. History Tea Time with Lindsay Holiday

As perfectly suggested in the name, Holiday’s 20-ish minute history documentaries feel as fun, warm and refreshing as a nice cuppa tea. Her knowledge is also pleasantly wide spread, allowing her to be able to delve into a variety of topics. But one thing remains the same now matter what—here passion.

As one viewer put it, “the way she breaks down people’s lives really humanizes them and actually makes me interested in learning history.”

7. Food Wishes

In an internet teeming with recipe videos, this one is petty special

John Armand Mitzewich, more commonly known as "Chef John” might never been seen in his videos, save for his hand holding utensils, but his narrations have a lovely singsong tone, and one can always expect some kind of rhyming wordplay joke. For example: "You are, after all, the law man of your slaw, man."

Plus, Chef Jon frequently spices up his recipe with some cayenne pepper, since in his opinion it gives the extra touch of the heat being out “the unique tastes of the dishes forward.”

8. Urban Rescue Ranch

Videos of baby coyotes, vultures, beavers, armadillos, raccoons, kangaroos, capybaras…need I go on?

The Urban Rescue Ranch was originally a “crackhouse,” and turned into a Certified wildlife rehabilitation facility and farm sanctuary for exotic livestock in central Texas that are often hunted. Despite a lot of the cheeky titles (like “How to Catch and Cook a Baby Deer”), these wholesome videos just show reduced animals living their best lives.

9. Smarter Every Day

For the more left-brained folks out there, engineer and science communicator Destin Wilson Sandlin strikes a perfect balance between education and entertainment as he “explores the world through science.

Check out what one viewers had to say:

“Destin is contagiously upbeat, seems to be very passionate about everything he approaches and does an excellent job of explaining whatever the subject matter is. His giddiness about some of the same things I would get excited about is a nice mood boost when I need it sometimes. His appreciation for the workers that make things happen is nice to see too. The guys a legit rocket scientist, but relates to mechanics, farmers, machinists, and a whole bunch of other tradesmen as equals, not in a demeaning way that some presenters can do sometimes.”

10. Kitboga

Being a “great example of chaotic good,” Kitboga records himself getting back at phone scammers. It’s not just some satisfying schadenfreude, either. Kitboga tries to educate people by walking them through common scammer lies, and reports them when able.

11. Primitive Technology

Just as the name suggests, host John Plant demonstrates thow to make tools, traps and forms of shelter using only materials found in the wild.

Though you’ll see a lot of stones axes and woven bark fiber items, there’s “no talking, no cringe intro, no 'like comment subscribe', no flashy editing, no sound effects, no viral thumbnails, no giveaways, no drama, no sob stories, no clickbait, no sponsors, no fakery”…which at least one viewer really appreciates.

12. Adam Savage’s: Tested

If you’re jonesing for more “Mythbusters” vibes, this is the channel for you. Join Adam Whitney Savage, former “MythBusters” host, as he goes behind the scenes of popular movies to dissect how iconic props are made, or as he infuses some wonder into everyday objects like USB cables. The possibilities are endless.

13. Girl With The Dogs

Vanessa De Prophetis has been a professional pet groomer for 12 years, and can attest that “it’s never a dull moment.” So it’s no wonder that she was able to rack up a huge following with her comedic and informative content (which, by the way, goes to help local dog rescues).

De Prophetis shares both her “best” and “worst” canine and feline clients, but it’s clear that she loves them all in the way she interacts with them.

One fan wrote, “It’s great when a really aggressive dog tries to take her head off and she’s just like, “sir.”

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Too young to be a Boomer, too old to be Gen X: Meet the microgeneration 'Generation Jones'

Generation Jones is made up of people born from 1954 to 1965.

generation jones, gen jones, gen jonesers, girls in 1970s, 1970s, teens 1970s

Image via Wikimedia Commons

Generation Jones is the microgeneration of people born from 1954 to 1965.

Generational labels have become cultural identifiers. These include Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z and Gen Alpha. And each of these generations is defined by its unique characteristics, personalities and experiences that set them apart from other generations.

But in-between these generational categories are "microgenerations", who straddle the generation before and after them. For example, "Xennial" is the microgeneration name for those who fall on the cusp of Gen X and Millennials.

And there is also a microgeneration between Baby Boomers and Gen X called Generation Jones, which is made up of people born from 1954 to 1965. But what exactly differentiates Gen Jones from the Boomers and Gen Xers that flank it?

- YouTube www.youtube.com

What is Generation Jones?

"Generation Jones" was coined by writer, television producer and social commentator Jonathan Pontell to describe the decade of Americans who grew up in the '60s and '70s. As Pontell wrote of Gen Jonesers in Politico:

"We fill the space between Woodstock and Lollapalooza, between the Paris student riots and the anti-globalisation protests, and between Dylan going electric and Nirvana going unplugged. Jonesers have a unique identity separate from Boomers and GenXers. An avalanche of attitudinal and behavioural data corroborates this distinction."

Pontell describes Jonesers as "practical idealists" who were "forged in the fires of social upheaval while too young to play a part." They are the younger siblings of the boomer civil rights and anti-war activists who grew up witnessing and being moved by the passion of those movements but were met with a fatigued culture by the time they themselves came of age. Sometimes, they're described as the cool older siblings of Gen X. Unlike their older boomer counterparts, most Jonesers were not raised by WWII veteran fathers and were too young to be drafted into Vietnam, leaving them in between on military experience.

How did Generation Jones get its name?

generation jones, gen jones, gen jones teen, generation jones teenager, what is generation jones A Generation Jones teenager poses in her room.Image via Wikmedia Commons

Gen Jones gets its name from the competitive "keeping up with the Joneses" spirit that spawned during their populous birth years, but also from the term "jonesin'," meaning an intense craving, that they coined—a drug reference but also a reflection of the yearning to make a difference that their "unrequited idealism" left them with. According to Pontell, their competitiveness and identity as a "generation aching to act" may make Jonesers particularly effective leaders:

"What makes us Jonesers also makes us uniquely positioned to bring about a new era in international affairs. Our practical idealism was created by witnessing the often unrealistic idealism of the 1960s. And we weren’t engaged in that era’s ideological battles; we were children playing with toys while boomers argued over issues. Our non-ideological pragmatism allows us to resolve intra-boomer skirmishes and to bridge that volatile Boomer-GenXer divide. We can lead."

@grownupdish
Are you Generation Jones? Definitive Guide to Generation Jones https://grownupdish.com/the-definitive-guide-to-generation-jones/ #greenscreen #generationjones #babyboomer #generationx #GenX #over50 #over60 #1970s #midlife #middleage #midlifewomen #grownupdish #over50tiktok #over60women #over60tiktok #over60club

However, generations aren't just calculated by birth year but by a person's cultural reality. Some on the cusp may find themselves identifying more with one generation than the other, such as being culturally more Gen X than boomer. And, of course, not everyone fits into whatever generality they happened to be born into, so stereotyping someone based on their birth year isn't a wise practice. Knowing about these microgenerational differences, however, can help us understand certain sociological realities better as well as help people feel like they have a "home" in the generational discourse.

As many Gen Jonesers have commented, it's nice to "find your people" when you haven't felt like you've fit into the generation you fall into by age. Perhaps in our fast-paced, ever-shifting, interconnected world where culture shifts so swiftly, we need to break generations into 10 year increments instead of 20 to 30 to give everyone a generation that better suits their sensibilities.

This article originally appeared two years ago. It has been updated.

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'Conservative' mom sparks debate after questioning the appropriateness of a Target girl's dress

Should girls that young be showing so much skin?

target, girl's clothes, meghan mayer, modesty, age-appropriate clothes

via Target and Mike Mozart/Flickr

A controversial dress being sold at Target.

Everywhere you go, there seems to be a constant war between children’s clothing retailers who want to push the boundaries of modesty and parents who push back, saying they are sexualizing children. On top of that, when young girls believe they are supposed to wear clothes that are tight-fitting and revealing, it's very damaging to their self-esteem and body image. So what is a parent to do?

“I think it’s one thing that the girls’ clothes are very fitted and small, and it’s another that they’re in such direct contrast to what you find on the boys’ side, and those two things send a pretty strong message about what they’re supposed to look like, dressed to be slim and to be fit,” Sharon Choksi, a mom of two and founder of the clothing line, Girls Will Be, told CNN.

Mom spots a revealing dress at Target

The topic came up again recently when Meghan Mayer, a mother of 2 and a 7th-grade school teacher, posted a TikTok video about a dress she saw at Target, which received over 1.6 million views. Meghan was reacting to a smock-style, patterned dress with balloon sleeves that appeared modest at first glance. But after closer examination, it has holes in the waist on both sides, revealing the girl’s midriff and possibly more.

@thecrazycreativeteacher
Thoughts?

“My oldest daughter and I are at Target, and there’s some cute spring stuff,” Mayer started the video. "I am a little bit more conservative when it comes to my kids’ clothing, so maybe I’m overreacting, but let me know what you think of these dresses.”

She added that the dress may be okay for a 12-year-old but was inappropriate for a 6- or 7-year-old. Mayer asked her followers what they thought of the dress. “Like I said, I know I’m a little bit more conservative. I don’t usually even let my girls wear bikinis, but maybe I’m overreacting, I don’t know. Thoughts?”

For reference, she then showed the dresses' sizes to indicate they were for kids, then revealed the holes in the sides. “Look at these little slits on the sides of these dresses, right at the hips on all these dresses,” she said. The dress is obviously designed for a young girl to show skin, and it begs the question: Why would she want to, and who is supposed to be looking?

Most people found the dress to be inappropriate

Most people commenting on the video thought the dress was a bit much for such a young girl to wear, and that it was inappropriate for someone that age to expose themselves.

target, retial store, big box retail, target sign, target at night A Target store at night.via Mike Mozart/Flickr

"You're not overreacting. You're parenting properly," Paper Bound Greetings wrote. "No, no. There is no reason for those holes to be there. They should have pockets! Not holes!" Anna wrote. "I think retailers are trying to mature our kids too fast. I agree with mom!" HollyMoore730 commented. "That dress is SO CUTE until you see the slit. Why did they have to ruin it like that?!?"krb15 added.

"All the lady people have been asking for is dresses with pockets. This is the opposite of pockets. Whyyy?" akcrucial wrote.

But some thought that the dress was acceptable, while others thought Mayer was overreacting.

"Unpopular opinion, I think they’re cute," Dr. Robinson wrote. "When I was a kid in the ‘70s, I wore halter tops and tube tops; they were not seen as big deals. I don’t think this is scandalous," Kimberly Falkowsi added. "Overreacting. Both my girls have the blue and white, you can’t even tell much. It’s not that big of a hole. The dresses are so cute," LolitaKHalessi commented.

"Fun fact… you don’t have to buy it, Bethany wrote. "Idk I think it’s cute and that everyone just making it weird when it really isn’t," Wisdomdeals added. "Nothing wrong with the dress. It’s sold out in my area. Luckily if you don’t like it or think it’s inappropriate, you don’t buy it for your child," Maddison commented.

target, target aisle, target shopping, target store, target pets, An aisle at a Target.via Mike Mozart/Flickr

Some commenters told Mayer that she should buy the dress and have her daughter wear a shirt beneath it so it doesn’t show skin. However, Mayer believes that it would support Target in making questionable kids' clothing.

"No, I'm not going to buy it and have them wear a tank top with it, because then that's showing Target that it's OK," she told Today.com. "And over time, the cutout will get bigger and bigger."

This article originally appeared two years ago. It has been updated.

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People rally behind an older woman who refused to train her 25-year-old replacement

"They expected me to teach her the job they said I wasn't good enough for."

ageism, workplace ageism, workplace violations, hr, negotiating severance package, exit strategy, hiring, jobs

Photo credit: Canva

An older employee refused two train her replacement who was "fresh out of grad school."

When an older employee was asked to train a 25-year-old to do the same job she'd been doing for as long as the young recruit had been alive, she had some choice words. And it became a vital lesson in not getting exploited.

The TikTok creator, who goes by The Unobsolete (@theunobsolete) centers her content around helping people “fight age bias” in the workplace. She explained how she had been “passed over” for a promotion that she had rightfully earned over the past two-and-a-half decades and was instead expected to train someone “fresh out of grad school” who presumably would then do the job for a fraction of the price.

“They expected me to teach her the job they said I wasn’t good enough for.”

The Unobsolete didn’t entertain pleasantries as she flat-out said “no.”

@theunobsolete watched 25-year-old get my promotion then ask me to train her. I said no. Not sorry. Not maybe. Just no. She shocked. Manager furious. HR email about team player. Don’t care. They passed me over for promotion I earned. Gave it to someone with zero experience. Expected me to teach her job they said I wasn’t good enough for. Train my replacement? Pay me. Want 25 years knowledge? Triple salary consulting rates. Want me to smile while you humiliate me? Wrong person. Not your free training program. Not making cheap hire look competent. Not handing over everything so you can pay her half. They said unprofessional. I said appropriately compensated or not sharing. They said not supporting team. I said team didn’t support me. Silence. Second you stop being useful they stop caring. Stop pretending you owe them anything.#promotions #over50 #notateamplayer #genx #isaidno ♬ original sound - The Unobsolete

"I'm not your free training program," she explained. "Want me to smile while you humiliate me? Wrong person." Furthermore, she noted that if she were going to move forward with the training, she would be expecting “triple salary consulting rates” as payment.

While she got reprimanded by HR for not “being a team player,” she maintained her stance that she deserved to be “fairly compensated for her expertise” or she wasn’t sharing it.

"They said [I was] not supporting [the] team. I said [the] team didn’t support me."

She then concluded the video with a word of caution to other folks who might find themselves in similar situations:

"The second you stop being useful, they stop pretending to care. So stop pretending you owe them anything."

With over four million views, the video certainly resonated. People flooded the comments agreeing how real ageism is in the workplace, and commended The Unobsolete for standing her ground.

"Can't be a team player for a team that played you," one person said.

Quite a few shared their own horror stories. One person recalled, "They hired 6 people to replace me and the work I was doing & wanted me to train them. Nope."

Another said, “I was laid off from a job and they said they’d be fine, because I wrote a literal manual on how to do everything for when I was on vacation. First thing I threw in the trash cleaning out my office. They emailed a few days later, asking where it was. I told them.”

In subsequent videos, The Unobsolete shared that while she didn’t get fired outright (for obvious legal reasons), the company had less direct ways of phasing her out. First, a meeting was held to discuss her "attitude.” Then, she was excluded from company functions and given less work. Eventually, she was called into another meeting and told the company's culture might not be a "good fit" for her.

@theunobsolete UPDATE: Refused to train replacement. What happened next I expected. Two days later meeting with manager and HR. My attitude. Not that they passed me over or wanted free labor. My attitude refusing exploitation. They said not collaborative poor leadership need team players. I said you passed me over want free training punish boundaries that’s control not collaboration. Silence. Not willing develop staff maybe not culture fit. I said right. Culture exploiting experience isn’t my fit. Ready for compensation talk? No? Back to my job. Didn’t fire me. Can’t. Lawsuit risk. Instead stopped including meetings gave projects away documented everything performance issues. Managed out playbook. I documented everything back. Every email meeting project. Knew exactly what they were doing. #promotions #isaidno #refused# #over45 #corporatetiktok ♬ original sound - The Unobsolete

"I agree," The Unobsolete apparently said in the meeting. "A culture that exploits experience isn't a fit for me."

Still, she didn’t back down and asked what the severance package she would receive for leaving. Unsurprisingly, that offer started off low with two weeks' worth of pay. The Unobsolete told them she expected six months of pay with full benefits through the end of the year, plus a neutral reference letter, and a release stating that they wouldn’t contest her unemployment.

When the manager said her demands were “unreasonable,” The Unobsolete replied, “So is asking me to train my replacement for free.”

@theunobsolete UPDATE PART 3: Refused train replacement. How it ended. Three weeks managed out documented retaliation. Manager and HR called me in. Don’t think right fit anymore. Best we part ways.#refusedtotrain #notateamplayer #isaidno #over50 #corporatetiktok ♬ original sound - The Unobsolete

“I’ve never been prouder of someone I don’t know,” one viewer wrote.

Thankfully, this story has a happy ending. The Unobsolete got her demands met, and with that six months of pay, she was able to build what she “actually wanted.” Furthermore, she learned that not long after she left, the 25-year-old quit the job and the company was left scrambling to fill the position. Talk about karmic justice.

“Turns out, I wasn’t obsolete after all. I was just undervalued. There’s a difference.”

Now, she’s taking what she’s learned to help other experienced professionals protect themselves against being taken advantage of.

“They’re counting on you being afraid…stop being what they’re counting on.”

That’s useful advice for anyone, no matter what age they are.

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Google Maps, Apple Maps, or Waze? A former Uber analyst shares which app is best.

Do you agree? Not everyone did.

google maps, apple maps, waze, best navigation app, google vs apple vs waze, traffic, navigation apps

Google Maps/Apple Maps

Google maps and Apple maps screenshots

The evolution of human navigation has come so far since the era of global exploration, it's mindblowing. We've gone from hand-drawn maps, to printed road atlases, to MapQuest and GPS systems, to smartphone apps that not only tell us step-by-step how to get from point A to point B, but can also tell us what traffic is like and where to stop for gas and lunch along the way. That is a wild trajectory.

Kids today have no idea, and even those of us who grew up with paper maps struggle to recall how we ever got anywhere before Google Maps. Now we're so deep into the map app era that we're past the "wow" stage and into the nit-picky stage. It's no longer good enough to have a handheld computer tell us how to get someplace in real time. Now we have expectations, preferences, opinions, and complaints. We also have data and anecdotes with which to compare different apps and discuss which ones do what best.

map app, navigation, gps, google maps, apple maps, waze Which map app is best?Photo credit: Canva

And hoo boy do people have thoughts on that front.

In 2024, former Uber employee Flo Crivello shared some info on X about the analysis they did with three of the most popular map apps—Google Maps, Apple Maps, and Waze—using a dataset from millions of trips.

The big surprise winner? Apple Maps.

Google came in second, and Waze was a distant third (worst "by far").

"The research also included which apps people *thought* was worse, and the order came in the exact opposite order," Crivello shared. "We understood why Apple Maps got a bad rap given how bad it was at launch — it rapidly got better, but the brand stuck. Waze was more of a mystery, and we ended up realizing that people thought its routes were best because it was exposing them to so much info on traffic, construction, police presence etc… Everyone thinks they want a minimalist UI, but in practice, when they see all this info, they subconsciously conclude 'wow, these guys really have their sh*t together' — even when the routes were actually the worst ones."

Crivello said the results "may be shocking," presumably because Apple Maps started with the worst reputation. In fact, Apple CEO Tim Cook famously apologized for Apple Maps in 2012 and recommended people use Google Maps instead.

However, in the years since, Apple Maps has redeemed itself while Google Maps has lost a bit of its initial luster.

Then Waze came along, which people in cities with variable traffic touted as more accurate for timing and real-time updates, becoming some people's favorite. But according to his data eight years ago, Apple was the winner.

Do those results still hold? Some people in the replies said Google Maps was the best, hands down, while others said they preferred Apple or Waze.

It might depend on where you live and what you look for in a map app (and whether you even have access to Apple Maps). Discussions about these apps abound, with some common threads throughout. Many people agree that the U.S. is where Apple Maps shines, but Google Maps works better abroad. Apple Maps offers more natural navigation directions, such as "Not at this stop sign, but at the next one, turn right," instead of Google Maps' assumption that everyone knows how far 300 feet is. Google Maps has great searchability and is easier to check reviews of places compared to Apple Maps. So opinions might vary on "best" depending on what you're using it for.

map app, navigation, gps, google maps, apple maps, waze We've become pretty finicky about our map apps in the modern age.Photo credit: Canva

Waze has loyal users and people who love to joke about where it reroutes you when there's traffic.

These are not the only three map apps available, either. People who travel internationally and use public transportation seem partial to the CityMapper app, which makes finding train and bus routes simple with a user-friendly interface, so again, a lot depends on why you're using the app in the first place.

As far as popularity goes, Google Maps boasts a whopping 1 billion monthly users. In a recent MarketWatch study, 70% of respondents said they use Google Maps, particularly to avoid speed traps. In that study, both Apple Maps and Waze tied for second place. However, there is data that shows younger generations are partial to iPhones, on which Apple Maps is a native app, so it might have a bit of an advantage there.

And, of course, analyses will differ as the apps make updates and improvements. In 2026, PC Magazine ranked the three big navigation apps and put Google Maps at the top, followed by Apple Maps second, and Waze third.

At the end of the day, as long as you get where you're going, use whatever map app you like best.

This article originally appeared two years ago.

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Kids asked their Gen X parents to 'dance like it's the 80s' and they absolutely delivered

They broke it down to British pop band Bronski Beat's 1984 track “Smalltown Boy”.

80s music, 80s, 80s dance moves, dance like its the 80s, gen x, gen x nostalgia, dance videos, dance trends

@tabathalynnk/TikTok, Photo credit: Canva

Gen Xers were instantly transported back in time.

Dance trends from decades ago are making a comeback. From the "robot" to the iconic "Peanuts" dance, emulating dance moves from the past never gets old.

And Gen Xers have hopped on a new dance challenge that takes them back to the 1980s. The wholesome TikTok trend took off after Gen Z kids asked their parents to “dance like it’s the 80s".

And their parents obliged, as the 1984 track “Smalltown Boy” by the British pop band Bronski Beat played in the background. The song's high energy tempo mixed with heartbreaking, anguish-ridden lyrics made it a fitting choice to bring them back to the time period.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

The TikTok "80s dance challenge" takes off

Gen X parents had no problem fulfilling their kids' requests to show off their 80s dance moves. Their muscle memory kicked in the minute the tune began to play, and it was a whole vibe.

One of the first videos to go viral on TikTok was Tabatha Lynn's video of her mom, Leanne Lynn, which quickly racked up over 12 million views.

@tabathalynnk
My moms 80s dance moves, I wanna be her when I grow up 😍 our kids better not ask us this in 30 years 😂 #80s #momsoftiktok #dancemoves

Leanne and Tabatha told TODAY that since going viral, the dance became a common “topic of conversation in the family text group.”

There are two factors here that folks really seem to connect with. One: 80s dancing was simple. Just moving to the rhythm, maybe a head bob for some flair or a robot if you’re feeling adventurous. Of course, the 80s had ambitious moves like the worm and the moonwalk, but for the most part it was just about groovin’ to beat.

Two: there’s something inexplicably heartwarming about seeing the parents light up at the chance to go back to the days of their youth.

More parents show off their moves

The trend quickly caught on, and there are so many videos that garnered millions of views. MaryMarySomewhatContrary's mom Suzanne also let loose, with her video passing 5 million views.

“I can literally see the young women in these women spring out in fluidity. Love this trend,” one person commented.

@marynepi
One thing about Ms. Suzanne, shes gonna slay. #fypage #dance #slay #80s #yasqueen #trending #trend

Another seconded, “I love seeing moms remember when they were just themselves.”

Of course, dads are totally rocking this trend too. Check it out:

@chrisbrown711
I dont normally do trends but i got in on this one. How did I do? #fyp #blessed #80sdancechallenge #80smusic #80s

How the TikTok "80s dance challenge" started

The 80s was a time of rapid expansion for music. Much of this we have the birth of MTV to thank for, which subsequently dropped music videos, CDs and a vast array of music sub genres straight into the heart of pop culture.

Plus, the 80s brought us the synthesizer, which remains a strangely satisfying sound even in 2024. So while the era might have brought some things that most of us would prefer not to revisit—like acid washed denim and awful, awful hairstyles—some of its gems are truly timeless.

The trend also shows how, even though the weekly outing to a dance hall might be a thing of the past, people inherently want to bust a move. Luckily, there’s no shortage of clubs that cater to someone’s music tastes, no matter the era.

Speaking for 00s teens everywhere…just play the Cha Cha slide and we’ll come a-runnin.

This article originally appeared two years ago. It has been updated.

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