Mom has her Gen Z daughter rate 90s teenage heartthrobs and the reviews are so hilarious
We still love you, Zach Morris.

Wait, so 90's fashion is in, but 90's hair is out?
Every era has its own version of what’s attractive. And very rarely does that aesthetic hold power with the following generation. In fact, it often becomes the opposite of cool.
Just think of Elvis. He might have been a universal sex symbol for a time, but it also wasn’t long before his pompadour became passé. Same goes for Paul Newman’s rugged manliness, David Cassidy’s babyface, Tom Selleck’s mustache. Indeed, for everything a season.
Which brings us to the 90s. The age of beach blonde surfer boys (real surfing skills not required, but a plus). Of flannel, lots of flannel, and super chiseled bodies. Let’s not forget this was the dawning of the term “metrosexual,” and also the time period that brought us that Calvin Klein ad with Mark Wahlburg.
How exactly would these guys measure up with the Gen Z kids today?
That was the question Caitlin Baudhuin aimed to answer when she decided to have her Gen Z daughter rate teenage heartthrobs of the 90’s and 00s on a scale of 1-10.
Let’s just say…none of them made the cut. Which saddened many a millennial and Gen Xer.
First up: Zachery Ty Bryan, who played eldest brother Brad Taylor on “Home Improvement.”
Baudhuin’s daughter graciously gave Bryan a 3. That’s the numerical version of “meh.”
Next: James Van Der Beek from “Dawson’s Creek.”
Appalled, her daughter says “It's so bad. It's like, I don't even know.”
At this point, you must be thinking, “well, she must be a Joshua Jackson kind of gal.” As Baudhuin explains, you were either Team Dawson, played by Vanderbeek, or Team Pacey, played by Jackson.
But after being shown a picture of Jackson, Baudhuin’s daughter makes a face like she’s just had bad shrimp, and says, “That's two. The last one was a four, that one's so bad. He's so ugly.” Ouch.
Finally, Baudhuin’s Hail Mary is “Saved By The Bell”’s Mark-Paul Gosselaar, aka Zack Morris.@caitlin.the.realtor Episode 1 of my daughter rating my teen hollywood heartthrobs of the 90’s. 🤦🏻♀️🤣 #greenscreen #90skids #90steenheartthrobs #dawsonscreek #teampacey ♬ original sound - Caitlin - Memphis, TN Realtor
Before ranking Gosselaar at a measly 2.5, her daughter says, “Why is his smile like, it looks like he's not even happy. It looks like he's fake smiling. And then like his hair, like why is that a sleek back?”
This last one seemed to hurt folks the most. “The disrespect for Zach Morris!” one person wrote. Meanwhile, another said that ranking him that low was “criminal.”
But wait, there’s more. Baudhuin did a round two, many heartthrobs inspired by viewer suggestions. See the victims below:
-Shane West from “A Walk To Remember” got a 3, primarily due to his spiky hair. Baudhuin’s daughter is clearly not a fan of 90’s hairstyles. To which her mother asks, “have you seen boy’s hair these days?” Fair point!
-Freddie Prince Jr. from “She’s all That.” Another 3.
-Joseph Gordon Levitt, as seen in his role for “10 Things I Hate About You.” Levitt got a whopping 4 or 5! Progress!
-Erik von Detten from “The Princess Diaries.” This time Baudhuin asked her daughter to “ignore the greasy hair.” Which must have worked, cause he got a 5.5, thus winning this unofficial beauty contest. Still brutal though.
@caitlin.the.realtor Part 2 of my daughter rating 90’s/early 2000’s heartthrobs. We have a sort of winner! 🎉 #greenscreen #90s #early2000s #heartthrobs #awalktoremember #princessdiariesmovie #shesallthat #10thingsihateabout ♬ original sound - Caitlin - Memphis, TN Realtor
So there you have it. Beauty trends indeed come and go for men too. And on the bright side, even if our childhood icons don’t have the Timothée Chalamet Effect, it’s nice to know that by and large the definition of heartthrob has become way more diverse and inclusive. Thanks for that Gen Z, even though your candidness is savage sometimes.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.