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Millennials are totally confused about Gen Z's obsession with Labubus

"Zoomer Beanie Babies."

Image via Pop Mart/Wikipedia

Millennials discuss the Gen Z obsession with Labubus.

Labubus are taking over purses and bags everywhere lately. Labubus, fuzzy plush monsters (some that hang from a keychains, others that are collectible figurines) are currently a Gen Z fashion trend and pop culture obsession. But it's a trend that's not fully clicking with Millennials.

In a Reddit thread, member McTootyBooty shared with fellow Millennials, "I feel like it’s too late to ask wtf labubu is."

The earnest post about being out of the loop on Labubus resonated with many Millennials, who did their best to dissect their current popularity. Many compared Labubus to the ultimate '90s pop culture symbol: Beanie Babies. "Zoomer Beanie Babies," one wrote.

labubu, labubus, labubu gif, pop mart, pop mart labubu Popmart Labubu GIF by popmartglobal Giphy

"Zoomer Furbies," one commented, referring to the similarly-viral Furby toys that went viral in the late '90s. Another Millennial commented, "It's [an] ugly series of stuffed monsters that has been around for 10 years already but for some reason it has only turned into an obsession recently. I really don't get the hype myself."

Another quipped, "Dumb little fuzzy things that cost 80 dollars and probably $2 to produce. Just the new trend. They'll be at 5 Below in a year."

Some Millennials noted Labubus are more of a microtrend. "Nah, they’re a microtrend. Labubus will be over by this time next year. People are already starting to move on to other things. Beanie Babies were a fad for at least 5 years," another added. "If anything, Labubus are giving NFT lol."

According to NPR, Labubus were created and designed by artist Kasing Lung, who debuted them back in 2015. In 2019, Lung partnered with Chinese toy company POP MART to create the plush Labubus, but they didn't strike a note with pop culture until major pop stars like Dua Lipa, BLACKPINK's Lisa, and Rihanna recently started to sport them. Many are sold in "blind boxes," enhancing the surprise factor.

It's not just Millennials that are confused by the concept of Labubus and how they became so trendy. Older generations are also scratching their heads, with some comparing Labubus' popularity to another '90s doll. "Kinda more like a Gen Z Troll doll with the cute/ugly factor," they wrote.

Others alluded their likeness to another popular collectible. "It’s this year’s squishmallow. It cashes in on the cute / tee hee / insert mask here aesthetic that one chooses to give themselves when buying this to affirm that and their style etc. Oh look, an exclusive drop! Next months drop: same shape different color," they wrote.

labubu, labubus, labubu keychain, pink labubu, labubu trend Labubu Lil D GIF by Respective Giphy

Another explained, "Beanie babies...troll dolls...sports card...it's all cyclical. I don't know what's hard to believe about silly collectables."

Others explained their popularity as consumer genius. "Answer: they are fundamentally 'loot boxes' in physical form. They give you a sense of adrenaline rush, just like loot boxes in games or slot machines," another commented.

However, some defended their love for Labubus. "I won't tease anyone liking them then. I had 4 Furbies as a kid/young adult and it was harmless fun," one shared. Another added, "Idk I think they’re sort of cute. I’d never buy one for myself, but I kind of like when my coworkers show me theirs. They’re just little creepy monster things hanging off everybody’s purse."

One concluded: "I think they're cute, I love mine. it doesn't matter to me if they're overhyped or hated on, but for what it's worth I also have a collection of old tamagotchis that I love having/ using, so it's right up my alley for cute crap to carry around. no pressure to get one if you don't want one."

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Millennials and Gen Xers bond over these 20 'baffling' Gen Z trends

"I thought younglings would be a little less foolish than we were."

Photo credit: Canva

Baffled by young people? You're not alone.

We can try to be the hippest, savviest, most progressive adults of all time, and still, there will inevitably be certain quirks younger generations have that just baffle us. Just think of it as a badge of honor. You’ve made it far enough in life to say “kids these days…”

And let’s face it, since Gen Zers and Gen Alphas were born into a drastically different world than their millennial, Gen X and certainly boomer counterparts, it’s understandable that a few things are going to seem foreign.

Then again, maybe some things, like this wretched Skibidi Toilet business, are just plain weird.

Recently, older generations banded together on Reddit to share some of the more perplexing trends that younger folks are taking part in. Below are some of the best contributions.

Give them a read. It might make you feel old, but also less alone.

1. "I guess there’s, like, elementary school-aged kids with full skincare routines now? That’s wild…" —u/retrosnot86

Photo credit: Canva


2. "That they use phones instead of laptops. I use my phone a bit, but it's hard to imagine it being my only computer. I need at least 20 inches of screen, a trackball, and a keyboard with physical buttons just to think properly. I don't want to budget my battery to last all day if an important text comes through. I want my internet signals sent over a hard wire. When my computer stops working, I want to open it up and swap the broken part with a better one." —u/gameryamen

3. "All the self-labeling. When I was young, we avoided labels at all costs!" —u/1mamapajama

4. "I find many younger people to be very fearful. Hyper-fixating on the worst possible outcomes even though the actual chance is so low it's not worth worrying about."—u/sonicfluff

5. "Making fun of kids for 'no show' or 'ankle' socks. What on earth is that about?" —u/Tangboy50000

Photo credit: Canva

6. "They are allowing every one of their friends on Snapchat to know their location at all times. My 23-year-old coworker and her friends are constantly revoking and then reinstating their visible location depending on whether they're happy or mad with each other. If someone notices that they can't see where another person is, they'll bring it up, wondering what they did to upset them. Her best friend will ask her friend to check her boyfriend's location and whichever friend he told her he'd be with to make sure they match.

At least I can kinda understand family members knowing, but even then, my siblings don't need to know where I am at all times, and my parents should maybe stop constantly checking once I hit 18. 21 surely. IDK, I guess if you grow up with it, you don't think it's weird. I'm 43, and I certainly didn't grow up with people who didn't have the ability to know where I was at all times unless I told them or called them."—u/CallejaFairey

7. "Not dating someone because of the phone they have..."—u/SaveusJebus

8. "Binge-watching short videos compiled so you never watch anything with a plot or storyline. Just tons of 10–60 second videos, and most of them are awful."—u/hey_nonny_mooses

9. "Vaping. Isn't it clear by now that inhaling fumes is not really a good idea?"—u/LordGigu

via GIPHY

10. "That literacy rates are plummeting.” —u/Soren_Camus1905

u/mbbysky added:

“Part of it is also media literacy. Literacy isn't just reading, it's understanding context and the target audience of a piece of media (which may NOT be you, and this is ok) Shit like TikTok often lacks nuance AND is catered directly to the user via algorithms, so it's harder to understand that not ALL the content you consume has to be geared toward you and all the things YOU like. So now… [when] some new movie isn't something you perfectly align with and enjoy…you're convinced it's incorrect and shouldn't be like that, when in reality it was just meant for someone else who DOES enjoy what it's about. All of this makes reading more difficult, because the clues…are often subtle and not explicit in good works of literature (it's part of what makes them good, imo)."

11. "Committing crimes as part of social media trends. Especially the challenge of licking ice cream at the store and putting it back. That's a straight-up health code violation." —u/Heroic-Forger

Photo credit: Canva

…and on that note…

12. “The popularity of ‘nuisance streamers’ with younger folks. I don't find being a public nuisance even a little bit entertaining or funny, especially when it’s being filmed. Also just in general the trend of filming, photographing and trying to make "content" out of their entire life in some vain hope of becoming internet famous. I don't get it. Last thing i'd ever want to do is have my entire life posted on the internet.” —u/system_error_02

13. "I've trained three co-workers in their early 20s who don't use the shift key to capitalize letters. They hit caps lock, type the letter to be capitalized, and then hit caps lock again. I can't wrap my head around it." —u/mowglimg

14. "That they're bringing back those thin '90s brows again. It seems it's a lesson we all must learn the hard way." —u/dontaskwhatitmeans

15. "Kids making fun of other kids because they don't have a specific water tumbler. It sounds like somebody is trying to parody 'making fun of other kids for having the wrong brand of clothes or phone.'" —u/shf500

Photo credit: Canva

16. "Refusing to learn to drive. I understand not wanting to, preferring to live where you don't have to because of good walkability/transit/likability, etc. But just being unwilling to learn at all? It's an important life skill, and there might be an emergency where you have to!" —u/Beruthiel999

17. “Making every phone call via speakerphone, especially when holding the phone directly next to the side of their head because they can't hear."—u/veni_vidi_vici47

18. "Getting addicted to nicotine. I thought younglings would be a little less foolish than we were." —u/computer_crisps_dos

19. "I listened to a 23-year-old (more than a decade younger than me) say she wanted to start 'preventative Botox.'…Girl..." —u/Kholzie

And last but not least:

20. “Broccoli haircuts.” —u/Johnny_Menace

i.kym-cdn.com

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Woman goes viral for spot-on explanation of why millennials are 'so awkward in photos'

It all comes down to a scarcity mindset.

@lookgoodinphotos/TikTok

Millennials, this is gonna hurt.

As anyone born after 1997 can attest, taking photos feels awkward. Unless you’re a professional model, it’s nigh on impossible to nail a pose and facial expression that isn’t completely cringey—and even harder to not get stuck in the same pose and facial expression that seemed to work once upon a time over and over again.

That’s with a traditional photography setup. Now, with most pictures being taken with our camera phones, there’s the additional variable of having to find the perfect angle ourselves. It’s all a recipe for tragic, embarrassing disaster, I tell you.

However, scroll through any Gen Zer’s social media and you’ll see a treasure trove of effortlessly cool and candid selfies. Sure, the cynic might say it’s purely the use of filters that makes their images look that way, but there’s more to it than that. And posing expert Christine Buzan has the perfect explanation.

First off, Buzan’s credentials: Her online guide, “101 Ways to Pose,” has been featured in the likes of “Cosmopolitan,” “Refinery 29” and “Fashionista.” Not to mention 1.4 million people follow her TikTok handle, @LookGoodInPhotos, for easy and effective photo-taking tips, from how to master a sultry smile to acing cute Disneyland pics. In other words…she knows her stuff.

Extensive knowledge, along with being a millennial herself, has prompted Buzan to form a rather unique, but totally compelling theory. Perhaps the awkwardness around photos for folks of this age group all comes down to their relationship with technology.


"The one thing all millennials have in common—whether you were born in 1981 or 1996—is that technology changed really rapidly throughout the course of our youth and adolescence," she says in a recently uploaded clip.

@lookgoodinphotos #stitch @itskatesteinberg Why are millennials so awkward in photos? Here’s my hot take on why Gen Z’s are so much more comfortable in front of the camera. Watch the whole thing before you come for me! - #posingforphotos #millennialposing #genzvsmillennials ♬ original sound - CHRISTINE BUZAN | POSING TIPS

"This is especially true for photography,” she continues, noting that within 30 years this generation went from wind-up film cameras to smartphones. In her mind, millennials haven’t quite caught up mentally to see pictures as an everyday piece of life, instead of a precious commodity.

Buzan even has her own anecdote of “finding a disposable camera and then taking like a million photos of stupid stuff” and getting in trouble because back then, “film was expensive. It cost money to buy the film, it cost money to buy the camera, it cost money to develop it."

Experiences like this, where millennials were taught that taking photos was not only a “special” event, but a high-stress one to boot since you’d “only have a few tries” to capture a moment, have basically ingrained in them a “scarcity mindset when it comes to posing for photos,” Buzan argued.

Gotta say, it makes sense. The part of me currently triggered by excruciating memories of stressing over those school portraits that rolled around once a year is inclined to agree.

Buzan’s video resonated with other viewers as well. A few pointed out how not being able to see the final product instantly (like you can nowadays) also contributed to getting stuck in poses that felt “safe” at the time but today come across as a little stiff. Some also felt like it had to do with how millennials were instilled with a sense of “shame” when they first started taking selfies.

We can learn a lot from Gen Z when it comes to incorporating a carefree vibe. Buzan thinks that photos are no different. Her advice is to simply give ourselves permission to experiment in the same way that Gen Z does. Rather than seeing picture-taking as a precious event, see it as a form of everyday expression, like you would with chatting or texting.

“The worst thing that happens if you don’t like a photo is you delete it or don’t post it.”

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Move over corsages—goats are this year's coolest prom trend for high schoolers

The bizarre Gen Z fad is a nod to the acronym "greatest of all time."

@get_your_goat_rentals/TikTok, @nukkgirll/TikTok, @duhh.itskera/TikTok

Goats are the latest prom trend.

Prom season is upon us, and you know what that means. Fancy dresses, elaborate promposals, rented limousines…and goats.

Yes, you read that right. Goats. They’re this year’s hottest prom trend, thanks to TikTok.

High schoolers are posting videos across the platform showing off their formal attire while posing next to a rented-out, real-life goat as a tongue-in-cheek nod to the popular sports phrase G.O.A.T., meaning “greatest of all time.”

Some even adorn their goat dates with sparkly collared leashes, because doesn’t everyone deserve to feel fancy on prom night?

@duhh.itskera P R O M M M M 💙🐐! #prom #prom23 #prom2k23 #goat #blowthisup #viral #fyp #foryoupage ♬ original sound - KayKay

It’s kind of the younger generation’s M.O. to baffle the older folk with weird fads, but this by far is Gen Z’s wildest move yet. A few are even calling the craze “tacky.” But hey, it doesn’t look like any goats are being hurt in the process (except maybe the ones who didn’t get asked to prom…sad) so it seems like pretty harmless fun.

It also means business is booming for places like Get Your Goat Rentals. This Atlanta-based grazing company mostly rents out goat herds to chew through overgrown vegetation as an eco-friendly alternative to chemical sprays. But this year, it’s added prom rentals to the list of services.

@nukkgirll we ate hands down ##prom2k23##blackgirlprom ♬ Florida Water (feat. Luh Tyler) - Danny Towers & DJ Scheme & Ski Mask the Slump God

Amanda Hudgins, owner of Get Your Goat, shared with Insider that the company had actually been capitalizing on the G.O.A.T. acronym since February, offering "Goat Grams" for Valentine's Day as well as half-hour cuddle sessions/photo sessions for $75.

Both products were a success, and in March, a high school senior named Trevian White hired their goat Paddy to take prom photos. And these weren’t your average prom photos. No no no, these were shot at the Mercedez-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta and incorporated a rented-out Lamborghini red carpet.

Watch below:

@get_your_goat_rentals #atl#atlanta #GOAT #getyourgoatrentals #prom ♬ Purple Maze - Lalinea

…and the rest is viral TikTok history.

"Now we're getting calls from all over the south. It's just really gone crazy," Hudgins told Insider. So far, Get Your Goat has done 20 prom shoots and is expected to do at least 100 by the end of the school year.

We don’t always understand what the kids are into these days, but if it brings a bit of joy, I say let them do whatever floats their goat.

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