Swifitie football & other fall trends Boomers just don’t understand
Fall is here! A new football season with a “Swiftie” fanbase, pumpkin spice in everything, cow print as the new leopard, these and many other trends are just a few of the trends that can leave the older generation feeling like they’ve landed on a different planet.
Here’s your guide to 8 fall trends that might leave Boomers scratching their heads, but make perfect sense to the younger generation.
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1. Swiftie Football
For Boomers, football is about the game, the team, and maybe some classic rock during commercials. But suddenly, NFL games, specifically Kansas City Chiefs games, are drawing an entirely new demographic, Taylor Swift fans or Swiftie .
“Swiftie Football” is a new cultural phenomenon that emerged from the relationship between pop superstar Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end, Travis Kelce.
Since Taylor started attending Chiefs games to support Kelce, her fans started supporting and attending the games. The trend began in the fall of 2023, after Kelce publicly mentioned on his podcast that he had attempted to give Swift a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it at her Eras Tour concert.
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2. Everything Pumpkin Spice
The pumpkin spice latte has been a huge fall obsession, a trend so enduring, so beloved, that its popularity seems to grow stronger each year. Younger generations embrace everything pumpkin spice, from candles to snacks. While boomers might enjoy a slice of pumpkin pie, having it everywhere might feel as a pumpkin spice fever that could get onto their nerves.
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3. Cow Print as the New Leopard
While leopard print is a timeless classic for the older generation, Gen Z and Millennials are turning more into Cow print is as a change. The rise of cow print is somehow tied to the mainstreaming of the Western or Cowboy Core aesthetic, which is driven by cultural moments like Beyoncé’s album Cowboy Carter and celebrity style like Bella Hadid’s cowgirl era.
For a generation that values a classic and a more traditional look, the bold graphic nature of cow print can be a bit much.
Image Credit: JLco – Julia Amaral/istockphoto.
4. The Gig Economy as a Career Path
For many boomers, a career was defined by a long-term job with a company, offering stability and a clear path to retirement. Younger generations, however, are increasingly drawn to the gigs and remote jobs, valuing flexibility and independence over traditional corporate structures. This preference for short-term contracts and freelance work is a foreign concept to boomers which gives them the feeling that the new generation doesn’t really want to work, while for Gen Z and Millennials it’s more of a life work balance.
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5. Layering Lingerie with Denim
Fashion trends are also one of the things that’s increasing the gap between generations even more. This season wearing a lace-trim slip dress or skirt over a pair of jeans or a lingerie top with jeans is getting more popular.
A boomer might see it as a confusing choice, a combination of intimate wear and everyday clothing that feels fundamentally mismatched.
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6. Social Media as a Search Engine
Instead of “Googling it”, when a Gen Z-er needs to find a new restaurant, a concert venue, or nearly any information, they often use TikTok or Instagram. It’s a behavior that puzzles those who see social media as primarily for socializing, not searching.
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7. The De-influencing Movement
After years of being bombarded with must-have products from influencers, a deinfluencing trend has emerged by content creators advising their followers against buying certain items.
This helped promote conscious consumption, and encouraged people to save their money and think before buying. Boomers, who often grew up with more traditional advertising, might struggle to understand why someone would actively tell you not to buy something.
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8. Micro-Aesthetics and Trends on Social Media
While Boomers might talk about a general style and categorize things as casual or formal, younger generations have developed a new language to describe their visual identity. Every outfit, home decor choice, or even daily activity is a specific statement that reflects the personality and many other life choices.
There are many aesthetics trends like Dark Academia, or Cottagecore that encourages simple living, particularly in the countryside and many others.
For Boomers, whose fashion and lifestyle trends were often dictated by magazines and television, this approach is a completely new world.
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The Bottom Line
The Boomer vs. Millennial/Gen Z divide isn’t about right or wrong. It’s about how different generations find joy and self-expression.
And while these trends might seem odd or baffling to some, they’re a new language of communication, a modern form of ritual, and a way for younger generations to navigate and make sense of our rapidly changing world. The understanding may not always be there, and that’s perfectly fine.
Related:
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- The 15 things you’d instantly recognize if you grew up in the ’80s
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This article was produced and syndicated by MediaFeed.us.
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