Why The 'In Your 20s' Trend is Such a Hit Among Millennial Women

I've been loving the "in your 20s" trend that's been all over TikTok recently. If you haven't come across it, here's the gist: Creators are partaking in the trend by shooting video clips and adding text along the lines of "in your 20s, a friend will set you up on a blind date. It's very important that you go on that date". Or "In your 20s, you will be offered a job that terrifies you. It's very important that you take that job". 

The thing about this trend is that it allows us to look back on our lives and reflect on the moments that made us who we are. For some people, the focus is on relationships (think: "In your 20s, you will date a guy who makes you feel small. It's very important that you leave him"). For others, it's on career (think something along the lines of: "In your 20s, everyone will tell you to give up on your dream of becoming a novelist. It's very important you don't listen to them"). 

My love for this trend makes total sense. I'm a millennial woman, as are most people who are partaking in it — and as we all know, millennials are obsessed with nostalgia. That's probably why this reflective look back is such a hit with the women over 30.

Not everyone is as into the trend as I am, though. I've seen some say the trend feels like narcissism and is ruining two great songs ("Piano Man" by Billy Joel and "Silver Springs" by Fleetwood Mac). But like...that's kind of what social media is? It's people bringing their own life experiences to cultural trends. And sure, maybe this trend gives ~main character syndrome~.

But in order to understand why it's striking such a chord with millennial women, it's important to remember the context of millennial womanhood. We are, in many ways, the first generation to exercise a whole range of options. We move to new cities (or even new countries), we get married or get divorced or opt out of marriage entirely, we make career changes, we freeze our eggs, we advocate for the causes we believe in, we start businesses, we endure friend breakups, and we do it all while attempting to navigate this new world that allows us to document our whole evolution on social media. We have the privilege of choices, but also the responsibility of making those chocies — of designing our lives with seemingly unlimited options...and a lot of opinions coming at us constantly via social media. 

We millennial women don’t have a roadmap — but we’re writing a whole new set of rules and documenting them online as we go. And this trend allows us to reflect on the choices we've made and how they're affected our lives.

It also allows us to reframe our 20s, not just as a time to make a million mistakes and fumble through early adulthood, but as a time to learn from those mistakes, change our minds, and ultimately, set the foundation of the rest of our lives. The trend shows us that our 20s weren't just throwaway years, they were the decade spent discovering who we are and what we truly want. And this trend allows us to do what millennial women do best: Engage in some healthy nostalgia while bringing our signature earnest cringe to a collective trend that celebrates every version of womanhood we've lived so far.