It seems that everyone loves to hate millennial fashion from the 2010s—skinny jeans have never been the same again. But one Gen Zer thinks it’s gone too far and she’s finally sticking up for some of those iconic style choices.
Social media trends come and go, but one craze that appears to have outstayed its welcome is the desire to mock millennials (people born between 1981 and 1996). Whether it’s their tattoo placement, wearing colored blazers, how they wear socks, or even the shape of their sunglasses.
There really is no let up for millennials, who are even facing backlash now for their prom dress choices all those years ago. They were the glory days of red taffeta dresses, embellished bodices, large statement necklaces and plenty of animal print.
While most of the internet is laughing at those iconic looks, Tina Vlamis, 24, of New York thinks the hate train has gone too far. The Gen Zer (people born between 1997 and 2012) told Newsweek that she thought her millennial friends and family “looked like princesses” at prom. Indeed, she grew up admiring their dresses and likened them to movie stars.
Without those women, Vlamis wouldn’t be the woman she is today, and she says they taught her “everything about being a teenage girl.”
“I remember their dresses were so fabulous: super bright colors, shiny satin, and sparkles galore,” Vlamis said. “I definitely had them in my head when I went to pick my prom dress. Mine ended up being the same shade of vibrant red as my cousin’s, whose dress had been living in my subconscious as the epitome of glamour for eight years by that time.”
After seeing all the negativity directed towards millennials, Vlamis shared a video on TikTok (@itstinacolada) as the unofficial Gen Z correspondent to insist it’s “gone too far.” In just a matter of days, the video has gone viral with over 7.2 million views and 784,500 likes at the time of writing.
Posting the video wasn’t just in the name of defending their fashion but also millennial women in general. Those women are her cousins, babysitters, neighbors and friends, and for so much of her childhood she looked up to them. She’s certainly not about to turn her back on them now.
“They’re who I aspired to be when I was younger, so it feels lame to make fun of them now. They were my original influencers,” Vlamis told Newsweek.
In her view, much of the hate and criticism that millennials get stems from “deep-rooted jealousy.” Gen Z has grown up surrounded by online influencers who make fashion seem like a uniform rather than a sense of self-expression.
Contrastingly, millennials made it through adolescence before social media hit its peak. So, for them, fashion was free and creative—hence the loud and in your face prom dresses.
Vlamis said: “Their high school social media experience was more about seeing what their actual friends were doing. In my teenage years, I was comparing what I looked like to influencers in their early 20s, trying to emulate them, and that’s a shame. I should’ve been rocking more feathers and sparkles.”
Since sharing her thoughts on the matter, Vlamis has been inundated with over 14,800 comments on TikTok so far. Many people thanked her for taking their side and sticking up for millennials.
One comment reads: “Last generation to have unfiltered pure fun.”
Another person wrote: “My bright orange prom dress thanks you.”
“Gen Z-Millenial Solidarity 4ever,” added one commenter.
While another TikTok user responded: “2010’s prom dresses made the girls look like CELEBRITIES.”
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