Gen Z, I Just Want to Ask: Are You OK?

• This week, Business Insider reported that Gen Z has “menu anxiety”
• We also reported shoppers at Shein — popular with Gen Z —  think they’re environmentally conscious.
• I don’t want to stir up any drama, but I have to ask: Are you ok?

These are weird times, I know. There’s war, there’s inflation, there’s AI taking our jobs — if you can even get one. I am not trying to deny that life right now feels upside down and stressful.

And by no means am I trying to pick any sort of inter-generational fight. I fully accept that as an elder millennial, my eyebrows look bad and my generation’s crowning achievement was coming up with the concept of girlbosses and “epic bacon.”

Look, I love Gen Z. I love their vigor, their memes, their fresh outlook. I am also grateful to them for finally doing what everyone has wanted to do since flying toasters traipsed across slumbering the screens of a Macintosh II: Gen Z killed office email. All hail the conquering heroes, I say.

But, after a few stories I read this week, I have to ask:

Gen Z … are you guys, uh, OK?

First, and most alarming, Business Insider reported on a survey that showed 86% of Gen Z has “menu anxiety” while ordering at a restaurant.

Also from the report:

38% of Gen Z and millennials said they wouldn’t go to a restaurant if they hadn’t looked at the menu beforehand. A third of Gen Zers also said they ask other people to order at restaurants because of this anxiety.

One of the pleasures of dining out (aside from not having to do the dishes) is perusing a menu for new delights. Dietary restrictions aside, the idea of “menu anxiety …?” I’m just saying, I worry.

Next, another Business Insider report showed that Shein shoppers believed that they were more environmentally conscious than others.

Shein, of course, has shoppers of all generations, but it’s super-popular with Gen Z, which loves fast fashion.

From the story:

Fifty-two percent of Shein shoppers said they considered caring for the environment to be a big part of their personal identity, compared to 47% of overall respondents. And 67% of Shein shoppers said they were willing to pay more for environmentally sustainable goods, compared to 53% overall.

I can understand being willing to look the other way to how notoriously unsustainable Shein appears to be because, hey, the prices are just so good. But to also believe that you’re more environmentally conscious? It sounds, as the kids say, mildly delulu.

As someone who loves a good deal, I applaud Gen Z for being “the dupe generation.” Smart shopping!

And I am thrilled to see young people sometimes questioning how to make capitalism work better. Being open to considering new ideas and challenging the status quo is what we need young people to do — it keeps pushing society for the better.

But the menu anxiety? I believe you’ll get to the other side.