Yes, Gen Z is staring at you. question is why.
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Gen Z is increasingly choosing to take on multiple jobs. Some creators are going a step further and posting about their side hustles on TikTok.
Millennials may find the so-called ‘Gen Z stare’ irritating, but others say it’s justified. Debate over the so-called Gen Z stare is the latest conversation on TikTok to capture people’s attention. But like so many viral social media moments,
What is the "Gen Z Stare?" Older TikTok users say that Gen Z workers often give blank, unresponsive stares. Gen Zers are pushing back.
Banarsë compared it to the "Millennial Pause," a brief moment of silence before speaking in a video, adding that today's social quirks go viral more quickly. Banarsë added that the stare is part of Gen Z's move toward authenticity and boundary-setting—where emotional labor isn't automatically performed to meet outdated norms.
When asked to vote on a generic ballot for 2026, older Gen Z and younger millennial voters, ages 22-29, backed Democrats by a 6-point majority. But younger Gen Z voters, ages 18-21, backed Republicans by nearly 12 percentage points.
This particular TikTok trend is quickly becoming a flashpoint in debates about workplace culture, generational divides, and the future of soft skills. While it may seem like a fleeting meme, the Gen Z stare is emblematic of deeper economic and social shifts as the youngest working generation reshapes the labor market.
Those days feel worlds away and yet Y2K has made a resounding comeback among younger generations. Whether it's fashion, movies, TV or music, many people from Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) are returning to that era and making it au courant once again.
A war is waging online between generations over the Gen Z Stare. While Millennials blame a lack of social skills, Gen Z are blaming insufferable customer requests - but who is right?
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TikTok loves to argue — and the latest spat is over the so-called Gen Z stare. You might have a few questions like: 1) what's the Gen Z stare? and 2) why is TikTok fighting over this? and 3) who would spend their time fighting over this?
Deja Foxx, a 25-year-old political content creator, was running on a progressive platform to become one of the youngest members of Congress.