millennials – Topical Fruit

New Dating Trend: Letting Mom Run Your Tinder

Modern dating is hard, so why not hand the whole task off to your parents? What could possibly go wrong? 👀

According to the Wall Street Journal, Gen Z and millennial singles have started outsourcing their love lives to their parents.

People in their 20s and 30s are letting Mom (and sometimes Dad) take the reins on dating apps like Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge… because if you’re gonna be disappointed and rebuffed by strangers, it might as well be a family affair.

Failing to find someone can be exhausting

Struggling to find your soulmate isn’t a new problem, but online dating has made the search feel like a neverending slog. When you’ve spent years swiping yourself into oblivion, you suddenly find yourself saying, “You know what? Let’s see if Mom can do any better.”

Does mother really know best?

A 31-year-old woman the WSJ talked to said she has to reject a lot of her mom’s picks because they just don’t vibe. “She’s picking guys who are wearing Gucci and more designer, put-together apparel. And I’m like, okay, but how are they gonna do on a hike?”

Success stories are rare but real

Another woman said her dad convinced her to give a British guy a shot – even after the potential suitor didn’t respond to her messages right away. They started FaceTiming daily, and he picked her up from the airport when she moved to London for grad school. Now they’re a couple. Chalk one up for Team Dad!

Parents finally get to experience dating in 2025

Whether it’s good or bad, the experiment is giving parents a front-row seat to the chaos their kids have been dealing with. Suddenly, their “why can’t you find anyone” mantra is giving way to “Wow, I see why you can’t find anyone.”

One mom was stunned by how many men on dating apps proudly posed in full hunting gear, or mid-chug with a handle of cheap liquor. (Ma’am… that is the modern courting ritual. Just wait until they start texting. 🍆)

Is it worth a try, or is it just too risky?

Before you jump in with both feet (and both parents), remember this: If you let Mom into your relationship before it even gets started, there may be no going back.

So, the question is are you desperate enough to let your mom play matchmaker? Or will you continue to suffer in solitude, stubbornly swiping into the void?

There’s also a third option. Maybe just sack up, Gen Z, and resign yourself to the idea of dying alone like the rest of us. 😘

Gen Z Wants Total Silence While Driving

If your ideal morning commute involves no radio, no podcasts, and no phone calls, congrats – you’re at least young at heart.

A new poll by Ziebart found Zoomers are the generation most likely to crave peace and quiet behind the wheel. 55% of Gen Z adults prefer complete silence when they drive. No podcasts. No playlists. No phone calls. Not even the gentle hum of NPR. Just the sound of rubber meeting road.

The poll looked at how different generations use their time in the car, and it turns out every age group has its own road time rituals.

Gen Z: Total silence

The poll didn’t look at why that’s the case, but here’s a guess. They think the radio is from the 1800s… think music should only be consumed through headphones… and/or they’re 24 and just got their driver’s license at 22. So they need zero distractions to avoid driving into a ditch.

Millennials: Chasing productivity

They’re the most likely to use drive time to plan their day, think about the future, or mentally run through their to-do lists. Basically, their brains are in full Google Calendar mode before they even hit the parking lot. They also listen to more podcasts than any other generation. (Probably ones on how to de-stress.)

Gen X: Still blasting those tunes

If you were born between ’65 and ’80, you’re probably still jamming out to your favorite music. A whopping 89% of Gen X respondents said listening to music is their go-to commute activity. Makes sense from the generation that had to wire a tape deck into their dad’s old Trans Am to listen to their Jane’s Addiction tapes.

Baby Boomers: ???

Boomers weren’t represented in the poll. But you can probably find them lecturing their GPS. Or if anyone from those other generations is riding shotgun, they’ll be reminiscing about when gas was under a dollar.

So whether your commute is a silent think tank, a mobile concert venue, or a motivational seminar on wheels, at least know you’re not alone in your habits. (But seriously, Gen Z. Turn that radio on. It’s free and sooooo throwback ’90s of you.)

10 Things We Wish Were “Business Casual”

Ever stared at your closet wondering if you could get away with wearing those sweatpants to work? According to Google, searches for “business casual” hit an all-time high in 2025, and it’s not because we’re all suddenly passionate about HR dress codes. It’s because no one knows what it means anymore. (Did we ever?)

The dictionary definition is “a style of dressing for white-collar employees that is less formal than business attire.” Super helpful, right? That could mean a nice sweater… or maybe a hoodie with cowboy boots depending on who you ask and where you live.

Google looked at the most popular “Is this business casual?” searches of the year, broken down by city. And something about the list tells me we’d all be wearing tees, jorts, and Crocs to the office if we knew it wouldn’t cost us that raise.

Here are 10 questionable fashion choices we’ve been Googling and where those fashion dilemmas are trending the most.

1. “Are sweats business casual?”

Los Angeles is leading the charge on this one. Shocking absolutely no one.

2. “Are baggy jeans business casual?”

Salt Lake City is ready to be living in 1998 again.

3. “Are cowboy boots business casual?”

Charleston, South Carolina, wants to make this happen. And honestly, we kind of support it.

4. “Are hoodies business casual?”

Denver’s hoping it’s okay as long as it’s made by Patagonia.

5. “Are combat boots business casual?”

Chicago’s trying to punk up the office vibe.

6. “Are flannel shirts business casual?”

San Francisco, meet Portland’s wardrobe.

7. “Are shorts business casual?”

Eugene, Oregon, you’re on the same latitude as Minneapolis. This only applies like eight days a year.

8. “Is a cowboy hat business casual?”

Kansas City, Missouri, clearly thinks the rodeo is a networking event.

9. “Are yoga pants business casual?”

Hartford, Connecticut, just wants to be comfy.

10. “Is cheetah print business casual?”

Atlanta’s out here trying to make statement pieces work in staff meetings.

In the end, “business casual” for most of us means… whatever your boss won’t yell at you for. But as work-from-home culture continues to blend into in-office life, the line between business and casual is as blurry as ever.

One person’s power blazer is another person’s cheetah print sweats, apparently. At this rate, the only universal rule might be if you have to Google it, maybe toss on a button-down instead.

Gen Z Thinks You’re “Old” at 35

If you’re over 35, brace yourself: Gen Z might already consider you a dinosaur.

A new survey tackled the age-old question… literally… of when someone officially becomes “old.” The answer? It depends entirely on who you ask. For Gen Z, the cutoff comes alarmingly early: 22% of them say “old” starts at 35. That even includes a bold 3% who think you’re washed up at 27. Yes, 27.

Gen Z, born between the mid-to-late ’90s and early 2010s, is just now rounding the bend into adulthood. The oldest are only around 28, so it’s possible this opinion is less about wisdom and more about the shock of finding their first gray hair. Millennials, on the other hand… many of whom are in their 30s and 40s… are far more forgiving: just 15% believe 35 counts as “old.”

The survey didn’t ask Gen X or Boomers, but it’s safe to assume none of them would be caught calling 35 “elderly”… at least not with a straight face.

The survey also uncovered some deeper anxieties about aging among young adults:

Fear of decline: 51% of Gen Z and 62% of Millennials say their top age-related worry is declining health.
Second-biggest fear? Gen Z is haunted by the idea of not achieving enough. Millennials, meanwhile, are stressed about financial insecurity.
Judgy vibes: Nearly half of Gen Z disapprove of people who still party in their 30s, while 49% of Millennials look sideways at 30-somethings who live with their parents.
Peaked too soon? Around 30% of both groups feel like their best years are already behind them… though 73% say they’re still hopeful that the future holds better days.

The fame game also looms large: 63% of Gen Z and half of Millennials admit to comparing their lives to celebrities. And while nearly 4 in 10 Gen Z’ers have already let go of the dream of becoming famous, a third of Millennials say they think it’s too late to change careers.

Also: 9% of Gen Z think people stop having sex at 40. (Spoiler alert: they don’t.)

So, what age is “old”? Apparently, it’s not a number… it’s a vibe. And depending on your generation, that vibe kicks in anywhere from 27 to never.