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Woman Spots Key Difference Between How Gen Z Vs. Millennial Teens Do Hair


Millennials and Gen Z are often butting heads when it comes to fashion and beauty trends, with hugely varying opinions between the generations, despite there being a relatively close age gap for many.

A millennial woman has noticed a huge difference between how teenagers are doing their hair now and her own routine when she was younger. Natalie O’Neill’s video went viral as millennials and Gen Z took to the comments to voice their views on the differences between their hair-styling choices. The clip gained over 7.1 million views and more than 269,000 likes since being shared to her account, @natalie_oneillll, last week.

O’Neill highlighted a major Gen Z hair trend in the video, as she showed how teenagers in 2024 favor a slicked-back and sleek look with a middle parting.

The style, a favorite among the Kardashian-Jenner family and Sofia Richie Grainge, has retained its position as a go-to style globally over recent years, although that wasn’t always the case.

In fact, many millennials will remember a time when having your hair flat to your head could be considered criminal, with an outlook that the higher the hair, the better.

Demonstrating the classic millennial hair hack we all knew and loved back in the 2000s and 2010s, O’Neill was seen twisting the front section of her hair back and securing it into place with a bobby pin, before pushing it forward to create a raised pouf. She wrote “me in 2012” as she took the video’s millions of viewers back in time with her.

Gen Z Woman Holding Sleek Ponytail
A young woman holds up her hair, styled in a slicked-back ponytail. A poster has gone viral after pointing out a huge difference when it comes to how millennials and Gen Z style their hair.

g-stockstudio/Getty Images

What Do the Comments Say?

The video brought mixed reactions in the comments section, with some even asking to make the trend the latest 2000s inspiration to make a comeback. One user wrote: “Can’t wait for these to make their rounds again.”

The trend may be returning sooner than expected, as another user posted how, “Kendall Jenner had those twists at the Met Gala, they might be back,” although the model and media personality’s iteration wasn’t quite as gravity-defying as the original trend.

Some wanted the trend to remain in the past, as one wrote, “I can’t believe we were actually doing that.”

“Omg [Oh my god] I totally forgot about those little quiffs,” added a second. “I could have done without the reminder.”

Others never let it die, as a third shared: “I still quiff my fringe I’m 38 it’s never left me.”

“Tbh [To be honest] I still do this,” added another. “Not sure I ever learned how to ‘do’ my hair.”