The 'Gen Z stare' isn't for the reason you think

Gen Z-ers have taken to TikTok to defend themselves over the 'Gen Z stare' - and it might be time to cut them some slack.

As one of the current youngest generations, Gen Z tends to cop a lot of flack from their elders (Gen Alpha, they’ll be coming for you soon too, I promise).

Currently, all everyone is going on about is the newest TikTok buzz word: the Gen Z stare. But, despite the accusations, Gen Z is here to confirm it’s not being done for the reason you might think.

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Image: TikTok / @madylamb, @gemma.moro.

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What is the Gen Z stare?

The ‘Gen Z stare’ refers to a blank, vacant look millennials and Gen X-ers claim Gen Z gives in lieu of a proper greeting or response, particularly when they’re shocked or confused.

This look is said to be seen primarily in hospitality and retail workers, and has been blamed on just about everything - a lack of social skills, stunting due to the pandemic, and general fear of speaking to people in-person instead of on our phones.

But, regardless of context, it’s being perceived in just one way. Gen Z-ers are rude, entitled, and are looking to cause problems - when instead they could just be polite.

@madylamb

i promise i don’t actually react like this but i will gen z stare occasionally. #fyp #relatable #genzstare

♬ Lover, You Should've Come Over - Jeff Buckley

Gen Z fights back

In true Gen Z fashion, Gen Z’ers themselves have come out in droves to fight back on the claims.

For many, the response has been exposing the main reason many people in customer facing roles can’t answer your question - it’s so stupid, they don’t even know where to start.

Let’s be real, there’s only so many ways you can explain to someone that you don’t have something in the back, without actually taking them there to see the tiny room filled with coat hangers and empty plastic bags for themselves.

TikTok creator Mady Lamb laid this out perfectly in her now-viral video, with over 12 million views.

“Does the strawberry banana smoothie have banana in it?” the customer in the skit asks.

“Yes, the strawberry banana smoothie does have banana in it unfortunately,” she responds - after a brief pause.

And, @gemma.moro did the same.“She’s flipping through the menu and says, ‘Can you give me some suggestions?’ and I’m like ‘Yeah girl, I got you… I really like the barbeque ribs’,” she said, retelling what had happened at her job.

“She goes, ‘I don’t eat red meat’. Okay? How the f*ck was I supposed to know that?”

Cut them some slack

Gen Z has long been considered a disruptive generation.

No longer are they accepting that you have to ‘respect your elders’ - and if your elders are wrong, is that really such a bad thing?

As someone who worked in retail and as a receptionist in my teens, I’ve copped firsthand a wide range of ridiculous queries, including ‘What size is my daughter?’ (who I don’t know), and I bet I had a bit of a blank face trying to conjure up what to say.

But, if you’re still not convinced and are still wondering why a Gen Z-er is staring at you over a seemingly normal question, maybe it’s worth digging a little deeper into why that might be.

Gen Z has had a hugely different upbringing to the generations prior to them, as the first to be brought up with technology so tightly intertwined into everyday life, and a pandemic right in the middle of some of their most fundamental years of growth. Gens X and Y - you did bring them up, remember?

And, recall that when you were in your teens and early 20s, no matter when that was, chances are those older than you were picking on you for everything, too.

So, cut Gen Z some slack. K?

Originally published as The 'Gen Z stare' isn't for the reason you think