May-December flings are all the trend.
In line with reported dating trends and a flurry of TikTok chatter, Gen Z is warming to the concept age is only a number — at the very least, when the vibes are right.
“I totally get why Chelsea was with Rick and selected him over Saxon,” an 18-year-old named Olivia said in a recent interview with The Independent, raving concerning the unlikely couple featured within the Apr. 6 finale of HBO’s hit series, The White Lotus.
“Saxon is such a f–k boy… Rick was concerned with larger things, and Chelsea believed they were soulmates. The age gap didn’t matter to her, and I totally get that!” she added.
That’s right — Rick, a moody middle-aged man played by 53-year-old Walton Goggins, someway beat out a hot, young himbo portrayed by Patrick Schwarzenegger, 31, for Gen Z’s affection.
Kate, 18, chimed in, telling the outlet that she’d select “Rick all the way in which!”
“Saxon was just so basic… Rick might need been moody and a bit murder-y, but I bet he doesn’t hearken to Joe Rogan — if he [Rick] was an actual person,” she continued.
For a generation famous for canceling anything even remotely problematic, their sudden love for romantic pairings with a number of many years between birthdays might sound surprising.
But there’s a reason behind the romance, young hopefuls say.
In line with 19-year-old Liza, who’s dating someone in his late twenties and sat down with the outlet, “I’d go on the odd date with someone my age and most of the time it might find yourself in a straight-up argument when he began saying Andrew Tate makes good points.”
Her boyfriend? “Super chill, a feminist — and weirdly, so are most of his mates. He missed all of the manosphere stuff and it shows.”
With Gen Z women said to be leaning more progressive and outspoken, and Gen Z men increasingly selecting conservatism, many young women say they’re struggling to seek out likeminded mates — as an alternative, finding higher matches a number of years up the generational ladder.
There are numbers to back up the claims — only 56% of Gen Z report having had a romantic relationship of their teens, in comparison with 78% of boomers. That’s not only a drop; it’s a plummet.
The so-called “gen-blend” relationship may very well be the reply — Bumble says it’s booming, with 63% of users reporting they’re totally high quality dating outside their age group.
And it’s not only younger ladies looking for older men — popular movies like The Idea of You, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, and Babygirl all show older women with younger love interests, flipping the standard script.
And in real life, Hollywood’s not exactly shying away — take a look at the 21-year age gap between The Crown’s Dominic West and wife Catherine FitzGerald.
Not that these couplings all the time age well — looking back, the 35-years-ago Chris Evans/Billie Piper and 47-years Bill Wyman/Mandy Smith romances now trigger more “ew” than envy.
The facility dynamics were off — and even Gen Z knows it.
“The important thing thing that sorts the ‘ick’ from ‘OK’ all the time must be the facility balance,” Emma Hathorn, a relationship expert at Searching for.com, told British GQ.
Hathorn adds that social media is playing a serious role in destigmatizing unconventional couples.
“Platforms like TikTok give us access to diverse relationship models we may not have been previously exposed to in our social circles,” she said to the publication.
“This exposure is shifting societal expectations.”
In other words, Gen Z is learning that love isn’t nearly finding someone your personal age — it’s about finding someone in your wavelength.
Whether that person remembers Y2K or thinks it’s a brand new crypto coin doesn’t matter a lot anymore.
As Hathorn puts it: “Partnering with someone older or younger gives a chance to learn from their unique experiences and cultural backgrounds. Youth brings fresh perspectives, while experience offers wisdom.”
May-December flings are all the trend.
In line with reported dating trends and a flurry of TikTok chatter, Gen Z is warming to the concept age is only a number — at the very least, when the vibes are right.
“I totally get why Chelsea was with Rick and selected him over Saxon,” an 18-year-old named Olivia said in a recent interview with The Independent, raving concerning the unlikely couple featured within the Apr. 6 finale of HBO’s hit series, The White Lotus.
“Saxon is such a f–k boy… Rick was concerned with larger things, and Chelsea believed they were soulmates. The age gap didn’t matter to her, and I totally get that!” she added.
That’s right — Rick, a moody middle-aged man played by 53-year-old Walton Goggins, someway beat out a hot, young himbo portrayed by Patrick Schwarzenegger, 31, for Gen Z’s affection.
Kate, 18, chimed in, telling the outlet that she’d select “Rick all the way in which!”
“Saxon was just so basic… Rick might need been moody and a bit murder-y, but I bet he doesn’t hearken to Joe Rogan — if he [Rick] was an actual person,” she continued.
For a generation famous for canceling anything even remotely problematic, their sudden love for romantic pairings with a number of many years between birthdays might sound surprising.
But there’s a reason behind the romance, young hopefuls say.
In line with 19-year-old Liza, who’s dating someone in his late twenties and sat down with the outlet, “I’d go on the odd date with someone my age and most of the time it might find yourself in a straight-up argument when he began saying Andrew Tate makes good points.”
Her boyfriend? “Super chill, a feminist — and weirdly, so are most of his mates. He missed all of the manosphere stuff and it shows.”
With Gen Z women said to be leaning more progressive and outspoken, and Gen Z men increasingly selecting conservatism, many young women say they’re struggling to seek out likeminded mates — as an alternative, finding higher matches a number of years up the generational ladder.
There are numbers to back up the claims — only 56% of Gen Z report having had a romantic relationship of their teens, in comparison with 78% of boomers. That’s not only a drop; it’s a plummet.
The so-called “gen-blend” relationship may very well be the reply — Bumble says it’s booming, with 63% of users reporting they’re totally high quality dating outside their age group.
And it’s not only younger ladies looking for older men — popular movies like The Idea of You, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, and Babygirl all show older women with younger love interests, flipping the standard script.
And in real life, Hollywood’s not exactly shying away — take a look at the 21-year age gap between The Crown’s Dominic West and wife Catherine FitzGerald.
Not that these couplings all the time age well — looking back, the 35-years-ago Chris Evans/Billie Piper and 47-years Bill Wyman/Mandy Smith romances now trigger more “ew” than envy.
The facility dynamics were off — and even Gen Z knows it.
“The important thing thing that sorts the ‘ick’ from ‘OK’ all the time must be the facility balance,” Emma Hathorn, a relationship expert at Searching for.com, told British GQ.
Hathorn adds that social media is playing a serious role in destigmatizing unconventional couples.
“Platforms like TikTok give us access to diverse relationship models we may not have been previously exposed to in our social circles,” she said to the publication.
“This exposure is shifting societal expectations.”
In other words, Gen Z is learning that love isn’t nearly finding someone your personal age — it’s about finding someone in your wavelength.
Whether that person remembers Y2K or thinks it’s a brand new crypto coin doesn’t matter a lot anymore.
As Hathorn puts it: “Partnering with someone older or younger gives a chance to learn from their unique experiences and cultural backgrounds. Youth brings fresh perspectives, while experience offers wisdom.”
