Thelife- A TikToker has gone viral for sharing her theory about how to spot a "true" Gen Zer.
- She said paying attention to the kind of purse someone carries can help you determine their age.
A TikToker said that the key to working out whether a person truly belongs to Gen Z is to look at the kind of purse they carry, and her observations have divided opinion among commenters.
Sarah Thompson, a creator who is 27 years old and based in Boston, Massachusetts, according to her bio, said in a TikTok from August 8 that the "biggest differentiator" between someone who is in their early 20s and someone who is slightly older is what their "going out" bag is.
Thompson drew a distinction between what she called a "true Gen Z" person and someone who is a zillennial, a term used to describe the microgeneration of people who are on the cusp of the millennial and Gen Z age groups, born roughly between 1990 and 2000.
She said that people in their early 20s are more likely to wear small purses with short straps that sit high up under their arms, sometimes referred to as baguettes. Insider previously reported that baguette bags, which were first popularized in the 1990s by Fendi, have been revived as a trend among Gen Zers, along with other Y2K fashion trends like Ugg boots and velour tracksuits.
Thompson said people in their late twenties tend to prefer cross-body bags with longer straps, going on to film a clip of her own collection of cross-bodies hanging on the back of her door.
"It's not a perfect science," she said, explaining that she herself was looking to buy a small shoulder bag, which would contradict the stereotype.
"But it's pretty solid, I think," she added.
The creator's video went viral, receiving 1.1 million views, and it also sparked a debate as people in the comments section weighed in on whether they thought her deductions were accurate.
Some people who said they were in their late 20s said they completely related to the TikToker's analysis, saying they prefer cross-body bags because they find them more convenient to carry. Others said they've been carrying smaller bags as people in their late twenties, and disagreed with the generalization.
"This is inaccurate. I'm 28 and take the mini bags with the lil strap. Y'all gotta keep up with the trends," wrote one commenter.
There were also some younger users who said they prefer cross-bodies or bigger bags, and a number of users from both their early and late 20s said they prefer using differe purses altogether, such as mini backpacks or tote bags.
On TikTok, generational discourse often goes viral, as creators comment on the similarities or differences between different generations, or talk about what makes a certain generational group distinct.
For example, some TikTokers have been weighing in on how to spot a "zillennial," saying the group occupies a liminal space in between stereotypical Gen Z or millennial behaviour. One user said she thinks zillennials often wear straight-leg jeans instead of the skinny jeans millennials are known for, or the wide-leg pants thought to be popular among Gen Z consumers.
For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here.