The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/transgender">trans</a>-identifying <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tiktok">TikTok</a> creator who spurred the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/viral-video">viral trend</a> of saying “very demure” is now upset that someone else trademarked the saying first.
Jools Lebron started posting clips featuring the “very demure, very mindful, very cutesy” narration that’s taken social media by storm. Big-name celebrities have gotten on board, and even the White House tested out the phrase.
“Cancelling [sic] the student debt of nearly 5 million Americans through various actions. Very mindful. Very demure,” an X post <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/very-demure-tiktoker-says-earnings-will-finance-transition-then-the-white-house-jumps-on-the-bandwagon">shared</a> on August 16 said alongside a smiling photo of President Joe Biden.
Lebron, a biological man, has since racked up more than 2 million followers and said any earnings would be used for his &#8220;transition&#8221; surgery.
“I was playing cashier and making videos on my break, and now I’m flying across the country to host events, and I’m going to be able to finance the rest of my transition,” Lebron said in response to detractors.
Now the TikTok influencer is upset that a man named Jefferson Bates filed an application in Washington to trademark the expression, “Very Demure .. Very Mindful …,” per <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/very-demure-tiktok-creator-jools-lebron-didnt-rademark-phrase-rcna168144">NBC News</a>.
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Lebron posted about the situation in a now-deleted update shared on social media. “I wanted to do so much for my family and provide for my transition, and I just feel like I dropped the ball,” Lebron said over the weekend. 
This spurred another person, Raluca Pop, to file for a trademark to one of Lebron’s other phrases, “Very Demure Very Cutesy.” Pop did this with the intention of transferring it to Lebron at a later date.  
NBC noted that both Pop and Bates’ applications are still pending.
Pop reportedly saw Lebron as “the one that created it and popularized [the phrase]. Like, she should be the one to reap the benefits.” 
Pop added, “And once I saw that this other guy tried to steal it out from under her, I realized that he didn’t trademark the remainder of her phrase, ‘very cutesy.’ And that’s when I went and I did it, instead.”
On Tuesday Lebron posted on TikTok again about the situation, saying only that it was “handled” and that there was a “team” of people dealing with it.
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Celebrities from Jennifer Lopez to Reese Witherspoon have used the phrase “very demure” to promote current projects. Lebron has also partnered with brands like Verizon and Lyft and appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” last week.
The original clip was shared on TikTok in early August. It shows Lebron applying makeup while narrating the process.
“You see how I do my makeup for work? Very demure, very mindful. I don’t do too much. I’m very mindful while I’m at work. See how I look very presentable? A lot of you girls go to the interview, looking like Marge Simpson, and go to the job looking like Patty and Selma, not demure,” Lebron <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-does-demure-tiktok-trend-jools-lebron-mean/">said</a>.

TikTok

‘Very Demure’ Trans TikTok Creator Didn’t File To Trademark Catchphrase, But Someone Else Did

'Very Demure' Trans TikTok Creator Didn't File To Trademark Catchphrase, But Someone Else Did

Social Issues

Social Media

Transgender

U.S.

viral video

Actress <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/celebrities">Alicia Silverstone</a>’s followers are begging for her to provide an update after she posted a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tiktok">TikTok</a> video of herself ingesting what appears to be poisonous berries on Monday night.
The video caption <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@aliciasilverstone/video/7404981177574067499">says</a>, “What the heck is this!? I’m in England and can’t figure it out.”
Silverstone shared the clip of herself walking the streets of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/london">London</a> and foraging a yellow berry out of someone’s yard. “OK, I’ve discovered something that I can’t figure out what it is and I need your help,” the 47-year-old actress began.
She held up the small orange-red fruit and continued, saying, “I just bit into it because it was on the street, and we were discussing whether this was a tomato or not.”
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“It’s definitely not because look at these leaves,” Silverstone said while including a shot of the bush she plucked the berry off of. “Those are the leaves, so what the heck is this?”
The “Clueless” star took a bite of another berry and said, “I don’t think you’re supposed to eat this. It’s almost like a pepper. Does anybody know what this is? I don’t know what it is; I need somebody to tell me. I’m in England.”
Followers flooded the comments with messages of concern, pointing out that the berry she was questioning looked a lot like solanum pseudocapsicum, otherwise known as a “Jerusalem cherry” or a “winter cherry.” 
This toxic nightshade species can cause <a href="https://www.poisonsinfo.health.qld.gov.au/plants-and-mushrooms/jerusalem-cherry-solanum-pseudocapsicum#:~:text=All%20parts%20of%20the%20plant,Death%20has%20been%20reported.">symptoms</a> including fever, sweating, vomiting, stomach pain, headache, and increased heart rate when ingested, especially when the fruit is unripe.
Symptoms may be delayed and persist for several days. While ingesting these berries is not usually fatal, death is possible. 
“WOMAN! UPDATE US. ARE YOU ALIVE AND WELL!?!” one popular comment says. 
Many others urged for a follow-up post, with one TikTok user writing, “Okay it is 7am in England, can you give us an update PLEASE. just a quick ‘hey I’m okay!’”
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Plenty of other followers questioned Silverstone on her decision to eat something without having any idea what it was.
“Girl! berries are either great or freaking poisonous! Don&#8217;t eat rando bush-things,” one commenter wrote.
“More to the point- Why are you eating random things from someone’s garden?!” another follower agreed. 
“You bit into something you don’t know what it is? On the street!!?” a third echoed.
As of Tuesday morning, the actress had not posted any additional videos on TikTok.

Alicia Silverstone

Fans Request An Update After ‘Clueless’ Actress Posts Video Of Herself Eating ‘Poisonous’ Berries

Fans Request An Update After 'Clueless' Actress Posts Video Of Herself Eating 'Poisonous' Berries

Celebrities

England

Entertainment

London

World

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/transgender">trans–identifying</a> creator of the viral <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tiktok">TikTok</a> trend “very demure” said all the attention and new followers will be used to help <a href="https://ca.style.yahoo.com/demure-tiktok-creator-now-afford-105559240.html">fund</a> his “transition” surgery. 
Jools Lebron, a biological man, is credited with starting the new trend of calling certain actions “demure.” Lebron’s social media videos have gone <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/viral-video">viral</a>, with celebrity X accounts and the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/white-house">White House</a> jumping on the &#8220;very demure&#8221; bandwagon. 
The original clip was shared on TikTok in early August. It shows Lebron putting on makeup while narrating the process.
&#8220;You see how I do my makeup for work? Very demure, very mindful. I don&#8217;t do too much. I&#8217;m very mindful while I&#8217;m at work. See how I look very presentable? A lot of you girls go to the interview, looking like Marge Simpson, and go to the job looking like Patty and Selma, not demure,&#8221; Lebron <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-does-demure-tiktok-trend-jools-lebron-mean/">said</a>. 
Another activity the TikTok influencer described as “demure” included staying seated after an airplane lands. 
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The &#8220;demure&#8221; trend got so popular that Lebron posted a video about it, posting a reaction to negative commenters last week, “Hey bandeja, maybe you should — maybe you should make the videos. Maybe you should make the videos, because one day, I was playing cashier and making videos on my break, and now I’m flying across the country to host events, and I’m going to be able to finance the rest of my transition.”
The influencer also <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@joolieannie/video/7403953112211311918?lang=en">celebrated</a> the official White House X account using the “demure” wording to promote policy.
“Cancelling [sic] the student debt of nearly 5 million Americans through various actions. Very mindful. Very demure,” the X post said alongside a smiling photo of President Joe Biden.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Cancelling the student debt of nearly 5 million Americans through various actions.
Very mindful. 
Very demure. <a href="https://t.co/Azg6dOHiro">pic.twitter.com/Azg6dOHiro</a>
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1824551807441346714?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
A-list celebrities have also referenced the trend. Reese Witherspoon <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C-uzF0YONcF/?img_index=1">described</a> the latest season of her Apple TV series “The Morning Show” as “very demure.” Jennifer Lopez drank from a bottle of her Delola brand cocktail and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-wRQgYJBUQ/">described</a> her actions as “very demure” and “very mindful.”
Actor Penn Badgley made the same <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-tRG1Yu0Zj/">comments</a> about playing a serial killer character on “You,” as did Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis while <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-wPpllJu1v/">promoting</a> their “Freaky Friday” sequel. 
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Lebron <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-does-demure-tiktok-trend-jools-lebron-mean/">spoke with</a> CBS Mornings about the definition of demure.
&#8220;Your demure is what it means to you. It&#8217;s being mindful and considerate of the people around you, but also of yourself and how you present to the world,&#8221; the influencer said. &#8220;When I did start making TikToks, I found more girls like me. I found girls who are plus size who are trans, who are having the same experiences that come uniquely with that set of combinations.”
Lebron concluded, &#8220;Your demure is what it means to you. It&#8217;s being mindful and considerate of the people around you, but also of yourself and how you present to the world.”

Tiktok

‘Very Demure’ TikToker Says Earnings Will Finance ‘Transition,’ Then The White House Jumps On The Bandwagon

'Very Demure' TikToker Says Earnings Will Finance 'Transition,' Then The White House Jumps On The Bandwagon

White House

For a couple months now, Gen Z has taken to TikTok in droves to address their concern of being “chronically single.” Generally, when you have a “chronic” illness, you do your best to find a solution, which is what they’re doing. They go on dates semi-regularly, they’re open to being introduced to other people, and they’re willing to try blind dates, but none of these methods seem to be working. So, is there a remedy to this chronic ailment? Potentially. 
Opposite those who are “chronically single” is another group called “repeat offenders,” according to TikTok. It seems that these people have just given up on finding someone to date seriously while letting their standards slip in the process, so they have just become repeat offenders to fill the void.
<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@glutenfreejackie/video/7302132561390603566?_r=1&amp;_t=8npxExmabjb" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-781811 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/Tiktok-a.png" alt="" width="288" height="512" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/Tiktok-a.png 288w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/Tiktok-a-169x300.png 169w" sizes="(max-width: 288px) 100vw, 288px" /></a>
The comments are divided. While some say they “live for the plot” and are too bored to stay single, others say they would much rather be chronically single than dating a different man each week:
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-781813 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/Titok-b.png" alt="" width="512" height="89" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/Titok-b.png 512w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/Titok-b-300x52.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></div>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-781817 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/Tikto-c.png" alt="" width="512" height="82" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/Tikto-c.png 512w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/Tikto-c-300x48.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></div>
Although the opportunity to get emotionally or physically involved with someone may seem appealing, even if the person isn’t right for you, that will only cause you pain. That type of companionship or method of filling a void will not be worth the hurt it brings in the end. 
Perhaps the most powerful takeaway from the chronically single trend I have seen is that people are not lowering their standards or entering into desperation mode. This girl puts it squarely into perspective:
<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@glutenfreejackie/video/7302132561390603566?_r=1&amp;_t=8npxExmabjb" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-781819 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-D.png" alt="" width="284" height="512" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-D.png 284w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-D-166x300.png 166w" sizes="(max-width: 284px) 100vw, 284px" /></a>
She acknowledges the unwarranted bad advice singles receive, and then mentions that when a dating situation doesn’t work out, other people are quick to shower you with pity, say how sorry they are, and ask how long you’ve been single, which she has some strong opinions about. Her main point is that she thinks the longer you’re single, the more adamant you become on not settling. Lots of comments concurred:
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-781827 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/TikTok-E.png" alt="" width="512" height="123" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/TikTok-E.png 512w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/TikTok-E-300x72.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></div>
My husband was 28 when we met, and by the internet’s definition, he was chronically single. He never felt like any of the women he went on a date with were right for him — so he just kept looking. When I met him, I respected the fact he’d never been in a relationship because it showed me he was dating with intention. He valued himself enough not to waste his time going after random girls at bars just to have the satisfaction of being with someone.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/advice-to-the-chronically-single-friend-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Comments Section with Brett Cooper on DailyWire+</a></h4>
Waiting and checking boxes was a common sentiment among both the men and the women in this comment section. If anything, the singles’ standards seem to be getting stronger as they mature and gain more confidence in what they want in a significant other, which I think is positive — so long as your standards don’t include a list of unnecessary “icks.” If your standards include mutual respect, shared values, and common ground in a relationship, keep them high.
A girl posted this TikTok talking about just this:
<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@paytonpoulstonn/video/7386854078309223726?q=chronically%20single&amp;t=1720735262697" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-781831 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/TikTok-F.png" alt="" width="286" height="512" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/TikTok-F.png 286w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/TikTok-F-168x300.png 168w" sizes="(max-width: 286px) 100vw, 286px" /></a> 
One comment honed in on a truly sincere and valid statement:
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-781833 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/TikTok-G.png" alt="" width="512" height="112" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/TikTok-G.png 512w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/TikTok-G-300x66.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></div>
She’s a hopeless romantic living in a hook-up culture world. This is incredibly hard for people who have traditional values because those values have gone out of practice in the dating world. Yet this girl has so much clarity and maturity. She isn’t going out and seeking attention from every man she meets, nor has she made dating or hooking up her identity — quite the contrary. At the same time, finding someone to be in a relationship with is on her mind because it’s important to her and she’s not going about it frivolously.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chronic-singleness-lets-talk-about-it-part-i" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: &#8216;Chronic Singleness.&#8217; Let&#8217;s Talk About It. Part I</a></h4>
My takeaway after watching all these TikTokers document their chronically single experiences was: I don’t know exactly what to say because everyone has different experiences as to how they found their significant others. By no means do I want to spew cliches. And more than just giving relentless advice, my hope is to break down the problems people are facing in the dating landscape, break down the dating landscape in and of itself so that we can find solutions.
Singles don’t need more advice. They need phone numbers. So be the help, connect your friends, and become part of the solution. This is a huge issue in our culture, and there has to be a way to fix this. So let’s stop with the unhelpful advice and start making connections.
* * *
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DW_Comment_Section_5003RT copy

Exploring Remedies To ‘Chronic Singleness,’ Part II

Exploring Remedies To 'Chronic Singleness,' Part II

Brett Cooper

Dating

Gen Z

Opinion

Readers Pass

Women

In the Zoom chat, people talked about “brat summer” and “hotties for Harris.”
Meanwhile, the host for Tuesday’s virtual event, Matthew Rein, offered tips and tricks to Kamala Harris supporters on how to post TikToks to support the Democratic presidential nominee.
During the “Organizing on TikTok: Training Session,” Rein, who does social media analysis for the Democratic National Committee, admitted that one of the Democrats’ main challenges on TikTok is former president Donald Trump’s massive following.
“Really our other challenge is that Donald Trump has a very large following on this platform. He has 10 million followers. Does that mean that he is running his TikTok well? No. But he does have a very large reach on the platform,” he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NEW🧵
The DNC held a TikTok &#8220;training session&#8221; for Kamala Harris supporters on Tuesday.
See the highlights below. Spoiler, MAGA is &#8220;weird,&#8221; Trump&#8217;s large following is a &#8220;challenge,&#8221; and one Harris supporter is on TikTok as &#8220;woke grandpa.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/gcMWviAVCH">pic.twitter.com/gcMWviAVCH</a>
— Mairead Elordi (@JohnsonHildy) <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnsonHildy/status/1824091114204274880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 15, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 
As of May, there were twice as many pro-Trump videos as pro-Biden videos on the platform, a slide from the presentation said.
Even with Harris bumped to the top of the ticket, “it’s still the case that there are a lot of Trump supporters on this app. There are low information voters with low engagement,” Rein said.
Another issue is “right wing actors who are purposely spreading disinformation about Kamala Harris, about Tim Walz now, about Democrats generally,” he continued. “They spread some pretty horrific lies and propaganda, and TikTok isn’t necessarily always the fastest at getting this down.”
“But thankfully we also have some tremendous opportunities. We have opportunities to set narratives,” the host added.
Harris supporters should also “amplify negative content” and “react to how extreme and weird and bizarre Donald Trump and JD Vance are and MAGA in general,” Rein said.
The training offered several examples of pro-Democrat TikToks, including one mocking an Arizona Republican for blaming President Biden for inflation while “on the bill it didn’t include actual grocery items.”
At one point in the presentation, the hosts compared a TikTok from the Make America Great Again super PAC to one of the DNC’s TikToks.
“Guys, President Biden just dragged Donald Trump,” a woman in the DNC’s post says, followed by a clip of Biden saying, “Donald Trump still thinks windmills cause cancer! That’s what he said! By the way, remember when he was trying to deal with COVID he said just inject a little bleach in your veins. He missed. It all went to his hair.”
“Dark Brandon strikes again,” the woman says.
That video “drives our narrative” of Biden “being able to be up there, to give a speech, and to be humorous,” Rein said.
All the while the Zoom chat was hopping, with one person saying they were already on TikTok as “woke grandpa.” Another said their first TikTok would be, “Why should an old white upper middle class dude like me vote for Harris-Walz?”
Another TikTok highlighted during the presentation featured Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, who reacted to a TikToker saying he would add Harris to a group chat. 
“Can I get in on this group chat too?” Emhoff quipped in the video.
Yet another video example involved asking why Trump has “never talked about” Project 2025.
“This is prior to Trump denying his involvement with Project 2025,” Rein said.
The training also urged supporters to be “engaging” and “a little snappy” with their posts.
“If you start your video and you’re just like, ‘well, and today Kamala Harris did this rally,’ no one cares about it, right? No one’s going to care,” Rein said.

Kamala Harris Visits Local Campaign Office In Phoenix Area

The DNC Held A TikTok ‘Training Session’ For Kamala Harris Fans. Here’s What They Said.

Democratic National Committee

Kamala Harris

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/country-singer">Country singer</a> Dylan Marlowe is unsure why TikTok comments on his new song, which includes lyrics about God and guns, are being hidden on the social media platform, but he has his guess.
The 27-year-old recording artist anticipated the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/entertainment">song</a> might be controversial when he posted it. He wrote in the social media caption, “This might get censored but whatever, this is one of my favorite songs on the record.”
The <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTNG4DJha/">video</a> shows Marlowe strumming his guitar while sitting on a porch, singing “Stick to My Guns” from his first studio album, Mid-Twenties Crisis, which will be released on September 27. 
He sings the lyrics, “I’m sick and damn tired of the man on the TV telling me how to live/and it gets a little old when you’re always getting told that you gotta do that and this/turns out there’s a lot of folks that don’t like all the things I love/good thing this ain’t for them folks.”
It continues: “Yeah, this song’s the one where I stick to these boots I’m putting down/stick to this cross around my neck/stick to these roots stuck in the ground/way I was raised ain’t let me down yet/in a world that’s changing I sure as hell ain’t son/so I’ll sit right here with a rifle and a beer ‘til the good Lord comes/stick to my guns.”
In a follow-up <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@dylanmarlowemusic/video/7400890770644897054?_r=1&amp;_t=8oowPuLigt1">post</a>, Marlowe shared his suspicions about what he describes as hidden comments on the song. 
“I don’t normally post things like this on TikTok but I posted this video the other day… went to bed, woke up, it said there was like 500 comments on this video. So, I go to check it out, and turns out that over, like, 400 of these comments have been like, disabled. Like, they’re not available to be on the post. And I don’t know why.”
<a href="http://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1723312978172000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1Kuw7_CFpxtIaxl4Gay5PU">WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI</a>
The singer did not make specific accusations but wrote, &#8220;I have my guess&#8221; as to why the comments weren&#8217;t appearing. He went on to say he contacted TikTok to find out why the comments were disabled and hadn’t received an answer yet. 
As of Wednesday morning, the original song clip was up to almost 200 visible comments. Marlowe’s followers flooded both TikTok clips with their messages of support.
“The reason they aren’t showing up is the exact reason we need songs like this,” one person wrote.
“You have the voice in more than one way. So proud of you, keep going, we&#8217;ll keep supporting you!!” another agreed.
The Georgia-born recording artist has opened for big names in country, from Laney Wilson to Hardy, and was signed by Sony Music Nashville. Marlowe’s first number-one hit as a songwriter was Jon Pardi’s single, “Last Night Lonely.”
“Mid-Twenties Crisis is a record I wrote in my mid-twenties, really over the last two or three years,” the artist <a href="https://musicrow.com/2024/07/dylan-marlowe-will-explore-mid-twenties-crisis-on-debut-album/">said</a> during an interview in July of his upcoming album. “There’s a bunch of songs that are going to be fun to play live. I also thought it was really important to make sure I had some deeper lyrics as well.”

Dylan Marlowe

Country Singer Says Comments On His Pro-Gun, Pro-God Anthem Are Getting Throttled On TikTok

Country Music

Country singer

Music

One topic Gen Z doesn’t mind talking about is dating. Because of all its challenges, some say they are not choosing to prioritize dating, or they are just opting out entirely. To be fair, that is not the case for all of Gen Z. A decent number of twenty-year-olds do very much want to be in a relationship, yet they consistently remain single. A selection of the latter group have, in true Gen Z fashion, taken to social media to air their grievances, labeling themselves “the chronically single friend,” and their stories prove the dating landscape is rough terrain.
I ran across the “chronically single” trending topic on TikTok a month or so ago. These single twentysomethings started making lists about the number of unhelpful (and generally obnoxious) comments people have made to them over the years — and they are over hearing them. In one of the most viral TikToks, a twenty-five-year-old listed a few of the pieces of advice she hears most often, including, “It will happen when you least expect it,” and “Stop looking and that’s when you’ll find it.” She explained, “I haven’t been looking. And it’s the not looking, I fear, that resulted in years of absolutely no contact with a man.”
<div id="attachment_780511" style="width: 295px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@taylorvance/video/7384867028512886058?q=chronically%20single&amp;t=1720737206349" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-780511" class="wp-image-780511 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-1-1.png" alt="Source: TikTok. " width="285" height="512" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-1-1.png 285w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-1-1-167x300.png 167w" sizes="(max-width: 285px) 100vw, 285px" /></a>Source: TikTok.</div>
I do agree that sometimes the best thing to do is to take a step back, focus on yourself, and realign your priorities to know what you actually want in a potential partner. However, society’s push of telling women they don’t need a man has landed some women in this very predicament. This is a balancing act: It is wise to know what you want and be open to dating while also not making finding a significant other your entire life’s mission and fixating on it twenty-four hours a day.
This 25-year-old continues, listing “You’re so lucky” and “Don’t rush it” as two more unhelpful pieces of advice. She concludes by acknowledging that when people set her up with someone, she knows they are trying to help, but she often finds herself in a difficult position when she ends up not being interested. She has a point. I don’t think setting people up is a bad move; in fact, it’s one way to actually help singles — so long as the two people getting set up share commonalities and have potential to be a good match. But just because two people happen to be single does not mean they will automatically have a connection. 
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/advice-to-the-chronically-single-friend-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Comments Section with Brett Cooper on DailyWire+</a></h4>
She ends telling fellow TikTokers that if they can relate, she’s sorry—and boy did they relate. When this video started circulating, it didn’t stop. One commented that she’s basically tired of focusing on herself. This is something people talk about after getting married and having children because they realize focusing on someone else is life-giving. In our narcissistic society, we don’t even realize how unhealthy and exhausting only focusing on ourselves is. Another commenter was aggravated over receiving contradictory advice:
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-780439 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/TikTok-2-1.png" alt="" width="512" height="110" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/TikTok-2-1.png 512w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/TikTok-2-1-300x64.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></div>
<div id="attachment_780441" style="width: 522px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-780441" class="wp-image-780441 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/TikTok-3-1.png" alt="Source: TikTok comments." width="512" height="109" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/TikTok-3-1.png 512w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/TikTok-3-1-300x64.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" />Source: TikTok comments.</div>
To her credit, advice-givers never quite seem to extrapolate the nuance about why singles should “stop looking” while simultaneously “put yourself out there.” If you want to be in a relationship with someone, being emotionally available and open to the possibility of dating is definitely smart, but that doesn’t mean you need to go on a date every single night of the week. 
One other response to this chronic single situation hits on a truth that touches on many areas in life: If you don’t have experience in a specific situation, it might be hard to give actual, beneficial advice. Certainly, people are trying to be helpful by offering advice based on their own experiences. But when someone is actively attempting to get out of the chronically single status, that advice can sting.
<div id="attachment_780443" style="width: 522px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-780443" class="wp-image-780443 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/TikTok-4.png" alt="Source: TikTok comments." width="512" height="125" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/TikTok-4.png 512w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/TikTok-4-300x73.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" />Source: TikTok comments.</div>
This trend is holding strong and the videos just keep coming. In another that went viral, a girl commented yet again on the “it will happen when you’re not looking” theme, followed by, “you have to put yourself out there.” These are by far the most commonly cited unhelpful sayings.
<div id="attachment_780515" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@itsnikkicash/video/7386027672087940394?q=chronically%20single&amp;t=1720737206349" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-780515" class="wp-image-780515 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-curling-iron.png" alt="Source: TikTok. " width="290" height="512" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-curling-iron.png 290w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-curling-iron-170x300.png 170w" sizes="(max-width: 290px) 100vw, 290px" /></a>Source: TikTok.</div>
Next, she names the “have you tried dating apps?” question to be in the unhelpful lineup. She sarcastically remarks that she’s “never thought of that foreign concept before” and then seriously states, “The dating apps aren’t it.” The apps have, unfortunately, gone downhill over time. They have great potential if they’re used properly, if you are intentional and honest. However, you can only control that on your end; on the other side, people may be simply using apps as a pastime, swiping right and left with no real intent — which seems to be what singles are experiencing now.
She goes on to say that when people tell her she’s young and still has “so much time,” she disagrees. I appreciate that women are even mentioning the fact their biological clock is ticking. Years ago, that would have never even been part of this conversation, whereas now, women are openly saying they want to be married and have kids. This is a shift in culture, which is a really positive one for women.
Most of these videos were posted by women, but there were some men that jumped in too. One, a twenty-eight-year-old guy, says he too is tired of hearing that he needs to put himself out there. While I don’t think this is the worst advice, I do think it should be followed up with an explanation of what that means.
<div id="attachment_780517" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@noah_pilato5/video/7385266557548629279?_r=1&amp;_t=8npxG9IzvVW" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-780517" class="wp-image-780517 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-guy.png" alt="Source: TikTok. " width="290" height="512" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-guy.png 290w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-guy-170x300.png 170w" sizes="(max-width: 290px) 100vw, 290px" /></a>Source: TikTok.</div>
Not all of my generation necessarily even knows what it means to “put yourself out there,” let alone how to do it. We were raised online, our first dating experience was online, and our entire college experience was dominated by Covid, so a lot of Gen Z doesn’t know how to socialize in a way that opens the doors to dating. The reality is, going to bars likely won’t lead to a long-term relationship, whereas joining a rec league and making new friends you see on a consistent basis could lead to other connections.
This man says he’s tired of hearing he should embrace and enjoy his time being single because he’s not enjoying it or having fun anymore. He is watching his friends get married and have kids, which he wants, but he just hasn’t found the right person yet. These are not people who are just looking for hook-ups; they are looking for long-term partners. They value having love and respect for the opposite gender, and by resurrecting these values, they are bringing normalcy and decency back to America.
The comments went wild over this guy’s video:
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-780447 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/TikTok-6-1.png" alt="" width="512" height="116" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/TikTok-6-1.png 512w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/TikTok-6-1-300x68.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></div>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-780449 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/TikTok-7-1.png" alt="" width="512" height="69" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/TikTok-7-1.png 512w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/TikTok-7-1-300x40.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></div>
<div id="attachment_780453" style="width: 522px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-780453" class="wp-image-780453 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/TikTok-8-1.png" alt="Source: TikTok comments." width="512" height="67" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/TikTok-8-1.png 512w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/TikTok-8-1-300x39.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" />Source: TikTok comments.</div>
Interestingly, the last comment is from the 25-year-old single woman who got a jump on the beginning of this trend. This is definitely one way of “putting yourself out there” that I can get behind because, who knows, maybe these two could meet and bond over this. I am all in favor of a TikTok romance.
The fact that this trend has become so popular makes it clear there is a need for some problem solving skills to be put into action. The advice these singles are receiving hasn’t been helping, so it’s time to think of an actual solution.
More to come.

DW_Comment_Section_4862RT copy

‘Chronic Singleness.’ Let’s Talk About It. Part I

'Chronic Singleness.' Let’s Talk About It. Part I

Last September, Morning Consult released <a href="https://pro.morningconsult.com/analyst-reports/influencer-marketing-trends-report?utm_source=mc_comms_outreach&amp;utm_medium=mc_comms_referral&amp;utm_campaign=influencer_report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a report</a> that concluded 57% of Gen Z wants to become influencers and make that their career. As they all scroll Instagram and TikTok, they see what appears to be lavish lifestyles, fun “get ready with me” videos, and lackadaisical “day in the life” vlogs in which the most challenging part of the day is a 5:00 a.m. pilates class. They watch as 23-year-olds buy houses in the Hamptons and drive 2024 Range Rovers around town.
But what if that all comes crashing down? What happens when you lose your relevance or when audiences decide they’ve seen too much content? Sometimes, people who become incredibly but fleetingly popular on social media are not able to launch into more mainstream fame — so they fizzle out. Jason Nash is a prime example.
In the early 2010s, actor and stand-up comic Jason Nash became friends with YouTuber David Dobrik, joined his “vlog squad,” and soared with it to the height of its popularity. But a few years ago, Dobrik and his entire group fell from grace, and the vlog squad dissolved. Now, Dobrik owns a pizza parlor, and Nash asks for money on live TikToks.
<div id="attachment_776033" style="width: 303px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@kicks.and.gigs.re/video/7306327655106825503" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-776033" class="wp-image-776033 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-abc.png" alt="Source: tiktok.com/@kicks.and.gigs.re" width="293" height="512" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-abc.png 293w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-abc-172x300.png 172w" sizes="(max-width: 293px) 100vw, 293px" /></a>Source: tiktok.com/@kicks.and.gigs.re</div>
When someone is live on TikTok, viewers can send you “gifts,” like roses or other little emojis that turn into actual money for the creator who receives them. As a result, Nash goes live everyday doing random things so people will send him gifts (i.e., money).
This is a man who was once making millions on YouTube. He was producing shows with Dobrik, starring in &#8220;Funny or Die&#8221; videos, but now, he is attempting to hold onto any of his leftover relevancy to make money. Of course, the comments are ruthless, with some people hypothesizing that Dobrik’s pensions ran out, feeling sorry for Nash’s kids, and comparing this to “asking for money on the street.”
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-776065 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-comment-1.png" alt="" width="512" height="95" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-comment-1.png 512w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-comment-1-300x56.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></div>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-776053 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-2.png" alt="" width="512" height="104" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-2.png 512w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-2-300x61.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></div>
<div id="attachment_776055" style="width: 522px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-776055" class="wp-image-776055 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-3.png" alt="" width="512" height="151" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-3.png 512w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-3-300x88.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" />Source: TikTok</div>
Nash’s TikTok lives have gotten to the point they are just sad, uncomfortable, and embarrassing. He’s angry, occasionally sad, and sometimes even cries. 
<div id="attachment_776069" style="width: 303px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@namikazej117/video/7347579705391844651?q=jason%20nash%20livestream&amp;t=1720619273885" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-776069" class="wp-image-776069 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-5.png" alt="Source: tiktok.com/@namikazej117" width="293" height="512" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-5.png 293w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-5-172x300.png 172w" sizes="(max-width: 293px) 100vw, 293px" /></a>Source: tiktok.com/@namikazej117</div>
The comments just continue, going so far as to name this virtual panhandling. One commenter flat said they want to see him get “an actual job.” 
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-776059 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-6.png" alt="" width="512" height="88" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-6.png 512w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-6-300x52.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></div>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-776061 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-7.png" alt="" width="512" height="106" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-7.png 512w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-7-300x62.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></div>
<div id="attachment_776063" style="width: 522px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-776063" class="wp-image-776063 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-8.png" alt="Source: TikTok" width="512" height="105" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-8.png 512w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-8-300x62.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" />Source: TikTok</div>
I think that’s a challenge everyone wants him to attempt — everyone except Jason, that is. 
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/when-your-5-seconds-of-fame-runs-out-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Comments Section with Brett Cooper</a></h4>
In a recent podcast, he was confronted about “getting a real job,” and he responded that he doesn’t have any skills and has no interests outside of entertainment. Apparently, he seems to look down on normal jobs. 
<div id="attachment_776077" style="width: 296px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@spillsometeawithme1/video/7388951231957323039?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-776077" class="wp-image-776077 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-9.png" alt="Source: tiktok.com/@spillsometeawithme1" width="286" height="512" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-9.png 286w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-9-168x300.png 168w" sizes="(max-width: 286px) 100vw, 286px" /></a>Source: tiktok.com/@spillsometeawithme1</div>
He gives excuse after excuse as to why he is not seeking gainful employment. If he were being honest, he would say, “I’m lazy, and I think I’m too good to work a ‘normal job.’” Because he most definitely has the skills to be a DoorDash driver or work at a retail store. Furthermore, good, hard-working people work those jobs. He needs to grow up, and the commenters agree:
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-776079 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-10.png" alt="" width="512" height="113" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-10.png 512w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-10-300x66.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></div>
<div id="attachment_776085" style="width: 522px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-776085" class="wp-image-776085 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-11.png" alt="Source: TikTok" width="512" height="104" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-11.png 512w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-11-300x61.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" />Source: TikTok</div>
Nash got famous in his 30s, so he had to be doing something before that. Struggling actors all have a side job, so he is bound to have some kind of skill. Some of the comments offer elements of personal responsibility and common sense: 
<div id="attachment_776089" style="width: 522px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-776089" class="wp-image-776089 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-13.png" alt="Source: TikTok" width="512" height="110" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-13.png 512w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-13-300x64.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" />Source: TikTok</div>
To Nash’s explanation of why he is not in real estate, one commenter explained the gap in understanding:
<div id="attachment_776091" style="width: 522px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-776091" class="wp-image-776091 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-14.png" alt="Source: TikTok" width="512" height="110" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-14.png 512w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-14-300x64.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" />Source: TikTok</div>
Jason Nash’s journey to and fall from influencer fame should serve as a cautionary tale to everyone. If you are in a fickle, unstable business, know that — and handle your money responsibly. Then, squelch your ego and be realistic. Life comes for everyone, and no one is immune. And when hard times come, you should never look down on the work that every normal person does.
This brings me to the Hawk Tuah girl, the details of whose story I will skip over, but in short form, a girl went insanely viral after her man-on-the-street interview: 
<div id="attachment_776095" style="width: 307px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@ahpositive/video/7383483959180643617?q=hawk%20tuah&amp;t=1720620541704" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-776095" class="wp-image-776095 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-15.png" alt="Source: tiktok.com/@ahpositive" width="297" height="471" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-15.png 297w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-15-189x300.png 189w" sizes="(max-width: 297px) 100vw, 297px" /></a>Source: tiktok.com/@ahpositive</div>
My concern for this girl stems from watching Jason Nash and people whose fleeting fame lands them in hardship. In an interview she did with Barstool, she explained she has quit her job to move to LA to be a celebrity. She states, “I think we’re going to do like a show and then we’re just gonna be like on a bunch of podcasts and everything else in between.” After a seven-second viral clip, she has a whole team now. And she plans to figure it out as she goes but “there’s more to come.” 
<div id="attachment_776099" style="width: 298px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@barstoolsports/video/7386722110770548011?q=hawk%20tuah%20interview&amp;t=1720618016839" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-776099" class="wp-image-776099 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-16.png" alt="Source: tiktok.com/@barstoolsports" width="288" height="512" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-16.png 288w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/08/tiktok-16-169x300.png 169w" sizes="(max-width: 288px) 100vw, 288px" /></a>Source: tiktok.com/@barstoolsports</div>
I would love to have a word with whomever is advising her. She is doing documentary-style videos on TikTok, selling Hawk Tuah merch, but simultaneously doing press saying she does not want to be known for that. This all seems like a recipe for disaster, but at the end of the day, it’s her life — go for it if you want, take the leap, but I hope she will keep some humility as she leaps.
That said, I kept my Trader Joe’s employee name tag, and I will absolutely march right back in if need be. Being an influencer or content creator does not excuse anyone from the realities of life.

DW_CommentSection_pt2_0198RT (1) copy

When The 15 Minutes Run Out, What Happens Next?

Instagram

Unemployment

YouTube

It’s difficult to be a good parent in our culture today. The forces pulling your child away from you — the corrupting influences that seek to degrade him and destroy his soul — are more numerous and more powerful and more ubiquitous and unavoidable, and have more immediate access to him, than at any other point in human history. This is why it is so easy to fail at parenting, but also why it is so crucial that we don’t.
For that reason I’m always troubled when some confused, fatally stupid and inept parenting method arises. Every few years a fancy new parenting trend seems to crop up. They always have different names and present themselves as different strategies, but they are basically the same bad ideas repackaged and resold over and over again. You’ll notice that up until the latter half of the last century, there were no parenting trends or parenting methods. You didn’t have different types of parenting. There was only parenting. If you’d asked your great grandfather what parenting strategy he preferred — if you asked him if he was a “conscious parent” or a “helicopter parent” or a “positive parent” or whatever — he would have looked at you confused, not understanding the question. Or else he would have shown you his belt. 
In recent decades, thanks in large part to the psychiatric industry, parenting has become much more complicated than it needs to be, with too many competing strategies — all of them seemingly designed to make your child into a dysfunctional, needy, entitled little hellion. And in that way, they’ve been extremely successful. 
Which brings us to a parenting trend that has gotten a lot of attention lately. It’s called “gentle parenting.” If you have ever ventured into the world of TikTok and Instagram parents, you are familiar with this term. It’s a style of parenting gaining popularity especially in my generation. A recent survey of millennial parents conducted by Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago found that a staggering 75 percent use the gentle parenting technique.
<a href="http://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1722714742764000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1XzmEsRwzti1RFNuISwYgd">WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI</a>
So what is gentle parenting? The website <a href="http://parents.com/">parents.com</a> has an explainer on the subject: 
<blockquote>Gentle parenting is a peaceful, positive style of parenting that is very different from that of previous generations of parents. It is but one of many <a href="https://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/style/parenting-styles-explained/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">styles of parenting</a> out there. From authoritative and permissive to <a href="https://www.parents.com/free-range-parenting-8665444">free-range</a> and <a href="https://www.parents.com/conscious-parenting-8678839">conscious parenting</a>, there are seemingly more variations than a burnt-out parent can count. But if you&#8217;re looking to add a new approach to your arsenal, you may want to consider <a href="https://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/style/ways-to-use-gentle-parenting-techniques-in-real-life/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gentle parenting</a>.</blockquote>
Before <a href="http://parents.com/">parents.com</a> tells us exactly what this approach consists of, we should make note of one thing. We’re told that gentle parenting is “very different from that of previous generations of parens.” That’s true. And also the whole problem. I’m not saying that we should parent exactly as our own parents and grandparents did. I’m not saying that previous generations of parents didn’t make mistakes. But previous generations of parents did parent the people who built human civilization. They parented the pioneers and poets and philosophers and artists and inventors and warriors and leaders who accomplished incomprehensible feats of heroism and genius, and who gave us every good and wonderful and beautiful thing we have in our lives. Old fashioned parenting has a track record. It’s the parenting that took us from mud huts to the moon. What has modern parenting produced? Does it have a similar record of success? Or has it instead produced multiple generations of depressed, lazy, overgrown brats stuck in a perpetual state of emotional and mental adolescence? I’ll let you answer that question for yourself.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1415-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Matt Walsh Show</a></h4>
The point is: we should be immediately suspicious of a “very different” style of parenting. Why is it very different? Was old fashioned parenting broken? If not, why are we fixing it? 
Continuing:
<blockquote>Gentle parenting is a means of parenting without shame, blame, or punishment. It is centered on partnership as both parents and children have a say in this collaborative style…. “Gentle parenting, also known as collaborative parenting, is a style of parenting where parents do not compel children to behave by means of punishment or control, but rather use connection, communication, and other democratic methods to make decisions together as a family,&#8221; says Danielle Sullivan, a parenting coach… “Gentle parenting teaches children that they can be active in the world, set their own boundaries, trust their own needs, and make their voices heard.</blockquote>
Now there is a lot wrong with what I just read. Using “democratic methods” in your home is a recipe for dysfunction and chaos. As the father and head of my household, I am not presiding over a democracy. I was not elected to my position. Even if my children voted to throw me out of office, I would remain in power. Our system of government in the United States, in theory anyway, depends on the consent of the governed. My home does not. If your home does, that certainly means — without exception — that you have failed as a parent and your children are the kinds of horrible, out of control, miniature terrorists who nobody wants to be around, and who, without miraculous intervention, will grow into maladapted, miserable adults. 
To explain why, it may be helpful to take a look at some examples of gentle parenting in action. In fact this article provides one: 
<blockquote>If you&#8217;re looking for a way to incorporate gentle parenting into your life, your best bet is to start small… Model what you want to see on a regular basis. Practice kindness, compassion, and empathy at all times. And try to be less demanding and commanding. Instead of saying &#8220;tie your shoes,&#8221; make it a suggestion. Something like &#8220;Do you think you should tie your shoes so you don&#8217;t trip?</blockquote>
The first few sentences of this paragraph start out fine, but then we’re told that you should be “less demanding and commanding.” This is only half right. Less demanding, sure. But you should be commanding. Demands are weak. Demands are made by people who are not in control but want to be. Kidnappers and bank robbers make demands. Demands are desperate and weak. It means that you are not in control of yourself or your surroundings. To demand respect is to pathetically and impotently request it. It is to shout “respect me!” because nobody does. But to command respect is to be regarded with esteem, admiration, and obedience without asking for it. If you have to demand respect from your children, it means that you are not commanding respect. So you should be less demanding because you are more commanding. But to be neither demanding nor commanding is to be a figure with no authority or respect at all. 
So instead of telling your child, “tie your shoes,” you’re encouraged to say, “Do you think you should tie your shoes so you don&#8217;t trip?” This is all wrong. A strong leader knows what things must be done and gives clear, concise, and confident instructions accordingly. Tying shoes is a thing that must be done. It doesn’t matter if your child thinks he should tie his shoes. You don’t need to build a consensus on the matter. You don’t need to put a referendum up for a vote to democratically establish the necessity of tying shoes. And what if he says that, no, he doesn’t think he should? What then? Will you respect him as an equal and let him fall down the steps and break his neck? Or will you tell him to tie them anyway? If the latter — and I hope it’s the latter — what was the point of asking the question in the first place? 
Your child is a child. He has no idea what he’s doing, what he should be doing, or what’s going on. He needs to know that you know. He needs to know that you are confident and secure in your position as the leader. 
Here’s a parenting secret for you: a child wants to be told what to do. He doesn’t want open ended questions and limitless options. He wants direction. He may not know that he wants it. He may say that he doesn’t want it. But that’s because he doesn’t understand his own wants, much less his needs. If you give instructions — not requests, instructions — and you do it clearly and firmly, he will be a happier kid. He will feel safer, more loved, and will end up a better person in the long run.
This is the major problem with the “gentle parenting” method. It relies heavily on “partnering” with children who don’t know what’s best for them and are relying on you to know instead. You should not be looking to make your child a partner in his own parenting, any more than you’d want the captain of your plane to invite you to be a co-pilot. Your captain’s commitment to democratic equality may flatter you for a moment, but it also makes it much more likely that you’ll die a fiery death.
If you go over to TikTok, as mentioned, you’ll find many examples of influencers promoting gentle parenting, and they all run into the same problem. Here’s one popular <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@billyvsco/video/7388490842463374634?_r=1&amp;_t=8obFMG2RMZ4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gentle parenting video</a> from a guy with 12 million followers on the platform:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="005 Grounded" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ia301QAGQ8g?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Now, it will not surprise you to learn that the comments — and there are hundreds of them — are all from people applauding this strategy and saying that they wish this guy was their own dad. That’s because most of the comments are likely from teenagers who, for obvious reasons, would love to have a dad who only grounds them if they agree that it’s fair, and who will still let them go to parties even when they’re grounded. Which is like the court sentencing you to house arrest, but then telling you that your house, for these purposes, includes anywhere on the Earth.
Of course, in real life, if you tell your teenage daughter that she’s grounded and then ask her if it’s fair, in a million cases out of a million, she will say “no.” What then? Will you respect her opinion and validate her perspective by throwing out the punishment? If so, what was the point of the whole exercise, other than making you look emasculated and weak? And if you will stick with the punishment even though she says it’s unfair, what was the point of asking her whether it’s fair or not?
This is what gentle parenting is all about. It’s designed to make parents look indecisive and pathetic in the eyes of their children. Here’s another <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@casiereeebs/video/7366812169196834090?_r=1&amp;_t=8obFajZFdzb">example</a>:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="004 Smart Kid Caught Lies" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/edLHVv-qK40?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Dear God. That video has 360 thousand likes by the way. Let me see if I have this right. Your daughter slammed the freezer door, lectured you, and instructed you not to eat food without her permission, and you stood there, tail between your legs like a scolded puppy and just took it? You allowed yourself to be chastised and reprimanded by your own daughter? You permitted her to rebuke you for eating your food that you purchased? This is disordered in the extreme.
What you and your husband should be communicating is that the ice cream is your ice cream. It is your fridge. Your kitchen. Your house. You don’t have to ask her for permission to do anything. She should be grateful that she has a roof over her head, a room to sleep in, and food to eat. You’re so generous that you even buy her ice cream sometimes. The only attitude you should accept from her is gratitude for the things you give her and the life your provide for her. And if she speaks to you that way, you should not respond by promising to give her more snacks in the future. No, you should take away snacks, take away privileges, take away freedom until she learns how to speak to you and afford you the respect that she owes you. The only things you have to give her are the basic necessities to keep her alive. Everything else is a privilege, and privileges can and should be revoked if they are not deserved.
I had to give my own daughter a lecture like this recently. She wasn’t scolding me for eating my own food out of my own fridge, and wouldn’t dare talk to me like that. But she did tell me, after I reprimanded her for not keeping her room clean, that it’s her room and she doesn’t know why I care so much whether it’s clean or not. I did not validate her feelings or get down to her level to make sure that she felt seen and heard. I didn’t get on my knees and look her in the eyes and say “I’m sorry you feel that way, sweetie. That must be so hard. I’d just really like it if your room was clean. Is that fair?”
No, instead I stood there and simply said: “No, it’s not your room. It’s my room. It’s my house. I let you stay in this room under certain conditions. One of those conditions is that you keep it clean. That’s a requirement. Not a request. I’m going downstairs and when I come back up in an hour, it will be clean.” That’s it. I wasn’t negotiating or asking for permission or trying to come to a consensus. I simply asserted my authority, gave the instruction, and made sure that I was clear.
It wasn’t any kind of revolutionary parenting technique. It was just parenting.
I want to play one more gentle parenting video for you. Another thing you hear from the gentle parents is that you shouldn’t punish your children. You should instead rely on “natural consequences.” What does that mean? Well here’s another popular parenting TikTok influencer named <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@drchelsey_parenting/video/7197264421532536106?_r=1&amp;_t=8obFnh7geOk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dr. Chelsey</a> — she has a doctorate in education, but still uses the “doctor” prefix — explaining how consequences should work:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="003 Parenting Kids" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l6Yc6s3e0vs?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
&nbsp;
Well you should know from the start not to pay attention to a parenting guru who can’t even get her own kids to be quiet for two minutes so she can record a video. More to the point, there’s a major problem with the consequences she suggests. She calls them “natural” — I don’t even know what that’s supposed to mean in this context — but they would more aptly be called flimsy and toothless. The problem with a “consequence” like pulling the car over momentarily before you start driving again, or taking TV away only until dinner, is that those consequences cause no discomfort, pain, or even inconvenience to your children. They aren’t going to care about the consequences because there’s no reason to care. A consequence should be something that causes them enough grief that they want to avoid it in the future. No other consequence has any meaning or will have any impact.
Think of the consequences that she says don’t work: taking away screen time, grounding, taking away a party that they were supposed to go to. But those are all good consequences, effective consequences, because they are consequences a child will not like. A child will be upset about losing screen time, losing a party, etc. And that’s the whole point of the consequence. If they are not upset with the consequence, then it was not a consequence.
The problem is that many parents today are terrified of making their children upset. They’d rather be friends than authority figures. They’re so focused on “validating” their kids that they’ve lost all sight of the much more important job, which is guiding, instructing, and civilizing their kids. That is the primary role of a parent. That IS parenting. Gentle parenting — like so many modern methods to come before it, and so many that will come after — may more accurately be called non-parenting. It is not a new way of fulfilling your parenting duties, but a way of abdicating them entirely.

Happy family: mother, father, children son and daughter on sunset

‘Gentle Parenting’ Is A Great Way To Turn Your Child Into An Obnoxious, Insufferable Brat

'Gentle Parenting' Is A Great Way To Turn Your Child Into An Obnoxious, Insufferable Brat

Children

family

Matt Walsh

Parenting

Over the last decade, there has been a gradual push for men to become softer. Society has attacked masculinity, deemed it toxic, and pressured men to fall in line with feminist standards. Along with this disruption to masculinity has come the disintegration of gender norms. Yet when you really look at the men who women are actually interested in, they are not feminine men. 
About a month ago, a little song started circulating around TikTok: “I’m looking for a man in finance, trust fund, six five, blue eyes.” We’ve all heard it at this point because it took off, getting millions of views.
<div id="attachment_772365" style="width: 298px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@girl_on_couch/video/7363742421588512043?lang=en&amp;q=guy%20in%20finance&amp;t=1716469554757]" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-772365" class="wp-image-772365 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/fdsfds.png" alt="" width="288" height="512" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/fdsfds.png 288w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/fdsfds-169x300.png 169w" sizes="(max-width: 288px) 100vw, 288px" /></a>Screenshot: TikTok</div>
DJs took to re-mixing the song, and TikTokers everywhere picked it up to make mash-ups and different renditions of the song. Girls began stitching and captioning descriptions of the man they were looking for, and as it turns out, a lot of them didn’t care so much about landing a finance bro and were more interested in a “blue collar, tatted” guy or a “blue-collared husband” with a “dad bod.”
<div id="attachment_772367" style="width: 301px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@___sunisshining/video/7369023944776568071?lang=en&amp;q=looking%20for%20a%20blue%20collar%20guy%20song&amp;t=1716470587302" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-772367" class="size-full wp-image-772367" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/frfefs.png" alt="" width="291" height="512" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/frfefs.png 291w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/frfefs-171x300.png 171w" sizes="(max-width: 291px) 100vw, 291px" /></a>Screenshot: TikTok</div>
<div id="attachment_772369" style="width: 297px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@jenniferjacobson63/video/7366499377868967214?lang=en&amp;q=looking%20for%20a%20blue%20collar%20guy%20song&amp;t=1716470587302" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-772369" class="size-full wp-image-772369" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/fcdfcd.png" alt="" width="287" height="512" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/fcdfcd.png 287w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/fcdfcd-168x300.png 168w" sizes="(max-width: 287px) 100vw, 287px" /></a>Screenshot: TikTok</div>
Women used this song to share their thoughts on an ideal man, and I did not see one video — not one — in which the ideal man was described as anything other than some kind of strong, masculine provider. Whether he’s a finance bro or a blue collar man, women are not looking to take care of nor save their man; they are looking to be taken care of and, dare I say, rescued themselves.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/what-kind-of-men-do-women-want" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Comments Section with Brett Cooper on DailyWire+</a></h4>
Case in point: Women in New York City are regularly attending single mixers called “<a href="https://singleandthecity.com/event/rescue-me-parties/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rescue Me</a>,” where the only men who can attend are either blue collar workers or first responders. I came across a post about these mixers from the Gothamist, who was the first I saw cover them. The event company, Single and the City, has been hosting these since 2008, and they are the “most popular and longest-running mixers from the events company Single and the City.”
<div id="attachment_772375" style="width: 374px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-772375" class="wp-image-772375 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/sdsdfd.jpg" alt="" width="364" height="512" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/sdsdfd.jpg 364w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/sdsdfd-213x300.jpg 213w" sizes="(max-width: 364px) 100vw, 364px" />Screenshot: X/Twitter</div>
The Gothamist <a href="https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/a-night-at-rescue-me-where-women-hope-to-date-nyc-firemen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">article</a>, “A night at ‘Rescue Me’ where women hope to date NYC firemen,” goes into detail on how these events got started. The event company’s founder, Amber Soletti, had such great experiences dating firemen that she wanted to encourage women to explore doing the same — so much so she created entire events based around this idea.
<blockquote>Soletti said Rescue Me parties were inspired by her own positive experiences dating firemen, who she thinks are sometimes snubbed by women in the local dating scene.
“There is a set of women that would refuse to go to this event because they think these guys are just too blue-collar for them,” she said. “They want, like, a finance type. But a lot of firemen make really good money. These guys have amazing benefits, they have pensions. I think a lot of women are actually missing out on this.”</blockquote>
And the women love it:
<blockquote>“I’ve always had a thing for men in uniform,” said Dee Carano, 34, a regular attendee, in a phone interview before the Friday event. “FDNY was a huge part of [my] growing up.”
Carano is from Middle Village, Queens, which she describes as a “blue-collar” neighborhood full of cops and firefighters, including many of her family members. She attended her first Rescue Me party about a decade ago and has met a few of her past boyfriends at the parties.
Carano said she returns to Rescue Me when she’s single, and particularly enjoys “being able to date someone that has such pride for their city.”</blockquote>
Obviously, the men love it too, though not any and every man can come to these events. Soletti recruits specific men and has a specific guest list system in which she invites via email and text. According to the Gothamist, she also “sends faxes to all the firehouses in the city.” One firefighter explained that it has helped take the guessing game out of dating and also create a forthright foundation from the beginning:
<blockquote>“I&#8217;m outgoing as it is, but on any given night, if you&#8217;re going out to, say, a bar with your friends, it&#8217;s hit or miss if anyone in the room is gonna want to talk to you,” he said. He also noted that it’s nice to meet women who are open to the demands of his job, with its intense hours and 24/7 on-call mentality.</blockquote>
From the men’s perspective, a “Rescue Me” event is a much better experience than a night at a crowded bar where you might approach a woman and hope she doesn’t take you for a creep and gamble on whether or not she is interested. It’s also better than spending hours upon hours swiping on dating apps where people randomly quit responding, have no intention of actually meeting, or never respond at all. As dating apps die off, events like these will likely become more popular.
Society needs these kinds of events now more than ever. Imagine being single, going to an event, and knowing everyone there is also single and also intentionally seeking a relationship. That alleviates a lot of stress, anxiety, and confusion from the dating process so you can focus on being yourself and putting your best foot forward. Most importantly, these events speak to the type of men with whom women are hoping to pursue a relationship: blue collar providers, masculine first responders, and strong men in uniform. Women line up at the door to get in.
A few of the comments about these events were quite laughable because of how ironic they were. As they commented on how terrible and toxic these masculine men are, they showed how angry, insecure, and bitter they are. One named these events a “hellscape,” which is absurd considering the women attending these events are normal feminine women who are interested in normal masculine men.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-772377 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/fdfsdf.jpg" alt="" width="512" height="138" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/fdfsdf.jpg 512w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/fdfsdf-300x81.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></div>
<div id="attachment_772379" style="width: 522px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-772379" class="wp-image-772379 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/321.jpg" alt="" width="512" height="111" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/321.jpg 512w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/321-300x65.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" />Screenshots: X/Twitter</div>
Some had many, many words to say about these events but ended up just coming across as angry for the sake of being angry. A few seemed bothered because these men don’t want to date them, but — based on lines like “they also don’t usually have ANY issues finding dates” — perhaps they are just jealous.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-772381 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/2313.jpg" alt="" width="512" height="230" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/2313.jpg 512w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/2313-300x135.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></div>
<div id="attachment_772383" style="width: 522px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-772383" class="wp-image-772383 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/654.jpg" alt="" width="512" height="204" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/654.jpg 512w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/654-300x120.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" />Screenshots: X/Twitter</div>
It is incredibly elitist, egotistical, and down right wrong to put such blanket assumptions on the men who serve and protect every single day. It’s probably women like the ones who wrote these comments that cause these events to be so successful because these men are tired of being attacked by women they date. Obviously, they would enjoy a mixer where women are interested in them, respect them, and understand the importance of their job.
These roles are desperately needed and should be respected. Two months ago, women were getting punched in the face walking down the street. People are attacked in the subway at all hours. But if this is truly what they think, then they really shouldn’t ever call the cops for help. The utter disrespect is insane.
Furthermore, while they may think these are “dumpster fire” ideas, that does not change the fact that these are actually wildly successful events that lead to well-adjusted couples and happy marriages. These are fantastic events, and I hope to see more continue to pop up with more professions and interests.
“Rescue Me” events just prove the type of men women do actually want to be in relationships with. On the whole, we need to stop pretending women don’t like masculine men, and women need to stop trying to convince themselves otherwise.

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Let’s Stop Pretending Women Don’t Like Masculine Men

Feminism

Firefighter

Marriage

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The “Gen Z is aging like milk” type of talk has peppered the internet over the last six or more months as claims that Gen Z looks much older than their actual age have continued to surface.
Seemingly paradoxically, modern beauty trends are all the rage among Gen Z, and it’s not just heavy makeup; it’s filler, Botox, and even plastic surgery. But if these procedures are supposed to make you look younger, what’s really going on? Has Gen Z undergone some kind of generational, genetic change? Or is it possible that filler and Botox are backfiring, causing Gen-Z women to actually look older?
One of the first videos I ran across that addressed this issue was one in which a guy explains that no one believes he is Gen Z, though he is, in fact, 26-years-old. He says when he is with his mom in public, people think she is his younger sister. He concludes that Gen Z definitely looks older.
<div id="attachment_768459" style="width: 294px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@jordan_the_stallion8/video/7325019924903234862" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-768459" class="size-full wp-image-768459" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/aaaad.png" alt="" width="284" height="512" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/aaaad.png 284w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/aaaad-166x300.png 166w" sizes="(max-width: 284px) 100vw, 284px" /></a>Screenshot: TikTok</div>
While the internet at-large is wondering what’s going on, he is just one of the numerous Gen Zs panicking about this. There has been so much discussion about it that journalists have written entire articles contemplating what’s going on. The New York Times jumped in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/23/style/gen-z-aging.html">with one titled</a>, “Why Does Gen Z Believe It’s ‘Aging Like Milk’?” 
From Dazed, <a href="https://www.dazeddigital.com/beauty/article/61834/1/is-gen-z-really-ageing-faster-kylie-jenner-social-media-retinol">an article</a> asks, “Is Gen Z really ageing faster?” with a subheading that reads, “According to social media, young people are ageing prematurely due to their penchant for Elf Bars and retinol — but is there really any truth behind these theories?” 
The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/01/02/lifestyle/gen-z-aging-worse-than-millennials-the-alarming-reasons-why/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">joined the conversation</a> with “Gen Z is aging worse than millennials — here are the alarming reasons why.”
The overall consensus from journalists — and Gen Zs themselves — is that there are a myriad of reasons contributing to Gen Z’s rapid aging. Some argue it&#8217;s due to stress. They pose that we’ve lived through September 11, political unrest, COVID, Biden’s presidency, and a now-atrocious economy. But although today’s world is stressful, we must admit that older generations have objectively lived through far tougher times. So stress doesn’t really seem to be a logical conclusion.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/why-gen-z-looks-so-much-older-than-millennials" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Comments Section with Brett Cooper on DailyWire+</a></h4>
I tend to think Gen Z looks older because of our diet and the terrible processed foods we put in our bodies every single day. While it might sound cliche, it’s true that your skin health and its radiance starts from within. Alcohol, cigarettes, vapes — my generation loves a vape — all have an impact on skin’s elasticity, coloration, and overall appearance. What we put inside of our bodies definitely affects the outside of our bodies.
However, I think what is mainly causing rapid aging among Gen Z women is the trendy makeup and skincare routines. Young skin does not need retinol or the heavy duty chemical products that my generation is slathering on their skin morning, noon, and night. But celebrities and social media have worked hard to convince women that they do need such products. They rave about how they’re necessary and every woman — from their mid-20s down to 12-year-olds — should be spending hundreds upon hundreds of dollars on daily skincare products, facials, and procedures. 
This was a point made by the <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/01/02/lifestyle/gen-z-aging-worse-than-millennials-the-alarming-reasons-why/#:~:text=While%20it%20may%20seem%20like,with%20lip%20filler%2C%E2%80%9D%20Dr." target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Post</a>, who explained what happens when women seek out procedures at too young of an age:
<blockquote>While it may seem like Gen Zers are taking good care of themselves, practitioners aren’t so sure — in fact, starting injectables too young can affect the natural development of facial features.</blockquote>
Yes, injecting a toxin into your skin that stops nerve endings from working would hinder and even stunt skin’s development. It’s a toxin. So of course it likely has a negative consequence. That’s just common sense. The Post continues, writing:
<blockquote>It is not uncommon to see 18-year-olds with lip filler,” Dr. Ross Perry, the medical director of Cosmedics Skin Clinics, told the Daily Mail this week. He added that “20-year-olds are [getting] Botox and fillers, semi-permanent makeup in the form of eyebrows and lips.” These procedures “combined can make you appear older,” Perry said, and “actually once you start down this route, it’s very hard to go back to being entirely natural, especially when the ‘affirmations’ start on social media.” … “Having these treatments before they’re truly needed can sometimes make someone appear older, with an almost mask-like appearance,” said Shotter, who also blamed interest in the procedure on the trendy full-glam makeup look touted by social media influencers.</blockquote>
One prime “trendy full-glam makeup” Gen-Z social media influencer comes to mind: Kylie Jenner. She caught some flack online last year with people saying she looks decades older than she is — naming all her cosmetic procedures as the culprits. Just three months after her 26th birthday, the Mirror published <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/us-celebrity-news/kylie-jenner-26-slammed-over-31437035">an article</a> in the midst of her being “slammed over fillers as fans complained that she looks ‘too old.’” Apparently, “fans were shocked” by her appearance at a Hollywood party, citing “her prematurely ageing features, despite her only being in her mid-20s.” They specifically blamed her fillers. Some suggested she should have them dissolved, but others said if she had them dissolved at this point, her skin would sag from being stretched.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-768461" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/aatre.png" alt="" width="266" height="265" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/aatre.png 266w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/aatre-150x150.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 266px) 100vw, 266px" /></div>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-768463" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/aajutd.png" alt="" width="204" height="342" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/aajutd.png 204w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/aajutd-179x300.png 179w" sizes="(max-width: 204px) 100vw, 204px" /></div>
Screenshots: The Comments Section
Kylie is far from the only face who’s gotten this kind of scrutiny. You can find these “I look old” confessions all over TikTok. One girl tells about someone who asked her boyfriend how old she is, and he jokingly said 47. The response? “Oh, I thought she was early 30s.” Come to find out, this girl is 23-years-old.
<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@taylordonoghuee/video/7279864361328332075" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-768465 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/aatrevf.png" alt="" width="287" height="512" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/aatrevf.png 287w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/aatrevf-168x300.png 168w" sizes="(max-width: 287px) 100vw, 287px" /></a>
Though 10 years older is an extreme jump, the comments didn’t disagree. One commenter genuinely seemed confused, suggesting perhaps Gen Z’s style could be to blame because they are not “wrinkley or anything.” But the problem is the opposite of wrinkles. It’s the baby Botox, it’s the lip filler, and it’s everything they are doing not to have wrinkles.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-768469" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/aasdfd.png" alt="" width="288" height="72" /></div>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-768479" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/asrerrr.png" alt="" width="390" height="70" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/asrerrr.png 390w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/asrerrr-300x54.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 390px) 100vw, 390px" /></div>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-768481" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/aavfrrrr-1.png" alt="" width="442" height="47" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/aavfrrrr-1.png 442w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/aavfrrrr-1-300x32.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 442px) 100vw, 442px" /></div>
Screenshots: Instagram
Another Gen Z posted a response video to someone who had told her she looks 45 and should stop getting filler or Botox. She was shocked — because she is 22 years old. She goes on to explain that she’s gotten a lot of hate about her “come get filler with me” TikToks from people who believe you shouldn’t get cosmetic procedures but concludes saying, “I feel like no one should stop you from getting filler because it&#8217;s your own face.” The commenters thought otherwise. 
<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@shawnono/video/7340783786298264875?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-768483 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/aafrefff.png" alt="" width="289" height="512" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/aafrefff.png 289w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/aafrefff-169x300.png 169w" sizes="(max-width: 289px) 100vw, 289px" /></a>
Screenshots: TikTok
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-768473" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/aacdfcc.png" alt="" width="439" height="72" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/aacdfcc.png 439w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/aacdfcc-300x49.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 439px) 100vw, 439px" /></div>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-768475" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/aaaavretg.png" alt="" width="432" height="71" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/aaaavretg.png 432w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/aaaavretg-300x49.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 432px) 100vw, 432px" /></div>
Screenshots: X
She is correct that it is, indeed, your prerogative to make decisions about your own face. But the reality is, it does make you look older, and young women should be warned about the consequences of these types of procedures. The pressure to get them is real, but it is insane, especially at such a young age. They have been made out to seem completely normal when there is nothing normal about them. There is absolutely no need to have brows laminated to the sky nor a full set of lashes glued on top of an already perfectly beautiful pair.
Furthermore, this is why so many girls online and in real life look exactly the same today. When I scroll through Instagram and see a group photo of girls, some of whom I know and others who are mutual acquaintances, they quite often look just alike. They have had their nerve endings frozen in the same way, used the same type of filler, had their faces puffed and poked in various areas so they appear more symmetrical, had their smile adjusted one way or another, and undergone a whole slew of other procedures. The end result, sadly, lands them all looking the same. It is a total loss of individuality.
Maybe it’s true that Gen Z is aging faster because of stress. Maybe it’s the environment, or maybe it’s our diet. But the solution is not this. Pumping toxins into your skin and slathering chemicals all over your face will only make this worse for young people. Instead, we should be focusing on the types of food we’re eating, the freshness of air we’re breathing, the level of sunlight we’re getting, and the amount of water we’re drinking. In a chemically driven world, these are the things that are far better for you in the long run.
After all, no one wants to age like milk.

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Age May Be Just A Number But Looks Don’t Lie: The Why Behind Gen Z’s Aging

cosmetics

The first installment of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kevin-costner">Kevin Costner</a>’s partially self-funded Western <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/movies">film</a> trilogy, “Horizon,” did not perform well at the box office, leading one of its stars to blame social media.
Actor Michael Rooker, best known for working on projects such as “The Walking Dead” and “Guardians of the Galaxy,” told TMZ that he believes audiences have shorter attention spans now than they did in the past. The 69-year-old noted that the movie was more than three hours long because it tells an important story.
“It’s real cinema, folks. So be prepared. We ain’t used to that sh**. We’re used to 90-minute movies. Everything’s 90 minutes…Get over that sh**,” the actor told <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2024/07/01/horizon-american-saga-michael-rooker-real-cinema-box-office-kevin-costner/">TMZ</a>.  
He added, “Let’s watch a movie that actually tells a story. Where you learn about the people and grow to like them — or hate them. It’s not all fast, cut, cut, cut.”
When asked if short-form content like clips on TikTok were to blame, he said, “Totally, they are. Of course they are. They gotta get over that crap…They gotta learn what it’s like to watch real cinema.”
Rooker also had high praise for Costner, who has been working on his passion project for decades before bringing it to the big screen this year.
“[Costner] is brilliant in this. He’s a brilliant director. And he has the ability to pick absolutely the cream of the crop [of actors],” he told the outlet.
“Horizon” had a slow start of an opening weekend, bringing in just $11 million last weekend against a budget estimated to be near $100 million, per <a href="https://variety.com/2024/film/news/kevin-coster-horizon-box-office-flop-1236057903/">Variety</a>. Costner contributed heavily to the film from his personal funds to the tune of $38 million.
Costner <a href="https://ew.com/kevin-costner-reflects-pressure-horizon-american-saga-part-1-succeed-8669756?taid=667ec6196190110001edd93c&amp;utm_campaign=entertainmentweekly_entertainmentweekly&amp;utm_content=new&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com">told</a> Entertainment Weekly that he wasn’t concerned about the movie’s initial performance.
“If we put so much pressure on that, we’re bound to be disappointed,” Costner told the outlet in an interview published the day of the film’s nationwide release. “I’m really happy that ‘Horizon’ looks like what it’s supposed to look like, and that’s the way it’ll look the rest of its life. And that’s really important to me in this process.”

Michael Rooker

‘Horizon’ Star Blames TikTok Culture On Film’s Lackluster Opening: ‘It’s Real Cinema, Folks’

'Horizon' Star Blames TikTok Culture On Film's Lackluster Opening: 'It's Real Cinema, Folks'

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