Jordan The Stallion and the Gen Z Ageing Drama
Social media influencer Jordan Howlett, also known as Jordan The Stallion, has come under a lot of flack recently because of his age. The 26-year-old TikTokker revealed in January that he’d faced a slew of online comments about how he looked, with many in disbelief that he was, in fact, a Gen Z.
Jordan seems to have had enough after constantly being mistaken for being older than he is. He took to his popular social media profile in January and said: “We live in a time nowadays where millennials look way younger for their age while Gen Z looks way older for their age.”
“I am Gen Z, and nobody ever believes me. When my mom and I walk out in public, people think that my mom is my younger sister,” he said. “When I tell people, ‘Hey, I’m gonna go hang out with my family, they think I’m talking about my children — I don’t have kids. I’m still the child!”
To make matters worse, Jordan was then the subject of an article that suggested “Gen Z were ageing like milk,” and he certainly didn’t know how to feel. “It’s been a lot,” he told followers as he reflected on the online world’s bizarre obsession with his age and that of others in his generation.
Ok, so this story has a lot to unpack. But can we just pause for a second to think about the double standards we’re seeing here?
When people like Brad Pitt and George Clooney are praised for ageing, why are Gen Z men being demolished for the way they look? Yep, we’ve got another complex assessment of appearances coming up. Let’s dive in.
The social media age challenge
Firstly, we know ageism doesn’t see gender, and this is a massive problem for everyone. But for the sake of this article, we wanted to focus predominantly on how this impacts male audiences.
Ageism can take many forms and often links to prejudice, discrimination, or stereotypes based on a person's age. In this unique case, however, young people are being judged based on how old they look rather than how old they are — kinda turning the traditional ageist label on its head.
Jordan’s case shows how ageism has evolved in recent years, becoming increasingly common in contemporary society, especially on social media. People don’t see anything wrong with commenting on how others look (or don’t look) their age, encouraging people to feel insecure about their age among social media users. Jordan seemed to shrug off criticisms about his age initially, but it looks like he was criticized so much that it finally hit a nerve.
At the same time, we also have this paradoxical admiration for certain older men who embody characteristics traditionally associated with masculinity. We’re talking about the George Clooneys and the Idris Elbas of the world. These men are often celebrated for their rugged appearance, silver hair, and distinguished features, which appear to symbolize experience and maturity.
It seems like the differing treatment of men as they age reflects broader societal attitudes towards youth and ageing. There’s a weird double standard entrenched in stereotypes about masculinity and attractiveness. In short, regardless of whether you look your age or not, social media deems it ok to comment on that regardless of how it makes you feel. We’re looking at an evolving era of ageism based on aesthetics, and we don’t know how to feel about this.
The ongoing age obsession
The other thing that we need to talk about is the fact that Gen Z’s are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. When it comes to the age narrative, you’re either slammed for pursuing eternal youth or lambasted for looking older than your years. And this is pretty unfair for a generation already navigating a minefield of conflicting expectations and judgments about their appearance.
Maybe Gen Z is ageing faster than their peers — which leads to the question of whether you can actually blame them. Recent headlines have suggested that countries may bring conscription back for WW3, microplastics are floating in our blood these days, we can’t afford to buy houses, and it’s expected to be the hottest year on record ever. This stuff is probably ageing us all.
Another article in response to the ‘Gen Z milk’ narrative told readers that ageing is cool and they should look forward to getting old. Maybe it is, but again, spare me the condescending tone of promising a future that looks increasingly bleak to Gen Z.
Who actually cares?
Unfortunately, the aim of this article wasn’t to solve the strange ageing dilemma that’s now gracing our social media sphere. However, we believe it’s important to understand what the impact it can have on people to be judged on the age they look.
Jordan's story underscores the need for greater awareness and sensitivity toward how such judgements manifest, particularly in online spaces. Perhaps it's time that we looked back at that old saying, "age is just a number," and actually embraced the diversity and richness that comes with just being ourselves. Let’s celebrate Jordan for being the funny social media star he is, known for his witty takes on global trends and impressive hacks.
Acceptance and appreciation for real people, regardless of the year they were born, is the only way that we can create a more inclusive and compassionate society. And that, in 2024, is everything.
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