From 'chunky' dad shoes to laminated eyebrows, a millennial mom broke down the Gen Z trends she said she won't be 'gaslit' into adopting

• A millennial mom on TikTok took umbrage with Gen Z trends, igniting intergenerational discourse.
• She's not a fan of laminated eyebrows, the "glass skin" trend, "chunky" dad shoes, or mini Uggs.
• While millennials' style is often critiqued by Gen Z, the TikToker said she doesn't take the debate seriously.

A millennial mom recently took umbrage with several popular Gen Z fashion and beauty trends, igniting intergenerational discourse about eyebrows and sneakers on TikTok.

In a video with 1.3 million views, Melissa, who requested to be referred to by her first name only, declared she wouldn't be "gaslit" into adopting certain Gen Z nascent trends.

First, she called out laminated eyebrows — or brows she described as brushed upward and into place with gel. Melissa said she much preferred her "2016 brows." On the skincare front, she also denounced the "glass skin" trend, or a Korean beauty trend that leaves one complexion appearing glowy and porcelain-like (Melissa described it as "overly oily.")

Melissa clarified she wasn't referring to people with naturally oily skin but those who purposefully sought the look with products. "Your face literally at the end of the day looks like you took a stick of butter and just rubbed it all over," she said.

Separately, Melissa said she was shocked by how many young people are seeking Botox today.

Melissa also covered footwear trends in her viral video. She's not a fan of the mini, ankle-length Uggs, which she called "trendy" compared to the originals. She also doesn't understand the popularity of "chunky" New Balance and Asics sneakers.

"I feel like five, six years ago they were dad shoes," she said in the video. "Now, how all of a sudden you guys are wearing these to the club?"

Melissa told Business Insider she first noticed a stylistic "gap" between generations post-pandemic, and her video served as a kind of response. In a separate clip, she noted millennials have often been the butt of Gen Z critiques, including being labeled "cheugy" (or basic) for wearing skinny jeans, hairline side parts, and over-the-knee boots.

"You cannot pry my skinny jeans from me," Melissa told BI. "I'm still going to part my hair on the side. I'm going to do what's best for me at the end of the day … I don't need to be trendy."

Melissa said commenters overwhelmingly agreed with her. But there were also "the 10% that think that I'm trying to start some type of generation war or that I'm another angry millennial mom screaming on the internet," she said.

At the end of the day, she doesn't take the debate that seriously and said she was simply sharing her opinion on current beauty and fashion trends. She did, however, want to more generally caution against overconsumption and trend-chasing amid rising living costs.

"Do what you enjoy, do what you like, and I will do the same," she said.