Millennials Rise Up: Taking A Break In The Generational Meme Wars With 'My Parents At Age 29 vs. Me At Age 29'

One of the most feared pieces of wisdom you'll ever come across goes a little something like this: We all turn into our parents eventually. In addition to that, the journey is also made that much more difficult by changing times and attitudes which only contribute to our denial over the matter. It is this feeling that has inspired the latest spinoff in the neverending Wojak comics extended universe, which turns its throwaway social commentary to the burden of comparing yourself to your elders.

The age that My Parents at Age 29 vs. Me at 29 references can vary, but while it occasionally dips into the older ranks of Gen Z, its focus is undoubtedly Millennial. Most of its characters fall into the mid-20s to 30s age range, the usual point being how the protagonist is living in a state of suspended adolescence, in comparison to the responsibility their parents had at the same age.

While the much-maligned Gen X might own the slacker stereotype, it makes sense that parts of the age group below have appropriated it. After all, this is the generation who made history by being the first to be poorer than their parents (and then got blamed for it). The internet was once the place where they were the cultural trailblazers, but now, the new generation is accelerating the content creation game as they try to keep up. The rework of a well-trodden genre adds to the feeling that this meme is a small, underachieving oasis surrounded by a sea of Zoomers, who have never known life before WiFi.

Inevitably, the meme lives in the shadow of OK Boomer, the unavoidable Millennial and Gen Z collaboration that will probably continue defining age-related politics for years to come. Yet as its existence proves, there is more than enough generational conflict to go around and provide us with some added reflection.

Dr. Sean Lyons is a Professor of Leadership and Management at the University of Guelph who specializes in generational identity. He partly defines the success of this genre as an answer to "When I was your age" style complaints by older people, “which imply that they are tougher or more resilient than today's young people.”

“These memes are reactions by today's younger generations," Lyons said. "Who have flipped the stereotypes on their heads and pointed them back at the older generations.”

My Parents at Age 29 fits into this mold of rebellion, but it also diverges from the sanctimonious tone of its iconic predecessor — which relies more on implying the ignorance of the meme user’s target, or “Boomer’s entitlement,” as Lyons put it. In contrast, this format is more insular, focusing on and owning the recklessness younger people are disparaged for. It is exemplified in one of its most popular iterations, which sees its protagonist declare his intention to eat a random pill he has found on the ground.

Its creator is Instagram meme account fad_albert. She explained to us that despite the punchline, its meaning goes far beyond the consumption of mystery debris.

“I know my parents were enormously more responsible in their twenties than I was. My mom had me when she was 29 and my dad was 26, working full time selling cell phones to people on Wall St,” she said. “That said, they were able to buy a house and car on a single income, at a fraction of what it would cost today.”

My Parents at Age 29 is not limited to a critique of material concerns. There are bleaker aspects to the meme, with some of its earliest high-profile examples being used to discuss drug addiction, also on Instagram.

“Whenever I see a cool meme, I’m always thinking how I can use that to tell my story about addiction and recovery,” Junkie.memez, who has used the format multiple times, told us. “I got clean at 34, so it’s really just autobiographical.”

My Parents at Age 29 can deal with some dark subject matter, and it does touch upon the privileges afforded to older people. However, this is not a format in which success or failure is clear cut. The older generation’s need to conform to social expectation is as much an important part of the meme as their freewheeling offspring.

As anyone versed in Wojak lore will notice, this makes the meme unusual in terms of the genre. A lot of Wojak formats have a far more pronounced competitive element to them. Aside from the occasional stand-in by Trad Girl, Yes Chad’s Nordic Gamer character takes center stage here. Instead of his trademark stoicism being pitted against a feckless, enraged opponent, it is duplicated in both father and son — an acknowledgment of how each is a product of their time.

The My Parents at Age 29 format combines intergenerational feuding with the Wojak universe’s rigid social categorization, turning them both on their heads. A departure from the stronger emotions of Yes Chad and other Wojak comics, it straddles a fine line between jealousy and passive acceptance. It tells us that every generation gets to be a Chad in their own way, but no one’s really winning. For all its outlook can be worrying though, it’s not without the occasional happy ending.

"I haven’t been 29 in a few years, but for the record, I have unequivocally stopped eating pills off the floor." — fad_albert

---

Meme Insider is a Know Your Meme publication and the world's leading internet culture magazine. Find out how to get your first print copy for free, and check out the Meme Insider website for more info.