What is your favourite thing to do on a weekend?
For some, it is being under the neon lights of a club. For others, it is visiting a garden centre to scoff scones and sniff candles.
When two girls in their twenties posted about going out for tea and cakes, I highly doubt that they expected to go viral with comments praising them for entering their ‘granny era.’
Over the past few years, we have witnessed a resurgence of young people taking up old-fashioned pastimes, from knitting to having afternoon tea. But why do Gen Zers find the ‘granny’ lifestyle so appealing?
Swapping Corona for Cream Tea
One reason so many young people are entering their granny era is that it does not involve excessive drinking. To say that the UK has a complicated relationship with alcohol would be an understatement. We have the worst rate of child alcohol abuse worldwide. British women binge drink more than any other nationality. And the consumption of booze is normalised in educational institutions, with 81 per cent of students believing it is part of university culture.
From club to bar to the pub, almost every form of socialising for young adults involves drinking. However, the tide is turning. The rising cost of alcohol, as well as greater awareness of its effect on physical and mental health, have contributed to higher levels of sobriety amongst Gen Z, leading them to be dubbed the ‘sober-curious generation.’ Finally, young people seem to be turning their backs on the excessive drinking culture of the ‘90s and 2000s in favour of more wholesome pastimes.
Don’t get me wrong, there is still a large proportion of Gen Zers who haven’t given up drinking. But for every young person whose ideal evening is going on the lash with their mates, there is another who would like nothing more than to sit around a table with friends or family, tucking into a cream tea. When you consider that almost a third of young adults do not drink alcohol, it makes sense why the number of pubs and clubs, which rely on this demographic for business, has declined in the UK. Gen Zers are looking for different ways to spend their weekends and, surprisingly, turning to older generations for inspiration.
From meeting up at garden centres to hosting tea parties, partaking in old-fashioned forms of socialising encourages us to interact with those around us. Sitting down to have a chat over a platter of sandwiches, without the distractions of liquor or thumping bass, allows for more in-depth, meaningful conversation. Evidently, Gen Z are yearning for opportunities to get to know their friends, colleagues and family better. As a bonus, being able to remember everything the next day makes for happier memories.
Out With the New, In With the Old!
As well as embracing more antiquated forms of socialising, Gen Z are also trying their hand at ‘grannycore’ hobbies. Needlework, literature, baking and horticulture are just some of the stereotypically unexciting pursuits which have seen a resurgence in recent years. Interest in terms like ‘gardening’ and ‘knitting’ reached a peak in 2020 and has remained consistently high since, whilst 2024 saw a record number of people searching for ‘reading clubs’ in the UK. I, like many young people, picked up these skills during lockdown, when everyone was at home and looking for something to do to fill their time. I have dabbled in knitting intermittently post-COVID (crochet, unfortunately, is beyond me), whilst reading and drawing have been consistent hobbies of mine for as long as I can remember. They may not be ‘an extension of my essence’ in the way that Meghan Markle claims selling jam is, but they are great fun and a wonderful alternative to staring at a screen.
What makes these pastimes so appealing is their ability to calm the mind. When I am reading or crafting, the scratch of a pencil or the clacking of knitting needles drowns everything else out. It also makes for more meaningful gifts when you knit someone a scarf or make their card, rather than just selecting something in a shop. As a generation, Gen Z are very attuned to their mental health and invested in their wellbeing. They are also becoming increasingly aware of the toll their phones are taking on them, to the extent that ‘brain rot’ was crowned the Oxford Dictionary word of the year, and Adolescence became an instant hit.
‘This generation [are] modifying their smartphone behaviour, with concerns around the negative impacts of being constantly digitally connected driving this,’ says Joe Birch, a digital analyst at Mintel. ‘Three in five Gen Zers say they’d like to be less connected to the digital world.’
To combat their outrageous screen time voyages, many young people are looking for alternative ways to keep themselves entertained. Some are even considering ditching their phones altogether. Imagine: a pastime with no ghosting, photoshopping, cyberbullying, dangerous trends or doomscrolling. Who’d a’ thunk it! For Gen Z, ‘entering their granny era’ is another way of saying that they are craving a digital detox.
Valuable Life Skills
There are numerous other benefits of pursuing ‘grannycore’ diversions. The majority of them are ancient practices that date back hundreds of years, when people were more self-sufficient than we currently are. To them, these were not hobbies but essential life skills; ones that we can all take advantage of if we put in the time and effort. Reading improves literacy levels, which benefits us academically and professionally. Growing our fruits and veggies can ‘considerably’ reduce our carbon footprint. And learning to sew and darn ensures the longevity of our clothes, meaning less waste ends up in landfills. No wonder these activities appeal to Gen Z, who can focus on self-improvement whilst simultaneously satisfying their environmental urges.
More Gen Zers are taking the plunge and exploring hobbies that benefit their mind and body. Some will ridicule the ‘granny’ movement, but for those who are part of it, I say Good on You! While others sneer, you’ll be scoffing scones and sniffing scented candles, free from the harmful effects of excessive drinking or screen time. You will be the happier, healthier ones in the long run.
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