When you think of Gen Z, what comes to your mind? Rebellious? Impulsive? Weird slangs? Phone addicts? Lazy? You바카라re not entirely wrong, but it바카라s important to clarify that Zoomers, born roughly between 1996 and 2012, are more than these labels. Think about it: what sources have been used to create these assumptions?
The latest Indian show milking such stereotypes is Call Me Bae (2024). It centers around Bella aka Bae (Ananya Panday), who never forgets to say her daily affirmations, 바카라I바카라m Bae, I바카라m here to slay, seize the day.바카라 She embraces the 바카라delulu is the solulu바카라 mantra, believing that everything will work out바카라whether it바카라s landing a job without a college degree, securing a house in Mumbai as a 바카라single woman working in media,바카라 or breaking a #MeToo story about a business tycoon entering politics. These self-assurances combined with delusional thinking, reflect Gen Z바카라s approach to manifesting near-impossible goals바카라a mindset that has become viral online. But the constant barrage of these references makes it painfully obvious that the creators designed the show to be chopped up into 바카라relatable바카라 reels and shorts.
The constant judgment from the previous generations hangs over these moments, making it clear that the show misunderstands why positive declarations and delusional thinking resonate with Gen Z in the first place. Most of the Zoomers graduated during the pandemic and are just starting their careers. On top of that, they are dealing with climate anxiety, inflation, and the threat of an impending recession. As Fortune magazine put it, rather than climbing the corporate ladder, Gen Z is turning to practices like 바카라3-6-9 method바카라바카라a numerology based rendition of the law of attraction where you write down motivational phrases 3 times in the morning, 6 times in the afternoon and 9 times at night바카라using positive thinking and visualisation to combat late-stage capitalism.
The show just touches on serious topics like gambling, kleptomania, and the complexities of a mother-daughter bond. Its scenes, intended to be viral clips, didn바카라t take off because the show바카라s surface-level treatment reveals its true intent. If the show바카라s dialogues didn바카라t get them the viral oomph they were looking for, they went on to include moments that were already viral바카라like the recreation of Sidharth Malhotra-Kiara Advani바카라s wedding entry or Poo-inspired references from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) to rate kids바카라 costumes. There바카라s even a nod to Siddhant Chaturvedi바카라s 바카라Jahan humare sapne poore hote hain, wahan inka struggle shuru hota hai바카라 and a cameo from Insta-famous Orry.
Ultimately, Call Me Bae uses reels and shorts to bait Gen Z into watching. But by focusing solely on Internet fame, they바카라re reducing Gen Z to a dumbed-down audience and giving us even dumber characters with flimsy storylines. While such works use Gen Z tropes and language to push the plot forward, they often sacrifice the depth needed to tackle important themes like infidelity, the lust for instant success, and social media addiction.
Consider Kho Gaye Hum Kahan (2023), which revolves around a trio: Imaad (Chaturvedi), a Tinder addict representing everything Gen Z is supposedly trying to avoid through hookup culture; Ahana (Ananya Pandey), who obsessively posts pictures and stalks her ex on Instagram; and Neil (Adarsh Gourav), an Internet troll who isn바카라t happy with himself. Imaad is a stand-up comic whose sets revolve around clichéd topics like 바카라situationships바카라 and 바카라influencers바카라바카라something that only non-Gen Zers would find funny. Ahana, heartbroken and scrolling through her ex바카라s feed, starts working out with Neil, who바카라s a personal trainer, to get 바카라hotter바카라 and post more thirst traps online. Neil, tangled in a messy situationship with an influencer, takes things further by hacking into his ex바카라s account and exposing her 바카라real바카라 story online. By the end, they all come to the convenient realisaton that their phones have made them addicts. For a film that drags on, the message boils down to: Gen Z kho gaye kahan? Apne phone mein.
The movie cautiously labels the three as Gen Z바카라establishing their ages as 25-26. But is Ahana바카라s addiction to posting online for validation and Neil바카라s internet trolling limited to one generation? Not really. As for Imaad, Gen Z isn바카라t as addicted to dating apps as the film suggests. The Print reported, 바카라They (Gen-Z) are now finding peace in abstinence and love on matrimonial sites. All our mothers are practically doing a victory dance바카라looks like we are warming up to the vintage vibe of arranged dating, if not marriage.바카라
Recently, to keep users on Bumble, the popular dating app where women make the first move, the company launched an ad campaign with billboards stating, 바카라A vow of celibacy is not the answer.바카라 The campaign faced heavy criticism for its asexuality-ignorant tone and for dismissing women바카라s choices. Bumble later apologised, explaining that the campaign was meant to address the frustrations surrounding modern dating.
Take all the digs you want at Gen Z slangs (or not understanding it), but here바카라s the thing: Gen Z is opening up important conversations, whether it바카라s about moving away from dating apps or questioning capitalism. Sure, movies like these don바카라t need to reflect all of that, but enough with using zoomers as a way to entertain the very masses that created these identities for them. Gen Z may just be the mirror that allows other generations to see themselves, as they are a product of the systems and problems created long before they were born.
