By Ljeonida Mulabazi
Copyright dailydot
For decades, the word “senior” has been shorthand for anyone past the age of 55.
It shows up in “senior discounts,” “senior centers,” and “respecting your seniors.”
But now, it seems the term might be losing its charm with the very generation it was supposed to describe.
Are boomers pushing back on the “senior” label?
TikTok creator Emmaline Childs (@emmalinechilds) posted a clip pointing out that older Americans may not want to be called “seniors” anymore. Her video, which has been viewed over 61,200 times, started with a billboard she and her mother came across.
“You know, the boomers are phasing out the word senior, like senior citizens,” Childs says in the clip. Her mom explained why: “Because it makes us sound old.”
Childs laughs in response, telling her mom: “You are old.” But her mother stood firm, saying, “We don’t want to be reminded about it.”
Her mom also added another wrinkle. “I’m actually Generation Jones,” she said, describing a group of people born between the mid-1950s and mid-1960s who fall between baby boomers and Gen X.
“I had never heard of Generation Jones in my life,” Childs admits. After Googling, she found out it was essentially just a “late boomer” label.
@emmalinechilds Did you know that the Boomers are phasing out the word senior? Also, I had never heard of Generation Jones. I learned so much this week. #millennial #boomer #generationjones #generations #senior ♬ original sound – Emmaline Childs
From senior centers to “active living” communities
In her video, Childs jokes that boomers’ discomfort is changing how retirement-focused spaces are branded. “Anything that used to be a senior center, now it’s like a community center or an active living center,” she explains.
Even 55+ neighborhoods, she notes, are often branded as “lifestyle communities” instead.
At the end of the clip, she concludes with a jab: “Phasing out the word senior because it makes you feel old is kind of the most boomer thing ever.”
“Did you know that the Boomers are phasing out the word senior?” she added in the caption. “Also, I had never heard of Generation Jones. I learned so much this week.”
@emmalinechilds Did you know that the Boomers are phasing out the word senior? Also, I had never heard of Generation Jones. I learned so much this week. #millennial #boomer #generationjones #generations #senior ♬ original sound – Emmaline Childs
Users in the comments weigh in
In the comments, people had plenty to say. “So, they want to pick their own pronouns based on what makes them feel most like themselves????” one person joked sarcastically.
The top comment read, “Generation Jones are just Boomers that think they’re too cool to be Boomers but no, they’re definitely still Boomers.”
Another wrote: “It’s also depressing how boomers ruined the housing market, the economy, and the government, so maybe they should feel uncomfortable about a few things.”
“Oh so they’re fine with changing words to make them comfortable but not adapting to the changing world when it doesn’t directly benefit them,” another added.
One gerontologist chimed in, saying: “We’ve tried phasing senior out for over a decade. Older adults is preferred.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Childs for comment.
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