Taboo IV - The Younger Generation

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Richards: Absolutely not! [She looks horrified.] My sons aren’t gen Z, they’re in their 30s, but they can’t buy homes. House prices have been crazy over the past 20 years. Idowu: If I’d known before 30 that as you get older you have less energy, I would have had my children much earlier. Because what you don’t want is when you take your son to school and people say: “Is that your grandad?”

Idowu: I think it’s a massive and amazing tool for creativity, because you have to encapsulate so much in such a short space of time. What do you think of the rising awareness of mental health – and do you wish you had the same awareness when you were younger? As a mother of two Millennials, I’ve noticed differences between their generation and mine. Like how they prefer to spend money on travel, amazing food and experiences rather than physical things like homes and cars. These aren’t negative qualities—just different.It’s still difficult for many people to be open about their mental health issues—I’m not saying stigma is completely gone. But at least it’s not a totally taboo subject, like it was when I was growing up. I’m thankful Millennials are helping to break that stigma barrier a little further. I’m so glad my daughter doesn’t feel alone. Twenty-three-year-old Londoner Max Selwood has a popular TikTok account, but not the kind you might expect. Unlike the dance trends and cooking how-tos that blew up on the platform in 2020, Selwood’s videos focus on a less fun – but also popular – subject: mental health. Richards: I have definitely got more conservative, with a small C, as I’ve got older. [She laughs.] I had some fairly radical thoughts as a young person. You try not to, but you do harden your opinions on certain things – and sometimes that’s a good thing, because you won’t be swayed by other people. But some people think whatever they think is absolutely right and they sort of keep on at you, until you agree with them. Their courage is just amazing’ ... Maggie Tata. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian Do you think young people are overly sensitive and privileged? Tata: I am on Facebook, but I’m not obsessed with it. I just use it to connect with my family and friends worldwide. I don’t really go and post things in it, unless there’s an occasion like a family wedding and some people couldn’t come. Much divides us, but one trend unites our youth cultures: can we agree on platform shoes?

Both Hibbs and Strohschein express optimism that changes in how we discuss mental health, pioneered by millennials and taken further by Gen Z, will contribute to greater progress around both mental-health and disability accommodations. They suspect we’re reaching a moment of de-stigmatisation in which employer expectations around mental health are shifting, expedited in part by the coronavirus pandemic’s normalisation of disability accommodations. Word is spreading through social media that mental health is an important part of overall well-being. Celebrities are openly sharing their struggles. The younger generation is learning about mental illness at an earlier age (thanks to programs like NAMI Ending the Silence). I have definitely got more conservative, with a small C’ ... Liz Richards. Do you believe that gen Z aren’t able to buy homes because we are lazy and don’t work hard enough? Idowu: Well, I wouldn’t want to live next to one, put it like that. I wouldn’t say I find them ugly. I think I find them intriguing. I actually prefer windfarms to solar panels. They look a bit more elegant, if I may say. Having these massive solar panels looks strange in the beautiful countryside. What is the difference between pennies, shillings and pounds?Richards: I don’t hate selfies! I love them. Some of the best pictures I’ve got are selfies. But sometimes it’s constant selfies – and then it gets a bit tedious. Gibson: I think they’re much more aware and have a greater empathy and understanding of people’s journeys. So I use words like sensitive in a positive way, not in a Piers Morgan snowflake way, because they’re not snowflakes. They’re resilient and adaptable and more aware of their world’s issues. Why do you hate selfies? Idowu: We don’t hate selfies per se. It’s the volume of them. Would you have chosen to live your life differently if you were born in our generation? Richards: Getting your foot on the property ladder if you possibly can is a good idea. Paying into a pension. It’s awfully boring and, of course, when you’re at that age, you never think you will need it, because you never think you will be old, but age does come. And travel. Meet new people, educate yourself about different cultures. That will set you up for being a decent, balanced person. Idowu: It depends how you define sensitive or privileged. I know some young people and for them the thought of going out to work in the summer holiday is like: maybe after I’ve rested for a long time. In our day, the idea of getting a paper round was the norm. So, definitely in terms of privilege, for some of them I can feel that.

Richards: When I was younger, the attitudes towards women who got pregnant out of marriage were awful. The world sort of fell in on them. It was also hypocritical, because there would often be illegitimate children in families, but everyone pretended that wasn’t the case. Another big mistake I lived through was how we treated gay people. People had to pretend and it caused such pain and distress. Kay Parker: Taboo: Sacred, Don't Touch (a book where she talks about her past career in adult movies and her experiences with the Metaphysical) Gibson: I think the question might be getting at the fact we hold on to old ways of doing things. When I’m in the car, I can’t do litres of fuel per 100km, because I don’t know what those numbers mean. I still use miles per gallon. Have you changed opinion politically since you were a young adult? Look outside your main career for income. I think it’s called a “side hustle” now, right?’ ... Tayo Idowu. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian What mistakes did your generation make – and what can gen Z learn from them?Idowu: I’m still partial to cola cubes. There’s a sweet shop in Greenwich that sells old-fashioned sweets. Whenever I pass it, I go in to buy some cola cubes. What is the one thing you wish you had known before you were 30? However, Selwood says he’s not worried about the risks – and research suggests he’s not the only member of Gen Z who agrees. This shift toward talking about psychological wellness couldn’t be more timely: mental health is a major concern for Gen Z and millennials, who report disproportionally worse mental health than older generations. According to a 2020 survey of 1,000 Brits aged 18-65 by consumer data-research firm Attest, less than half said they had “good” mental health, but three times as many Gen Z and millennials said they had “very bad” mental health compared to older participants. She continued, “I’m relieved my friends and I talk about being anxious and depressed. I don’t have to pretend anymore.” Tata: Oh God, that’s a good one. Invest, invest, invest! Multiple streams of income. That’s it. You can’t just have a nine-to-five job any more. You have to do lots and lots of different things.