Millennial Woman Slams Comparisons of 2008 Recession Survival to Now

In recent weeks, many social media users have been comparing the current economic climate to what millennials faced in 2008. But one mom of three has gone viral after suggesting that people are completely misunderstanding millennial culture during the Great Recession.

When Jenna Rohlfing thinks back to 2008, she was in graduate school, and although it was a challenging time, life was simpler. As for now, the 39-year-old from St. Louis told Newsweek that Gen Zers seem to “have so much more to deal with” than millennials did.

In 2008, millions of job losses and widespread economic instability led to people losing their savings and homes. The recession that took place from 2007 to 2009 was the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression in 1929.

As stock markets tumbled following President Donald Trump’s announcement of global tariffs, many questioned whether the United States was on the verge of another recession.

“For me, 2008 was a really fun time in my life,” Rohlfing said. “While I did have the recession on my radar, I was protected from most of the damaging effects as I was a student. As an elder millennial raised by boomers, I think many of us went into adulthood with the pursuit of the American dream.”

One of the biggest disparities between millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) and Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) is their use of social media. Elder millennials only started using it as teenagers or during their twenties. In comparison, Gen Z grew up surrounded by technology and social media, and their formative years were marked by the need to be constantly connected.

“We didn’t have large-scale social media to influence us into purchases or compare our lives to other people,” Rohlfing said. “We didn’t even have smartphones, so we were able to disconnect in a way that they aren’t able to. I think Gen Z face a lot more pressure both socially and economically to keep up.”

Whereas millennials felt more carefree, she thinks Gen Z has “more pressure to spend” money on luxuries. From designer makeup to daily iced lattes, Rohlfing says younger people “truly never get a break” from consumerism and the need to have the perfect aesthetic.

She shared her thoughts about why people misunderstand “millennial culture and the recession” in a TikTok video (@jennaleighstl), which has since gone viral. In just a matter of days, the clip has generated over 1.2 million views and 133,000 likes at the time of writing.

Rohlfing said the online reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, and many of her fellow millennials enjoyed the dose of nostalgia.

She told Newsweek: “As it’s been shared so many times, I’ve had friends from college reach out to tell me they’ve been sent the video. The comments I’ve loved the most have been in regards to the Lean Cuisine meals and Clinique makeup. It truly was a universal experience we had back then.”

After the video went viral, internet users were quick to share their thoughts, leading to more than 13,200 comments on TikTok already.

One comment reads: “We would never even dream of Starbucks every day.”

Another person wrote: “millennial culture was way less status obsessed.”

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