Coming of Age Beyond Teenagehood

The gritty art of Gen Z representation in television

Teenagehood is rough. From wavering hormones to high school heartbreak, it’s seen as a gateway to the ‘real world’, assuming you’ll have a sense of direction in life by your twenties. Adolescence is served as a period of validated nonconformity to the standards set by society. Whereas, the milestone of reaching twenty comes with its own set of boundaries. The expectation of having a steady income, and a long term relationship, is no longer realistic. Studies show that fewer people are having sex, and birth rates have more than halved since the 1960s. Coming of age is no longer exclusive to those with braces, and a face full of acne—those living through the digital age deserve their own representation.

When HBO’s ‘Sex and the City’ premiered in 1998, it became an instant classic amongst women in their twenties. Serving as a love letter to 90s New York and the fashion of that era, the show has only resonated more with audiences over time. Watching a group of twenty-somethings navigate life by their own bounds, neglecting the traditional societal expectations set against women, provides viewers with a sense of fulfilment towards the mundanities and normalities of their own lives. Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda are role models to those who choose not to abide by the standards of modern dating. Casual sex and prioritising your career over a man with no intentions of fulfilling your needs aren’t displayed as acts of self-sabotage, but pivotal experiences. ‘Sex and the City’ depicts making questionable decisions, such as going back to an ex, or quitting your job, without demonising naivety under the guise of living under a patriarchal society. Women should not be shamed for choosing dopamine over complying with the social norms put in place by the opposite sex.

In 2012, HBO released its first season of ‘Girls’, which spanned five seasons, and quickly became a cultural success amongst millennials. The series follows a similar plot to ‘Sex and the City’, expanding its themes of female empowerment. Both shows explore the discomfort of being in your twenties, but with 'Girls' exhibiting more self-awareness of its own themes. It’s impossible not to cringe as Marnie performs a slow, acoustic cover of Kanye West’s ‘Stronger’ at her ex-boyfriend’s company party, in an attempt to regain his validation. What the show achieves is an ability to evoke empathy for the characters, whilst feeling viscerally embarrassed by their actions. I often see people on social media react to that scene specifically, excusing Marnie’s ludicrous behaviour. Rather than ridiculing her for publicly displaying her desire for male attention, viewers often sympathise with her need to go back to someone she was not compatible with. These cringe-worthy scenes are reflections of our own poor decisions we make, under a lack of comprehension towards our own needs.

The growing pains of teenagehood are no longer making for original content. Audiences that have grown up with Sofia Coppola movies defining their adolescence are now seeking comfort in series which are displaying the discomfort between youth and adulthood. HBO is continuing its succession of ‘quarter-life crisis’ shows with the release of ‘I Love LA’, written by Gen Z powerhouse Rachel Sennott. The series depicts the superficial nature of LA in an era where influencer culture is prevalent amongst young adults. Documenting the materialistic hardships of a group who are ignorant to the wider world serves more realism and relatability than the majority of shows on TV currently. Reality TV is a booming element of pop culture, but more writers are steering away from the stereotypes of adulthood. The grittiness which lies within the digital age is often difficult to portray without coming across as cringe.

Prior to 2025, there was a lack of media tailored to those in their twenties. Coming of age is a theme often depicting adolescence, using the highs and lows of teenagehood to offer relatability to audiences who are struggling with their sense of personal identity. There isn’t as much empathy offered to those who are no longer in high school, because adulthood is not depicted as a pivotal experience. The surge in coming-of-age media which is aimed at older audiences celebrates the chaos of life in a similar way to films such as ‘Lady Bird’, ‘The Breakfast Club’, etc. It’s difficult to glamorise the obstacles which follow being in education. Whilst those in their twenties would align with the tropes of popular coming-of-age media, there’s an absence of adulthood under this format. The representation of twenty-somethings is often hidden under its own category, without a label.

There’s a misconception that adulthood is arrived at with age, rather than being grown into through maturity. Because your twenties are significantly messier and non-linear than adolescence, it’s difficult to structure into a conventional narrative. The abolishment of significant milestones, such as graduations, has led to the misunderstanding that adulthood marks the end of your formative years. Some of the most pivotal experiences in life occur beyond education; however, that is not recognised under the concept of coming of age.

In the digital era, Gen Z are often recognised as being addicted to social media. Brainrot and buzzwords are embedded in our vocabulary, and when that’s presented to us in long-form media, we wince. ‘I Love LA’ perfectly encapsulates the fast-changing presence of internet slang within our own dialogue. Often, when language gets reconstructed for mass media storytelling, it sounds unnatural due to its lack of flexibility when used offline. Internet phrases are used to signal youthfulness when a script is written by someone older, creating a sense of observation, heightening the embarrassment of hearing ‘It’s giving…’ in real life. When the language is performative and used without the correct context, it is displayed to the viewer in a way that proves the writers’ misunderstanding of today’s youth. ‘I Love LA’ does a brilliant job of incorporating internet phrases such as ‘my Shayla’, without making it sound outdated or cringe. This is because Rachel Sennott has lived through the experiences she is depicting, and she uses dialogue in a way that is natural to her own vocabulary. A24’s ‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’ is another example of internet slang being used accurately, because the actors are of an age to be using those phrases in their everyday lives.

The epidemic of casting older actors to play teenagers is becoming extinct. It’s clear when an actor has no idea how to present themselves as a brain-rotted teenager, because it’s difficult to keep up with the ever-changing online hemisphere. There is no reason for a thirty-year-old to play a high school student, because Gen Z are living in their own bubble. Many popular artists or actors aren’t gaining a following through mainstream projects as such, but rather creating a fanbase online. An outsider to Gen Z would not have a clue how to accurately portray our generation, because they have zero insight into our world.

Audiences yearn for relatable characters. Social media has allowed for comparison to worm its way into our subconscious, profiting from our insecurities. Having that sense of community online is useful, but having your own experiences validated through storytelling is powerful. I believe that social media has prompted a false idea of self-awareness, which can only be accurately depicted through fiction. ‘I Love LA’ serves as a reflection of our own toxic traits, exhibiting aspirations for money and fame without demonising it. When a show is relatable, it strikes a chord with its audience. ‘I Love LA’ has gained so much attention because it’s self-aware. The show pokes fun at the materialistic chaos of living in LA without encouraging any judgement. The characters aren’t treated as villains for their selfish decisions, because the social expectations of adulthood are not adhered to.

This broader shift in TV towards extended coming-of-age storytelling is allowing for relatable stories to be told, which have previously been neglected by the concept of coming of age. As audiences grow with the media they have consumed, there’s space for more media which unveils the lack of direction reflected in our own lives. Growing up doesn’t stop once you turn eighteen; if anything, the personal growth occurs once you hit adulthood and are living independently. The immaturity you are expected to grow out of is what makes for great television.