Millennials didn’t launch a big campaign to wipe out certain trends, it’s just that they stopped caring about them. You could blame it on smartphones or streaming, but either way, some things that used to be everywhere are now practically extinct, thanks to a generation that couldn’t be bothered.
Here are nineteen trends Millennials killed without trying. Which of these forgotten trends did you realize had disappeared?
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Car Culture as Identity
Millennials don’t really care about how car ownership once meant freedom and pride. This generation delayed getting licenses or skipped buying altogether, with some just using rideshare apps instead. Car brands noticed this. They started pushing hybrid and anything else to pull them back in, but the idea that “your car is your personality” didn’t land.
Chain Restaurant Loyalty Cards
Once upon a time, people proudly carried plastic cards from Applebee’s and Red Robin, almost as though they were VIP passes. Then Millennials showed up. They forgot them in drawers and stuck to using apps to get any discounts. Now, those cards just sit in glove compartments across the country, expired and dusty.
Scented Body Glitter
That sparkly roll-on body glitter that made you smell like a frosted cupcake was huge in middle school. But Millennials moved on and left glitter behind, along with other fashion faux pas like low-rise jeans. It turns out most adults weren’t looking to shimmer like a birthday card, and you’d be hard-pressed to find that stuff outside of a costume aisle now.
Sitting Through Movie Credits
These days, once the story ends, so does everyone’s patience. Millennials started the trend of bolting as soon as the lights came up, instead of waiting around for a potential mid-credits scene. Unless there’s a Marvel teaser waiting, most Millennials don’t believe in hanging around to see who did the sound mixing. Movie theater staff like this trend because it means they can start cleaning a few minutes earlier.
Plastic Couch Covers
Millennials collectively decided to never buy any of those plastic couch covers that were popular in the past. Older generations used to buy these covers to protect their upholstery from stains. But they wore out faster than you can say “aesthetic” for Millennials, as they’re a generation who prefer comfort and style. Now, you’ll mostly find them in estate sale listings or thrift stores.
Patterned Sofa Slipcovers
Speaking of couch covers, Millennials practically ran from those loud, busy floral slipcovers of the catalog era. They didn’t want matching furniture sets or anything that looked like it belonged in their aunt’s house. Instead, they like clean neutrals and Instagram-worthy spaces, which led to many brands phasing out the patterns.
All-Matching Furniture Sets
But that’s not all for furniture. The old “buy the whole matching living room set” thing isn’t a priority for Millennials, who prefer mixing styles or thrifting. They sometimes even just look for random pieces online. As a result, showrooms shrank, and the idea of owning a three-piece suede set with identical throw pillows kind of vanished.
Hooters-Style Dining
Places like Hooters thought they’d found a winning formula with wings, beer, and servers in tight tank tops. But Millennials weren’t having it. They’d rather go somewhere with decent food and less of the awkwardness, which made these chains try to rebrand. However, the crowd just isn’t there anymore.
Diamond Engagement Rings
The idea that you have to spend three months’ salary on a diamond doesn’t work for Millennials, who question everything about it. Whether it’s the ethics or the price tag, they’d prefer to get lab-grown stones or skip rings altogether. Of course, diamond rings do still exist, but many traditional jewelers have started offering alternatives, too. It’s all thanks to Millennials.
The Wedding Industrial Complex
Likewise, Millennials stopped believing in blowing thirty grand on a wedding and chose to downsize or elope instead. As a result, wedding magazines folded, and several dress stores closed. This generation skipped traditional venues altogether, and the whole idea of a wedding as a giant production lost its power. Now, the couple is more important than the spectacle.
Casual Fridays
Casual Friday used to be the one day you could breathe a little in the office by wearing what you wanted. Then Millennials came in wearing sneakers on Tuesday and hoodies on Thursday. In doing so, they essentially killed the idea of dressing up, which meant that Casual Fridays were no longer relevant. Most offices gave up and just let people wear what they wanted.
Wearing Pantyhose to Work
There was a time when people thought showing up to work without pantyhose was completely unprofessional. But Millennials completely ended that. They weren’t interested in squeezing into nylon just to sit at a desk, which meant dress codes loosened and offices chilled out. The sales numbers for pantyhose went downhill, and even more formal industries gave up on this rule.
Avon Parties
Avon parties used to involve passing around hand creams in someone’s living room while someone tallied up your order, but this idea didn’t stick with Millennials. For them, shopping from their phones in their pajamas was far better, leading to the decline of Avon parties. They started feeling weird and forced, and people just stopped showing up.
Travel Agents
Calling someone to plan your vacation used to be normal, but not anymore. Millennials skipped the middleman and booked everything themselves online, as it’s both faster and cheaper. Of course, travel agents still exist. However, they mostly do luxury trips or corporate bookings now, and for regular people planning a trip to Spain, they’re not even an option.
Weekly Hair Salon Blowouts
Once upon a time, getting your hair done every week was standard, although these days, Millennials refuse to spend hours at the salon. After all, most blowouts last only two days. This generation prefers watching YouTube tutorials, which has led to haircare brands pushing DIY instead. The salon regulars became the exception, not the rule.
Faux Tuscan Kitchen Decor
At one point, it seemed like every house had grapevines painted on the wall and a wrought iron rooster by the stove. But Millennials weren’t into it. Beige on beige with fake rustic accents didn’t make the cut when they started decorating, so the look fell out of real estate listings. Now, it’s more of a red flag that a house hasn’t been updated since 2003.
Decorative Hand Towels
Older relatives had these towels that you weren’t allowed to touch. However, Millennials never bothered. If there’s a towel in the bathroom, it had better be getting used, and the whole idea that something could just be for show seems ridiculous to them. Many stores matched this by selling more practical stuff and way fewer embroidered towel sets that nobody could touch.
Casual Smoking
Yes, going out for a smoke is still common, but for the most part, smoking cigarettes has lost its social status. Vaping is a lot more popular, and it’s because cigarettes stopped being cool for Millennials. It’s more inconvenient than anything, and the idea of heading out for a smoke with your colleagues seems so strange.
Ironing Everything
Most Millennials don’t own a proper ironing board, and that’s one of the major reasons that ironing everything isn’t the standard anymore. Older generations remember ironing everyday shirts and even pajamas, but Millennials rejected this idea. Wrinkle spray and steamers became the norm. Soon enough, “good enough” replaced crisp and polished.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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