I think both Millennials and Zoomers are in a rather awkward position, when it comes to the matter of aging.

On the one hand, both of our generations have been shamed by older people JUST FOR EXISTING as the ages we are. So there is a bit of internalized ageism that can result in subconscious self-loathing where we want to "get older faster" -- and, in some cases, distance ourselves from our own identities (or, perhaps, the identities that have been forced upon us by society).

But on the flip side: there's still the patriarchal ideal that youth=beauty. This isn't a new phenomenon. It's been present within pop culture and systemic structures for decades upon decades. So, consequently, Generations X/Y/Z scramble to avoid the "aging" process as much as we can -- visually, aesthetically, medically, referentially, intellectually, and psychologically.

It's a very precarious tightrope where, essentially, the younger you are -- you're damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't.

I used to flat-out lie about my age quite a bit. Now, I try to balance the embrace of reality with an embrace of self-empowerment. When people ask me how old I am, I tend to reply, tongue-in-cheek:

"Well, I turned 39 this year...but I'm 32 in 'gay years'..."

;-P