May-December flings are all the rage.
According to reported dating trends and a flurry of TikTok chatter, Gen Z is warming to the idea that age is just a number — at least, when the vibes are right.
“I totally get why Chelsea was with Rick and chose him over Saxon,” an 18-year-old named Olivia said in a recent interview with The Independent, raving about the unlikely couple featured in the Apr. 6 finale of HBO’s hit series, The White Lotus.
“Saxon is such a f–k boy… Rick was concerned with bigger things, and Chelsea believed they were soulmates. The age gap didn’t matter to her, and I totally get that!” she added.
That’s right — Rick, a moody middle-aged man played by 53-year-old Walton Goggins, somehow beat out a hot, young himbo portrayed by Patrick Schwarzenegger, 31, for Gen Z’s affection.
Kate, 18, chimed in, telling the outlet that she’d choose “Rick all the way!”
“Saxon was just so basic… Rick might have been moody and a bit murder-y, but I bet he doesn’t listen to Joe Rogan — if he [Rick] was an actual person,” she continued.
For a generation famous for canceling anything even remotely problematic, their sudden love for romantic pairings with a few decades between birthdays might seem surprising.
But there’s a reason behind the romance, young hopefuls say.
According to 19-year-old Liza, who’s dating someone in his late twenties and sat down with the outlet, “I’d go on the odd date with someone my age and more often than not it would end up in a straight-up argument when he started saying Andrew Tate makes good points.”
Her boyfriend? “Super chill, a feminist — and weirdly, so are most of his mates. He missed all the manosphere stuff and it shows.”
With Gen Z women said to be leaning more progressive and outspoken, and Gen Z men increasingly choosing conservatism, many young women say they’re struggling to find likeminded mates — instead, finding better matches a few years up the generational ladder.
There are numbers to back up the claims — only 56% of Gen Z report having had a romantic relationship in their teens, compared to 78% of boomers. That’s not just a drop; it’s a plummet.
The so-called “gen-blend” relationship could be the answer — Bumble says it’s booming, with 63% of users reporting they’re totally fine dating outside their age group.
And it’s not just younger women seeking older men — popular films like The Idea of You, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, and Babygirl all show older women with younger love interests, flipping the traditional script.
And in real life, Hollywood’s not exactly shying away — look at the 21-year age gap between The Crown’s Dominic West and wife Catherine FitzGerald.
Not that these couplings always age well — looking back, the 35-years-ago Chris Evans/Billie Piper and 47-years Bill Wyman/Mandy Smith romances now trigger more “ew” than envy.
The power dynamics were off — and even Gen Z knows it.
“The key thing that sorts the ‘ick’ from ‘OK’ always has to be the power balance,” Emma Hathorn, a relationship expert at Seeking.com, told British GQ.
Hathorn adds that social media is playing a major role in destigmatizing unconventional couples.
“Platforms like TikTok give us access to diverse relationship models we may not have been previously exposed to in our social circles,” she said to the publication.
“This exposure is shifting societal expectations.”
In other words, Gen Z is learning that love isn’t just about finding someone your own age — it’s about finding someone on your wavelength.
Whether that person remembers Y2K or thinks it’s a new crypto coin doesn’t matter so much anymore.
As Hathorn puts it: “Partnering with someone older or younger gives an opportunity to learn from their unique experiences and cultural backgrounds. Youth brings fresh perspectives, while experience offers wisdom.”
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