Ji Seung-ryeol, 41, takes pride in his sartorial choices.
He regularly posts mirror selfies on Instagram, understanding the platform’s implicit equation of likes with social currency.
Consequently, he was taken aback to discover that men his age are facing online derision for adopting styles favored by Gen Z and younger millennials.
AI-generated caricatures depicting this demographic—middle-aged men in streetwear, clutching iPhones—have become widespread on social media, labeled “Young 40s.”
These memes have transformed Ji’s cherished Nike Air Jordans and Stüssy T-shirts into objects of mockery, a development he finds disheartening.
“I’m simply purchasing and wearing items I’ve long appreciated, now that I have the means,” he stated to the BBC. “Why is this grounds for criticism?”
Once celebrated as trendsetters in the 1990s, public sentiment toward 40-year-olds shifted after the launch of the iPhone 17 last September.
The smartphone, previously seen as a youth staple, has been rebranded as a gaudy symbol of the Young 40s—individuals, according to Gen Z’s Jeong Ju-eun, “trying too hard to appear youthful” and “unable to accept the passage of time.”
Data appears to corroborate this trend. While a majority of young South Koreans still favor the iPhone over the Samsung Galaxy, Gallup research indicates that Apple’s market share among Gen Z consumers has decreased by 4% in the past year, while increasing by 12% among individuals in their 40s.
A similar phenomenon occurred several years ago with Geriatric Millennials, born in the early 1980s, whose humor—characterized by the crying-laughing emoji, finger mustaches, and the term “adulting”—was widely dismissed as cringeworthy.
The Geriatric Millennial discourse sparked self-deprecating jokes, analytical articles, and quizzes determining whether one was entitled to mock or be mocked.
Identical trends are now prevalent in South Korea with the Young 40s.
In Korean society, even a single year’s age difference forms the foundation of social hierarchy. Age is among the first details exchanged between strangers, setting the tone for future interactions: modes of address, the ceremonial opening of soju bottles (typically by the eldest), and the appropriate angle for tipping one’s shot glass (away from seniors).
However, the Young 40 memes also signify a growing skepticism among Korean youth toward this near-obligatory reverence for elders.
Not long ago, the term “kkondae” became a buzzword among young South Koreans, used to describe an irritating type of inflexible, condescending senior.
Social media has amplified such friction, with “multiple generations mixing within the same space,” according to Lee Jae-in, a sociology professor at Korea University’s Sejong campus.
“The traditional model, where different generations occupied distinct cultural spheres, has largely dissolved,” he added.
Popularized in marketing circles during the 2010s, “Young 40” initially denoted consumers with youthful sensibilities—health-conscious, active, and tech-savvy—representing a crucial demographic for businesses.
“In the past, people in their 40s were considered to be nearing old age,” said Kim Yong-Sup, a trend analyst widely credited with coining the term “Young 40.”
As South Korea’s median age increased, however, these individuals were “no longer on the verge of old age but at the center of society,” he stated.
Yet, the marketing term has since taken on a viral, sardonic connotation. Over the past year, “Young 40” has been mentioned online over 100,000 times, with more than half of these references used negatively, according to analytics platform SomeTrend, often appearing alongside terms like “old” and “disgusting.”
A related meme, Sweet Young 40, is a sarcastic label for middle-aged men who pursue young women.
Some perceive the Young 40 jokes as a form of punching up, targeting individuals at the height of their careers who accumulated wealth during a period of economic stability and a property boom.
Conversely, Gen Z and younger millennials, born two decades later, face escalating housing costs and intense competition in the job market. In their view, Young 40s embody “the generation that succeeded just before the window of opportunity closed,” according to psychologist Oh Eun-kyung.
“They are perceived not merely as individuals with personal preferences, but as symbols of privilege and power,” she said. “This explains why the energy of mockery is directed at them.”
However, Ji, the 41-year-old fashion enthusiast who experienced the so-called golden era, offers a different narrative.
Having navigated the Asian financial crisis as a teenager, Ji entered a challenging job market in his 20s, submitting approximately 60-70 applications to secure employment. He describes his generation as one that “had little opportunity to enjoy life while growing up and only began to do so later, as adults.”
Now in the workplace, he often feels torn between two worlds. The generation above him operated under a “strict, top-down system where obedience was paramount,” while the younger generation “asks ‘why.'”
“We are a generation that has experienced both cultures. We feel caught in between.”
While this ability to bridge two generations was once a source of pride, Ji now feels self-conscious about interacting with younger colleagues, fearing the label of kkondae or Young 40.
“These days, I rarely organize social gatherings,” he said. “I try to keep conversations focused on work-related or career-oriented topics and only share personal anecdotes when discussions naturally become more intimate.”
According to Kang, another fashionable 41-year-old, a profoundly human desire lies at the heart of the Young 40 meme.
“As one ages, longing for youth becomes entirely natural. The desire to appear young is universal across generations.”
Yoon Suk Yeol is set to receive the first verdict on charges linked to his 2024 martial law attempt.
How much attention did you pay to what happened in the world over the past seven days?
Leaders of the two East Asian nations played drums to hits from BTS and KPop Demon Hunters.
Shops are selling hundreds of cookies within minutes as the frenzy sends prices of ingredients surging.
Yoon is accused of leading an insurrection when he tried to impose martial law in 2024.