#AdultingIsHard: Millennial Life Struggles
“Adulting” became shorthand for doing basic adult tasks—humorously expressing how challenging modern adulthood feels for generations facing economic precarity and changing life milestones.
The Concept
Adulting referred to performing adult responsibilities:
- Paying bills on time
- Cooking actual meals
- Scheduling doctor appointments
- Doing laundry regularly
- Budgeting and saving
- Maintaining a clean home
- Car maintenance
- Filing taxes
The humor acknowledged these tasks felt overwhelming or unfamiliar.
The Generational Context
Adulting resonated because Millennials/Gen Z faced:
- Delayed traditional milestones (homeownership, marriage, kids)
- Student debt and housing costs
- Gig economy precarity
- Different socialization than previous generations
- Economic instability making “adult” security elusive
“Adulting” humorously acknowledged the gap between expectations and reality.
The Criticism
Critics argued “adulting” was:
- Infantilizing a generation
- Excusing incompetence as cute
- Ignoring that previous generations also struggled
- Missing broader economic critique
- Privileged (basic survival isn’t achievement)
The backlash noted celebrating laundry or grocery shopping as “adulting” revealed low expectations.
The Economic Reality
Supporters countered that adulting humor masked real struggles:
- Working multiple jobs to afford rent
- Lacking safety nets previous generations had
- Navigating complexity (healthcare, credit, bureaucracy) without instruction
- Economic system making traditional adult security impossible
The joke highlighted systemic failures, not personal failings.
The Evolution
By 2023, adulting discourse shifted to:
- Acknowledging economic barriers
- Sharing practical knowledge (how to negotiate salary, understand credit)
- Building mutual aid and community support
- Critiquing systems, not individuals
- Recognizing different paths to adulthood
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