Fashion house: why zoomers dream of mental hospitals and buy handkerchiefs
The most meme-driven representatives of Generation Z never cease to amaze with new trends. Psychologists have already noted that young people copy their grandparents: zoomers relax in sanatoriums, listen to Kadysheva's songs and are happy to wear vintage clothes. And the latest trend surprises even experts: it has become fashionable to ask for "rest" in psychiatric clinics and nursing homes. Izvestia looked into what was behind these trends.
Involuntary psychos
Tatiana Meteleva, a clinical psychologist and head of the rehabilitation program at Dr. Isaeva's Clinic, does not consider the so-called "rest in a mental hospital" to be a trend or a fad of the generation. From her point of view, this is rather a symptom not of an individual, but of a whole social situation.
—Young people are increasingly showing a request for security, for the opportunity to take a break, to stay in a protected space where there is structure, regime and support," explains Meteleva. — They perceive the world around them as overloaded, toxic, and unpredictable. Against this background, even the hospital environment may seem calmer and more reliable than ordinary life.
Nevertheless, Meteleva considers such a "rest" to be a rather strange form of "respite". The need for a pause and emotional detox is understandable and natural, but hospitalization in such institutions is still too radical a way to satisfy it. According to the expert, behind the strange desire to relax in a psychiatric hospital is an unconscious search for help, an attempt to find what is missing in everyday life: a clear daily routine, constant attention, a sense of support, the ability to shift responsibility onto someone, as well as the need for certain boundaries.
Just lying in a regular mental hospital won't work. Hospitalization presupposes a diagnosis, an acute condition, and the presence of a real threat to oneself or others. This is not a spa or a boarding house, but a place where serious treatment takes place, the clinical psychologist emphasizes. One desire is not enough — you need good reasons: clinical, medical, confirmed by a specialist. The journey to the house of sorrow begins with an appointment with a psychiatrist: an examination is carried out, a diagnosis is made, the condition is assessed and it is decided whether inpatient treatment is necessary. There are no random patients there. And before taking such a step, it is important for young people or their legal representatives to find out what exactly is behind this desire: perhaps it will be possible to solve the problem without drastic measures.
— As for the private clinic, everything happens anonymously, information is not transmitted anywhere, medical secrecy is fully preserved, — says Meteleva. — We do have patients who come voluntarily, with just such a request — for protection, recovery and assistance. But if we are talking about a public institution, then the presence of a diagnosis may entail restrictions in the future: when obtaining a driver's license, applying for certain types of work. Therefore, the decision on hospitalization should be considered.
The psychological consequences of such a "vacation" can be different, the expert warns. Negative aspects will be associated with stigmatization — a sense of shame, a feeling that "something is wrong with me."
"But if a person really gets help, and the treatment is of high quality, then such an experience will serve as the beginning of a more conscious attitude towards oneself, a kind of internal restart," the expert continues. — Especially if there is an understanding of how to deal with crises, how to build boundaries and where to turn for support. Then the hospitalization becomes part of a personal recovery story.
Zoomers and boomers
As a light version, zoomers dream of relaxing in private nursing homes and sanatoriums. In the first case, those who are willing to pay from 65 thousand rubles per month for a stay in such an institution will have a measured life under the supervision of doctors and staff. Patients are fed five times a day, they are given classes to maintain their cognitive abilities, they are accompanied to procedures and walks. Here, as in kindergarten, they make crafts and assemble puzzles. However, in reality, not everyone will enjoy spending time with grandparents, many of whom have advanced senile illnesses, and some practically do not take care of themselves. "After all, there is a specific situation here," an employee of one of these establishments explained to Izvestia. The only thing that can be considered an undoubted advantage is that a young man, comparing his sometimes far-fetched difficulties with real problems, will leave the institution with the feeling that he just needs to live, enjoy life and do something while he has the strength and health for it.
—Sanatoriums are already a much healthier and socially acceptable alternative,— comments Tatiana Meteleva. — This is a really good option for structured recreation: there is a regime, procedures, walks, attention to the body and mind, but there is no stigma that accompanies psychiatric hospitalization.
Meteleva calls sanatorium rest a reasonable way to take care of yourself, an opportunity to take a break, recover, voluntarily give up gadgets, unnecessary information, and habits that exhaust you.
What are zoomers tired of?
The Olds are wondering: what are the zoomers tired of? Tatiana Meteleva suggests not reducing this mysterious fatigue only to pampering or to the fact that everything was served to the buzzers "on a platter." This generation did grow up in specific conditions compared to its predecessors, but the causes of zoom fatigue are much deeper than is commonly believed.
— First of all, there is a monstrous information overload, — says Meteleva. — Zoomers were actually born with gadgets. From the very first days, they have been surrounded by a constant stream of sounds, images, and messages — the same "white noise" that used to be created only by TV, but now by smartphones, tablets, speakers, and voice assistants.
As a result, there is constant stimulation of the nervous system and a feeling that it is impossible to "switch off."
— And also — a continuous stream of news, social pressure, comparing oneself with others, the need to be "in touch" around the clock, — the expert lists. — Even for adults with experience and a well-formed psyche, it can be difficult to do an informational detox for at least a couple of days. And for those who have been living in it since birth, it is almost unattainable. Plus— there is a general uncertainty about the future: economic instability, turbulence in the labor market, and political tension.
All this affects the young more than is commonly thought, summarizes Meteleva.
— There is also a crisis of meanings at the core. Previously, growing up meant improving the standard of living—having your own money, independence, and being able to afford more—now it's the other way around. For many young people, entering adulthood is associated with a deterioration in their usual level of comfort," says Meteleva.
This paradox is explained by having too good a relationship with children before they enter into independent life.
— Once upon a time, a person had everything: a good phone, a computer, clean clothes. There was food waiting in the fridge at home. The families had assistants, babysitters, and tutors. All this was provided by the parents. And in adulthood, you need to provide for yourself what you used to get for nothing. At the same time, the starting opportunities for most are very modest: with the level of income available at the beginning of their life, it is difficult to even approach the standard of living that they had in their parents' home, says Tatiana Meteleva.
All this combined causes serious internal tension in young people. Boys and girls need to rediscover meaning, understand how to build a life if the usual guidelines — comfort, stability, success — have proved difficult to achieve.
— Hence the fatigue: not only from the external speed, but also from the internal conflict between expectations and reality. This generation is growing up in a world where adulthood no longer promises rewards, but requires more and more strength and gives less in return," summarizes Meteleva.
Zoomers have grown up in total stability, but for them this stability has turned into a swamp and a source of anxiety, adds Sergey Volkov, a clinical psychologist, sexologist, and body therapist.
— This effect after covid became noticeable all over the world, it was called a collective trauma, — explains Volkov. — We, psychologists, teach people who are in this state not to watch the news, not to read the media or information blogs, but to concentrate on simple things: fix the kettle, pickle cucumbers, go (just go) to the store or better to the market. In short, to live a simple life in which "everything is subject to me and my will."
Zoomers unconsciously, collectively choose this path, says Volkov. The simple joys they ultimately rely on help them not get lost in the somewhat chaotic modern world.
— They can't change the world, they've accepted the future (any future, unlike us) and just live the day from sunrise to sunset. But not for the sake of the future, children or ideas, but for myself. Just to live a good day. And it doesn't matter what day tomorrow is, as long as it's a good one. On the one hand, there is the greatest wisdom in this, on the other, there is a bitter taste of decay, hopelessness and indifference," the sexologist complains.
I wish I could retire sooner
Tatiana Meteleva believes that the phenomenon of the similarity of zoomers with older people is really noticeable.
— There is an element of psychological protection in this. Grandparents are collectively associated with peace, stability, and predictability of the world. For many young people, this is very attractive: they did not find that "slow" world, but they had heard a lot about it — as a time when everything was clear, honest, simple, when you did not have to constantly compete, compare yourself, be online," summarizes Meteleva.
The clinical psychologist also sees in this an interest in "nostalgic" things — retro clothes, old music, analog cameras.
"This is an attempt to approach the image of a world in which, as it seems to them, there was more peace and kindness," the expert continues. — Although, of course, idealizing the past is an eternal human habit: every generation tends to exaggerate the virtues of its youth and the horror of modernity. The classics wrote about it, and there is nothing new in this.
Nevertheless, Tatiana Meteleva emphasizes that the influence of the older generations is really felt. Grandparents become a symbol of care and order for the young, and their habits (like the very "sanatorium-resort" culture of the Soviet era) turn out to be unexpectedly attractive to the young. This is another way to seek safety, support, and at least some kind of structure in a very chaotic world, the expert concludes.
Lace and shawls
The fashion world has also noticed the interest of zoomers in the times that they did not find. But young people are not dressed "like a grandmother" literally, they rethink the past through nostalgia, says Alexandra Levitina, an international fashion consultant and practicing stylist.
—According to the analytical reviews by WGSN and Think with Google, Generation Z does not form a single style, but an eclecticism of micro—flows, where retro motifs are one of the languages of self-expression," says Alexandra Levitina.
Nostalgia in the outfits of the zoomers is combined with irony. For example, a grandmother's handkerchief can be next to sneakers, and a vintage brooch will be displayed on a bomber jacket.
— From the point of view of fashion anthropology, clothes serve as the language of belonging. When society is under stress, people intuitively turn to something more than just material — symbols that promise stability and add a special meaning," Levitina continues. — Craft elements, lace, knitting are signs of "home", memory and care, translated into the language of matter.
The fashion consultant notes that fashion sociologists explain such "waves" through the trickle-up effect, when styles born in subcultures rise into the mainstream. This is how the "grandmother's" ironic aesthetic, born on TikTok and Pinterest, has now gained a foothold on the catwalks. For example, lace and romantic tags were included in the main trends of the spring-summer/2025 season. And this is no longer something random, but part of the general fashion code, but in a retro interpretation through a modern reading, says the expert.
According to Levitina, youth fashion today resembles a living "archive" where decades and different aesthetics exist all at the same time. In the language of fashion, aesthetics are unique styles or atmospheres that evoke certain emotions or associations. The expert lists the preferences of young people:
— The aesthetics of Coquette and Cottagecore — lace, bows, floral ornaments, light fabrics — refer to the Victorian era and to the fashion of the mid-20th century. This is the aesthetic of "domestic romance" and "naive femininity." The popularity is explained by the psychological mechanism of avoiding the disturbing reality in the images of the "good safe past."
— Aesthetics and the cultural phenomenon of Y2K (Year 2000) is nostalgia for 1990-2000. Low-cut, shiny tops, logo and neon. In fact, this is a reference to the childhood of the current 20-year-olds. In 2024-2025, brands revived dozens of zero models.
— The aesthetics of Dark academia and Preppy reboot are a modern reinterpretation of university style. Tweed, pleated, wool, book aesthetics — a reference to the university fashion of the 1950s and 1960s. The motive of "scientific romance" is a reaction to the digital glut. Zoomers romanticize knowledge, paper, libraries.
— Quiet luxury and Street comfort. Minimalism and sports uniforms are a reference to the 1980s and 1990s. Zoomers combine basic things with accent details, striving for a reasonable personality: not to flaunt the brand, but to be recognizable.
— Vintage and retail. The secondary market for young people is becoming part of normal fashionable behavior — unique finds, sustainability and respect for things made "for years" are appreciated. Zoomers are more likely than others to choose retail and vintage as a way to consciously emphasize their individuality.
The desire of young people for comfort and romanticism is an emotional response to acceleration, the fashion expert emphasizes. Against the background of economic and social uncertainty, consumers, especially young people, are more likely to choose clothes that value comfort, pragmatism and durability.
— Hence the growing interest in soft textures, voluminous shapes and natural colors. In an anthropological sense, it is a reaction to the gap between the body and the digital environment: clothes bring back a physical sense of self. Sociologically, it is a form of "quiet protest" against industrial fashion and aggressive marketing, says Alexandra Levitina.
Meanwhile, according to the expert, it is inappropriate to claim that the fashion of the young has become less aggressive. Lace and sequins in their outfits are juxtaposed with rough denim and technicalities. The contrast between gentleness and audacity becomes the language of self-expression of Generation Z.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
