Last year, Gen Z was all-in on the word “yearning.” In the throes of a disappointing dating culture ruined by apps and anything even resembling romance, young adults became enamored with the concept of yearning. Deep, passionate and intense love affairs became all the rage — and popular media like Heated Rivalry and The Summer I Turned Pretty helped pave the way for a new generation of hopeless romantics.
This year brought back a resurgence of interest in analog lifestyles: The more offline you can be — while proving it to everyone online — the cooler and better off you are. Now, there’s another word that Gen Z has become hyperfixated on living in pursuit of this year: “Whimsy.”
Gen Zers have become more interested in adopting habits and starting activities that add a little more whimsy — leaning into being spontaneous and creative in a playful, easygoing way. This could include everything from learning embroidery, taking showers with the lights off and candles on, journaling at a bar, putting sprinkles on everything, crafting and hosting dinner parties with brand-new recipes. It’s all about refining everyday habits in a way that adds a little bit more of a cutesy energy. Store makeup in a wicker basket instead of in the drawer of a vanity. Basically, become as close to a character out of a childhood storybook as you simply can.
And according to some Gen Zers. being whimsical could also consist of straight-up lying to people (“it’s kind of fun to just make things up completely sometimes,” one user wrote in the comment section of a TikTok video) or even becoming more religious (“Whimsical is knowing Jesus saved you,” one top comment said in the video below).
Whatever the hobby or interest is, one observation is clear: Being “whimsical” is ultimately something that even makes others a little envious.
“I want to be whimsical,” the woman in this video says. “You meet a girl who is so lighthearted, so happy, so sweet, so soft inside, and nobody’s lives are easy, so it’s like, you know she’s had to stay soft inside even when her environment and her world is hard, I think that’s the biggest flex ever.” The video has almost 5 million views and 500,000 likes.
“May 2026 bring us more whimsy and less care,” this video says.
It’s No Secret Why Everyone’s Obsessing Over 2016
The surge of nostalgia on social media is about more than “Stranger Things” and Instagram filters“‘You’re so weird’ I think you mean whimsical af,” this video says.
A trend like this is certainly telling of the time we’re living in, and even more specifically, the time that Gen Z is living in. A perfect example, below.
“Me trying to embrace whimsy in 2026,” this video says, with a woman dancing in a robe while holding pink paper garland chains in front of a house burning on fire.
As I mentioned earlier, these habits feel akin to something I’d read about in classic fables like Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks and the Three Bears or Alice in Wonderland. The main female protagonists in these stories — and many others like them — live lives with lots of similar whimsy: skipping around with wicker baskets, tea parties with friends, wandering into cottages. It feels like classic Gen Z nostalgia; they’re simply so consumed with the troubles of their current day-to-day situations that adding a little bit more innocent playfulness takes a lot of the edge off.
To be clear, however, these “day-to-say situations” are certainly troublesome. Gen Z is inundated with a terrible job market and economy — the entry-level job market is the worse it’s been in 37 years — making the transition into adulthood immensely difficult. Combine that with high-level trend consumption from their favorite influencers on social media (what else is there to do but scroll through TikTok?), and it makes sense that it might lead to many resorting to finding new and original ways to spend their time and money.
It’s no wonder that whimsy is having a moment this year. While on the surface level, it’s a creative and carefree trend or a silly adoption of new habits, there’s a deeper cry for help happening here — one that’s being masked by a desperate search for more fun amid endless stressors.
Meet your guide
More Like This
This article appeared in an InsideHook newsletter. Sign up for free to get more on travel, wellness, style, drinking, and culture.
