Podcast Summary: Today, Explained – "Millennials are getting old" (January 30, 2026)

Overview

This episode of Today, Explained delves into the growing cultural nostalgia for 2016, especially among millennials, as they collectively navigate their 30s and 40s. Hosts Astet Herndon and guest Deja Tolentino explore why the mid-2010s have become an anchor point for online trend cycles and what the resurgence of these memories says about the current moment. In the second half, Astet speaks to writer Emily Gould about the realities of aging for millennials, the looming milestone of 44, and how the generation’s unique experiences with instability may shape their approach to growing older.

1. 2016 Nostalgia: Why Is It Back?

(01:48–12:41)

What Sparked the Nostalgia?

• Deja Tolentino (Internet culture reporter, Yap Year) explains the surge of "2016 vibes" online, particularly on TikTok and Instagram. She notes a significant increase in related searches and playlist listens:

  • “According to TikTok, searches for 2016 surged by 452%. Spotify showed a 71% increase in 2016 playlists...” – Astet Herndon (03:54)

• Origins of the Trend:

  • Millennials, now in their 30s and 40s, are contributing to this throwback wave.
  • Gen Z also participates, having idolized the 2010s as an era of optimism and sunnier aesthetic.
  • Online communities revive trends including the mannequin challenge, “Black Beatles,” Snapchat filters, maximalist YouTube makeup, and the “King Kylie” era.

The 2016 Mood Board

• Deja describes the 2016 aesthetic as:

  • Maximalist makeup, neon wigs, warm and hazy Instagram filters (04:23)
  • The dawn of the Instagram influencer and the growth of algorithm-driven social feeds rather than chronological ones.

• Quote:

  • “I think people romanticize 2016 because it is the last time they remember unification in any way...the last...moment of normalcy before this entire decade of turmoil.” – Deja Tolentino (07:55)

Why the Longing?

• Collective Memory and Monoculture:

  • 2016 is viewed as a finale for shared culture, before divisiveness and personal feeds became dominant (07:55).
  • Despite the positive memory, 2016 was politically tumultuous: Brexit, Trump’s rise, “feeling the Bern” (07:11–08:54).
  • Yet, disruption then was seen as optimism for change, versus the turmoil and pessimism of the 2020s.

• A Response to Present Uncertainty:

  • Young people look back on “sunny” times during an era of global pandemic, economic instability, and political chaos; nostalgia is partly escapism (06:08).

• Quote:

  • “It is always an indication that like there's a loss of hope...that is always concerning…but I think this year it seems like the energy online is interested in creating something new and introducing friction and moving forward from this constant need for escapism.” – Deja Tolentino (11:04)

2. Millennials & Aging: Confronting the “Aging Cliff”

(16:16–26:12)

The Age 44 Milestone

• Emily Gould (novelist; writer at New York Magazine) discusses a Stanford study describing physiological “aging cliffs” at ages 44 and 60:
  • “All of the cells in your body, every organ, every muscle...are degenerating faster, like you're aging in hyperspeed during the year...” – Emily Gould (16:45)
  • Sharing real-life accounts, she describes how people often experience sudden-onset symptoms: needing glasses, feeling unfamiliar in their own bodies.

Millennials and the Burden of Youth Culture

• How are millennials handling aging?
  • Many attempt small lifestyle changes, but few embrace radical overhauls.
  • Gould underscores that “the key thing to remaining youthful in spirit” is mental flexibility and open-mindedness, rather than commercial anti-aging fixes (18:37).
  • Quote:
    • "Open mindedness and being willing to be wrong about things, being willing to change your mind even as you get older is the key." – Emily Gould (18:37)

The Anti-Aging Industry and Culture

• Cultural Pressure:

  • There’s a widespread notion that aging is a “problem to be solved,” driven by a lucrative anti-aging market (19:29).
  • Gould advocates for shifting that mindset:
    • “How do I get to a place where I'm an old person who's happy with my life, rather than a young person trapped in an old person's body?” (20:06)

• Finding Community Through Aging:

  • Gould shares that overcoming trauma and hardship becomes a shared experience with age. There's camaraderie in common life challenges (20:55–21:50).

Millennials Aging Differently?

• Unique Millennial Circumstances:

  • Economic precarity, lack of homeownership or traditional milestones distinguish millennial aging (22:12–22:49).
  • Gould suggests this could foster resilience:
    • “We are so used to things collapsing around us...we have really been forced to roll with the punches...a kind of resilience that I think will really serve us well...” (22:49)

• Optimism vs. Doomerism:

  • Astet notes the dueling perceptions of the generation—optimistic, resilient, but also marked by instability.

• Quote:

  • "I do think that it depends on the day, you know, like, we all have both of those wolves living inside us." – Emily Gould (24:13)

Acceptance vs. Resistance: The Path Forward

• Broader Wisdom:

  • Gould’s concluding insight is about accepting aging and finding gratitude in the opportunity to grow old, despite the hardships:
    • “Staying young is in some part a matter of appreciating the opportunity to get old.” – Astet Herndon referencing Gould’s writing (25:12)
  • The happiest older people are those who can simply appreciate the day and the small things.

• Quote:

  • “Of the old people who I've had the privilege of knowing, the ones who are able to just like look out the window and say, it's a nice day outside...I'm like, I want to be you when I'm 80.” – Emily Gould (25:38)

3. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On nostalgia cycles:

  • “People have been slowly bringing back 2016 trends—whether that's the mannequin challenge...or pink wall aesthetics...since like earlier last year in 2025.” – Deja Tolentino (02:26)

• On generational loss of optimism:

  • "Looking back at a time that literally looks so sunny and positive and wonderful and low stakes, I think it's really easy for people to become really fixated on this time period, even if that wasn't the actual reality." – Deja Tolentino (06:08)

• On monoculture and shared experience:

  • “2016...is the last time they remember unification in any way...the last kind of moment of normalcy before this decade of turmoil.” – Deja Tolentino (07:55)

• On acceptance:

  • “Clearly it's healthier to accept the inevitable dimming of dewy glow, but at the same time, it's like, I'll get back to you in 10 more years when I'm 55...” – Emily Gould (24:50)

4. Key Timestamps for Reference

• Intro to the 2016 Nostalgia Cycle: 01:48–03:49
• Deep Dive into 2016 Mood Board: 04:23–05:51
• Nostalgia and Escapism in 2026: 06:08–12:41
• The "Aging Cliff" at 44 & Millennial Aging: 16:45–22:12
• Resilience, Acceptance, and Wisdom with Age: 22:41–26:12

5. Tone & Takeaways

The episode balances earnest reflection on generational anxieties with a dry wit about the ways nostalgia and youth culture have shaped both our perceptions and expectations about aging. Both Tolentino and Gould (and host Astet Herndon) bring a blend of skepticism and hope to the conversation, emphasizing that healthy aging is less about recapturing youth and more about embracing the opportunity to grow older—and to occasionally romanticize a banger year like 2016, as long as we don’t get stuck there.