News Flash: Life Doesn’t End After Your 20s
Among all the trends that have come and gone since the start of 2020, one really stands out. It’s not about clothes, or makeup, or even hobbies. It’s the trend of aging and being okay with that.
The way Millennials and the older half of Gen Z have redefined what it means to turn 30 is revolutionary to everyone, especially women. Many individuals have it in their heads that once you turn 30, you should already be done with most of your life goals, work a stable 9-to-5, and have begun a family.
That is not the case for most, though.
Even when it comes to starting a family, data shows that in the U.S., women are focusing on other things instead. The average age of first-time mothers has risen from 24.9 in 2000 to 26.3 in 2014, to 27.5 in 2023.
Whether it’s due to burnout, economic crises, or competitive job markets, the decade we’re in does not allow most people in their 20s to have their lives figured out. It’s completely normal to still live with roommates after college, to move in with family, or to move out of your home just to move back in a few years later. That’s the part of “finding yourself” that no one wants to share.
The entertainment industry is where aging is most prominently seen as a sin.
Women get tossed aside once they’re deemed “too old” to have fun or to dress scandalously. They’re expected to keep people on their toes at all times, or else society will start to notice that they don’t have the same ingenious feel about them. It’s sort of like they have an expiration date that they can’t peel off.
There are many 30-year-old actresses, such as Alexa Demie, Madelaine Petsch, and Ayo Edibiri, whose fans are constantly surprised they are in their 30s. As if once you grow out of your 20s, you’re supposed to shrivel up or start dressing conservatively.
Millennial women who have defied these ridiculous rules include Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, and Lana Del Rey. They’ve proven that you don’t have to meet your life partner in your 20s and settle down to have a family so early. They’ve gone against the ‘tradwife’ agenda that’s constantly pushed on women. They’ve built empires off of their work, have made a name for themselves, and traveled the world all before settling down with a partner. What’s most inspiring is that they’re still evolving to this day– a sign that aging isn’t a prison for them, but instead offers freedom.
Ariana Grande is 32 and is currently doing press for the movie, Wicked: Part 2, one of her dream roles since she was a child.
Charli Xcx is another icon who got married in 2025, a few months before turning 33. It’s also been a year since her hit album “BRAT” came out and took the world by storm. A song on the album called “I think about it all the time” is about her feeling like she’s running out of time in her career to become a big star.
On the song, Charli says, “We had a conversation on the way home, should I start my birth control? ‘Cause my career feels so small in the existential scheme of it all.”
It’s ironic, considering “BRAT” is what completely altered the pop star’s career for the better. It just proves that your 30s are a great place in life to keep working on your career if you’re not satisfied yet. It doesn’t mean you’re going to run out of time; it means achieving your goals might be right around the corner.
Growing isn’t a linear process, and it certainly isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. That’s what your 30s are for. 30-year-olds are still going out clubbing, taking trips with their friends, taking up new hobbies, and figuring out their career goals.
In my opinion, that’s where the real fun begins. As my lord and savior Carrie Bradshaw once said, “Enjoy yourself… that’s what your 20s are for. Your 30s are to learn the lessons, and your 40s are to pay for the drinks.”
Strike out,
Sol Moyano
Boca Raton
Sol Moyano is a content writer for Strike Magazine Boca. When she’s not busy writing, she’s ignoring all of her responsibilities in favor of reading fiction novels. She updates her Goodreads and Letterboxd way more often than her LinkedIn. You can reach her at solmoyano05@hotmail.com or her instagram: @solmoyanooo.
Cover Image Courtesy: Sony Pictures / 13 Going on 30
