Turning 30 is the point at which people are expected to "figure it all out." And indeed, many of those who say goodbye to their 20s begin a new chapter in their lives by getting engaged, pregnant, or tired of everyone around them.
The big 3-0 is often built up to be the biggest celebration after our "coming of age" 18ths. A time to get ambitious. A time to achieve. But while important career changes, 401(k)s, and the inability to party past midnight (not to mention the burning matter of "settling down") might sound anxiety-inducing, in reality, our 30s aren't something to be afraid of. They're when things start to get good.
But to get the full picture of what happens during this decade, let's look at the Instagram account Thirty AF. This millennial heaven shares funny memes, relatable tweets, and all kinds of content that perfectly capture the highs and lows during this period. So continue scrolling and check out some of its most popular posts!
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He used "You are a nerd" as an excuse to break up with her? Wow... He clearly had self-worth issues, assuming it meant he was not good enough for her.
The account is run by two pals, Chloe Jankowitz, 35, and Peter West, 34. "We've been good friends since day one of our freshmen year at Emerson College in Boston, MA," the guys told Bored Panda. "Since graduating in 2009, we've always lived far apart, in different states or sometimes in different countries."
"We have a very similar sense of humor and a way we've kept in touch is through sharing memes and videos with each other. In 2018, we decided to start Thirty AF as a fun way to share these jokes with a wider group of friends. We never really thought it would ever grow into anything more than a fun hobby, but eventually, it really started picking up and we decided to put more of our focus into figuring out what our brand was and finding creative new ways to engage our quickly growing following through reposted content and regular features that we created ourselves. We both have backgrounds in marketing and media, and found that our combined skills helped us create something that stood out from other meme accounts and build a fun and engaged community of 30 somethings."
I never answer if I don't know who's calling. The decent ones send a text after saying who they are and/or what it is about. I wish all people could do that instead of keep calling several times.
At the moment, Chloe and Peter have a whopping 1.6-million following and this huge fan army also has a few notable names, like singer Demi Lovato and actor Channing Tatum.
"When life changed dramatically for everyone in March 2020 and we all found ourselves spending a lot more time at home and a lot more time with our phones, we put even more energy into building Thirty AF. We grew by over 1 million followers in a single year, and it is now a full-time job for both of us," the duo said.
The project has also expanded to TikTok and recently got its first spinoff — a food account, called Hungry AF. "We run an online shop and release a yearly Nostalgia Box that is a fun mix of products from nostalgic brands like Dunkaroos and the Lisa Frank nail wraps from Orly, and also fun products featuring nostalgic references. Our 2021 box sold out in under 24 hours! We're also working on some very exciting things for 2022 including a touring pop-up event and a TV game show - we can't share a lot of info on that yet, but it is insanely exciting and something we never thought would happen!"
🤣🤣🤣 I'm putting on my footwear before attempting to put on my legings, twice!
Naturally, all of this effort demands a lot of time and energy. "The way we manage Thirty AF has changed a lot over the years. Much of the content that we post is submitted by creators."
"We love meeting creators and comedians who are new to Instagram and helping drive traffic to their pages; we have networked with a ton of incredibly talented creators over the years and share their content a lot. We keep a close eye on meme trends and will often share roundups of the funniest memes and tweets related to trending topics (the latest being the 'According to the CDC' meme trend). We're also part of a lot of online groups, particularly for millennials and different nostalgia groups, and a lot of content comes from there. We also create a lot of original content mostly for our stories and TikTok," Chloe and Peter explained.
For the stories, the account has a daily feature. "Followers apply to be featured as our daily single looking for love. We share their photo and info about them and encourage other followers to DM them. This has been going on for almost two years and a few engagements have come from it so far!"
There's also the semi-regular Small Business Saturday feature where Chloe and Peter share the businesses they love, as well as holiday gift guides. "We have a lot of friends who are business owners and have so much respect for millennials who have decided to reject the corporate hustle and create their own businesses, so helping support people like that, especially businesses run by women and BIPOC is super important to us."
"We also do regular story poll features like our Bop or Flop feature where followers decide if a song is a bop or a flop. When songs score over 65% bop, they are added to our Bop or Flop playlist on Spotify that has almost 40k followers," the two of them added.
Their latest story feature is Now That's What I Call Music brackets where followers rank albums from one of the Now That's What I Call Music. This gig takes Chloe and Peter an entire week and at the end of it, they announce what is the biggest bop. "People (including the two of us!) get so into it. We are starting our NOW 7 bracket next week, we're both rooting for Survivor by Destiny's Child to be the winner... But we'll see. Britney and NSYNC do seem to win a lot! We're going to bracket Now 1-10 and then do an all-stars round where the winning tracks face off against each other. It's really fun!"
Thirty AF's content touches on a lot of different themes but some of the most recurring ones are "self-deprecating humor that millennials relate to, commentary on issues facing millennials such as salaries ... not having the ability to own a home, some tongue in cheek 'okay boomer' humor (love you mom and dad!), finding relatable humor in issues like anxiety and depression, etc."
But the biggest hits are nostalgic posts for the 90s and early 2000s. "The past few years have been really weird and stressful for everyone, and looking back on the comfort of these things that we all bonded over as kids has provided a lot of comfort and connection during these turbulent times," Chloe and Peter said.
I was trying to remember the name of a song recently. All I knew for definite was that "Mountain" and "Sea" were in the lyrics. It took a bit of searching (yes on Google) to find it. FYI it was "Truly, Madly, Deeply" by Savage Garden.
"We really do try to read every message we get and reply when we can, and one of my favorite types of messages is a 'PLEASE tell me I'm not the only one who remembers [insert obscure TV/music/product/game reference from the 90s]' type of message and this always gives us ideas for posts and features. So much of the 90s feels like a bizarre fever dream, and being able to connect with other people in an 'OMG I remember that too!' moment is such a fun and, not to sound cheesy, wholesome way to connect," the team behind Thirty AF added.
"There is so much that is driving everyone apart right now and put effort into focusing on our differences, nostalgia is something that can, for a minute at least, make us focus on the things that brought us together as kids. And that has been a main and growing theme of Thirty AF and something we're excited to keep sharing!"
Wait what? Women can be happy and feel fulfilled by having a successful career?
Yeah why don't we have good hackers that go in and erase peoples mortgages and student loans like undercover brother?
You mean we American want healthcare. Europe has healthcare (of course dental could be improved). We would like people to not live on the street. Family with kids to be able to feed them and pay school meals and also less violence
Boomers took everything, ruined everything, then blamed everyone else.
It was bubonic plague for me as a kid. I’d be awake half the night worrying about it. Doesn’t seem so weird now.
I remember the one story in "Scary Stories to Tell in The Dark" that actually scared me was about a kid who was traveling with her mom who got the plague and then the kid was led on a wild goose chase and gaslit when she got back. Had to put the book down for a bit after that.
Load More Replies...I had a phase as a kid where I was afraid that either: Sun will burn out and we all freeze to death, or sun will get bigger and hotter and burn us all.
In 3rd grade the teacher explained how our sun would either explode or expand toll it burned Earth out of existence. I started bawling so hard he sent me to the office. >.< I can't remember if he gave us a time frame, but I thought it was like, happening right then!
Load More Replies...It was all about the Ozone layer. "The Ozone layer's got a hoooole innit. The Ozone layer's got a hoooole innit. The Ozone layer's got a hoooole innit." Sing with me. Clap with me. I had a cool music teacher in Grade 1.
Same! I had nightmares about bursting into flames! Still freaks me a bit!
Load More Replies...Hey, I was told sea fossils found in the Arizona desert must have been dropped there by someone who brought them back from vacation. Tested that theory and found them in virtually every yard in the neighborhood. So I had two theories: the tide was wayyyyy out or my first grade teacher was an idiot. Went with the idiot hypothesis.
I watched a cartoon episode as a kid where the Triangle actually grew arms and legs and ran around causing chaos. They solved the problem by setting him up with the beautiful Trafalgar Square. In other words the solution is apparently True Love.
When I was in kindergarten I read a book called "I can read about earthquakes and volcanoes" and boy as someone who actually lives near the ring of fire and the San Andreas fault line I was pretty much convinced every hill in town was a volcano that could erupt at any moment 😐
I always wanted aliens to take me away from this place. :/
Load More Replies...My kid just discovered all of the unexplained mystery books on his school's reading program app and I had to spend 2 hours debunking 30 year old information on the Bermuda triangle, esp, big foot, and the Loch Ness monster so a 7 year old could sleep. The bermuda triangle is not any more dangerous than any other sailing route with similar weather conditions. Meanwhile my kid was convinced it opened into a portal from another dimension.
That and spontaneous human combustion. And rabies. There is no rabies in the UK but there was a "helpful" TV drama featuring what was basically a rabies pandemic. And quicksand. I lived in London. Where did I think I was going to encounter quicksand?! In the sand pit in th the local park!
In the 80s it was all the rage, and then... nothing. It's like our obsession for the Bermuda Triangle disappeared into...the Bermuda Triangle...is that inception? O.o
Lava. Nowhere near a volcano, we'd never seen a volcano, and yet lava was the real danger
It was asteroids for me. I thought, that if dinosaurs were killed by death rock from space we have no chance, because dinosaurs are way cooler than humans
No, but when I was 7 I went through a phase where when I brushed my hair and strands came out I thought I had cancer. Obviously I did not know about chemo though.
I'm disappointed I didn't get to show off my stop, drop, and roll skills as a kid
Omg YES!!! "People need to just plan their flight paths and trade routes AROUND that s**t."
I had a fear of WWE wrestlers, in my head they were big men who would beat anybody up for no reason. I have a memory of me making a plan and practing what I would do if I came across Hulk Hogan or Mister T and how'd I'd get away from them.
I'm 37, single mom to a 5yo son and idk why but my brain is so terrified of a global apocalyptic event it literally gives me constant horrible nightmares n full blown panic attacks!
Acid rain, quicksand (Neverending story), ozone hole etc were huge "worries" when I was a kid! I seriously believed I would melt in the rain get, get swallowed up sand, or earth would die due to the ozone hole.
Growing up in Argentina, I had the chance to visit different regions, from wet forests, deserts, and tall mountains. But no quicksand. Like those people and horses sucking monsters seen in black and white movies. It pissed me off. The closest was the Ibera Estero, that while muddy, didn't swallow you in a minute. And was full of venomous snakes, jaguars, caimans and billions of mosquitoes.
do you still have cable bro? Samsung TV has a whole channel devoted to this on a 24 hour loop.
Nope. The so-called "Bermuda Triangle" wasn't even a thing when I was a kid. The whole idea was created out of thin air in the late '60s and early '70s by sensationalist writers like Charles Berlitz, Richard Winer and Ivan Sanderson. There was never a shred of truth to it.
I thought there was a different version, that there are multiple triangles around the world, there is a completely logical reason behind more ships and aircrafts being lost in particular areas. Strong currents, islands, underwater reefs, higher likelihood of intense storms. Nothing mystical though.
Load More Replies...I definitely did. I just couldn't figure out why no one was concerned.
I still wonder why my mom read those weird books,they use to make me believe the world was ending,and I lived trough two wars.. so yeah,it was like do t mind the slaughter outside the window,but the Bermuda triangle is what will finish us all! Mom,dad,GO F YOURSELVES
My mom always said "be quiet until they go away" if someone showed up without notice. I do the same with my kids, lol. Even if it's someone I know I want to be prepared to socialize. And if it's someone I don't know its creepy. It makes sense to not just open your door to anyone when it's so easy to call/text/email beforehand.
The older I get, the more I rely on professionals to do anything and everything for me. No more hanging my own photo frames.
Actually, this is sorta genius. I could have saved myself and my realtor a lot of time had I known one house we wanted to see had 6ft ceilings, another had shelf paper glued to the "newly finished floors," and a third had a basement floor on an angle making most of it unusable despite being listed as "finished" and "spacious."
I'd trust my kid to do the booby traps, but there's no way he'd buy groceries or do the laundry.
But that's the only perks you have. Eating what you want. Or drink soda or eat candy on weekdays (but in secret if you have kids).
Can you imagine the decompression alarm just went off, you're putting on your spacesuit, get to the helmet and are trying to stuff your three-foot-long tress up under your helmet before your oxygen runs out....
Note: this post originally had 102 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
I'm clearly the target group person exhibit A here. Loved every single post! Thanx
Well over the target group.... but they feel like my people...
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Load More Replies...I used to be embarrassed that I was a millennial. But we're hilarious!
Gen-X here with Millennial & Gen-Z children. These were bloody brilliant. I just might have to give some of these a go.
Wow!! When they say kids grow up fast...Enjoy these brainfart moments now youngins...cuz in your 60's it's a life standard requiring copious amounts of Chocolate 🍫!!
I’m not in the target group and am wondering why on earth you think the target group is Millennials. This is just generally funny! Can we be done with the ageism?
For the record: not all millennials are feminist, snowflakes or leftists.
For the record the majority are and that's a good thing. Signed, a former conservative who educated themselves.
Load More Replies...Have you considered throwing your sense or humor in the trash and starting over?
Load More Replies...Sure. Lets not bring issues that are destroying us. That will help...
Load More Replies...I'm clearly the target group person exhibit A here. Loved every single post! Thanx
Well over the target group.... but they feel like my people...
Load More Replies...This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Load More Replies...I used to be embarrassed that I was a millennial. But we're hilarious!
Gen-X here with Millennial & Gen-Z children. These were bloody brilliant. I just might have to give some of these a go.
Wow!! When they say kids grow up fast...Enjoy these brainfart moments now youngins...cuz in your 60's it's a life standard requiring copious amounts of Chocolate 🍫!!
I’m not in the target group and am wondering why on earth you think the target group is Millennials. This is just generally funny! Can we be done with the ageism?
For the record: not all millennials are feminist, snowflakes or leftists.
For the record the majority are and that's a good thing. Signed, a former conservative who educated themselves.
Load More Replies...Have you considered throwing your sense or humor in the trash and starting over?
Load More Replies...Sure. Lets not bring issues that are destroying us. That will help...
Load More Replies...