‘Millennial Heaven’: Instagram Page Shares 50 Relatable Memes For People In Their 30s (New Pics)
InterviewHey, Pandas, raise your paws if you’re 30 or older. Awesome! It’s still super weird for us that we’re, like, grown-ups and stuff. In our heads, we’re still pretty much high schoolers (and we have the eating habits to prove it!).
However, time marches on, and soon enough you find yourself doing mature things like paying taxes. Raising kids. Worrying about your job. Freaking out about the economy. Getting scared by your incredible lack of fitness after you pulled your back when you stood up too quickly. There’s a lot of panicking going on here, that’s for sure!
The ‘Thirty AF’ Instagram page shares some of the most relatable grown-up moments (with a heavy dose of '90s nostalgia), and they are beyond hilarious. Scroll down to have a good laugh (through the tears), Pandas, and don’t forget to upvote your fave memes. We’d love to hear what you love and hate most about being an adult, so pop by the comments and share your thoughts.
Bored Panda got in touch with the friendly team running 'Thirty AF,' Chloe Jankowitz and Peter West, and they were kind enough to answer our questions. We had a chat about how to stand out online, how to avoid dreading your thirties, and what the future has in store for 'Thirty AF.' Check out the full interview below!
When you’ve enjoyed this list to the fullest, check out Bored Panda’s earlier article about the ‘Thirty AF’ project right over here.
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The team told Bored Panda that in order to stand out online in terms of memes and humor, you have to pay attention to what your audience enjoys, involve your followers, personalize, network and credit.
"Pay attention to what resonates with your following and post more of it! Over the years, we have very much let our followers influence our content. When we first started out, '90s/nostalgia wasn't a huge focus. We'd post a nostalgic meme from time to time and began to notice that the comments became a space where people really bonded and had funny and positive interactions with strangers on the internet (shocking... I know!)," they shared.
"We started to focus on that more and, in addition to the content we posted in the feed, we created story series around nostalgic themes and launched our global treasure hunt for Nostalgia Grabs (free packs of nostalgic treasures hidden all over the world!). We absolutely post content that isn't tied to nostalgia as well, but letting our following influence our themes definitely plays a big part in growing a page on IG!"
Meanwhile, you should definitely try to involve your followers in your content somehow, and interact with them as much as possible. "We LOVE doing follower-submitted photo contests, asking followers for suggestions on songs/movies to feature in our story polls, etc., and then using their contributions and tagging them. This gets our content shared and makes people feel involved in the content rather than just observing from afar. I also highly recommend keeping a very close eye on DMs. A lot of the content we post is from creator submissions that pop up in our DMs! Also, interacting with followers and replying to DMs helps add a voice to the page and also gives you ideas of what themes people are most connecting with."
Moreover, you shouldn't forget to personalize your content, even if you're sharing things that you didn't personally create. "We put a lot of effort into writing engaging captions, pinning funny comments, and replying to people in the comment threads. Simply posting a meme and bailing isn't a way to connect with people. By hanging around, engaging, and personalizing, you show that you're present and give a human connection to a page. We've put a lot of effort into keeping things consistent through regular features and making story content feel unique to our brand," the 'Thirty AF' team explained to Bored Panda.
I do the same, just that i watch YouTube shorts instead of Instagram....
When you're sharing posts and memes that you didn't create, it's absolutely essential to give the original creators the proper recognition. "Don't try to take credit for content that you didn't create. Crediting and helping drive traffic to creators' pages is not only the right thing to do, it also is helpful in growing your own page!" they said that everyone wins in these situations.
"People appreciate the tags, follow, and share your original content, too. Over the years, we've actually become good friends with a lot of the creators we've connected with through IG, we just went to one of their weddings!"
The 'Thirty AF' team told Bored Panda that they actually love being in their thirties. A big part of that comes down to have a clearer understanding of what they want and what's good for them. There's a stark difference here, compared to one's twenties.
Some people might focus on health and fitness once they reach their thirties. Others prioritize mental health, looking for happiness and balance, and being themselves—authentically. As you grow older, you realize that you apologize less, do more of what you want and what meets your needs, and feel far more confident in whatever decisions you decide to make.
In contrast, they noted that, in their twenties, they worried far too much about what people thought about them, and wanted them to like them. That changes when you reach thirty. You become more comfortable: you know that you can only control so much; what others think of you is out of your control. That way, you're free to spend quality time with that people whom you genuinely care about. The 'Thirty AF' team would never let go of the upsides of turning thirty and is excited to see what their fourties will bring.
As for what the future holds, the 'Thirty AF' team has a "crazy busy and exciting 2023 planned." There are a few projects that they're working on, including a book, a podcast, and a few other things that are super secret!
What's more, they're going be back at the 90s Con this spring hosting some events and with a few booths on the floor. "If you're in Hartford, stop by and say hi!"
Growing up I used to think my mom knew everything cuz shes a mom. I'm now a mom of 4 and raise my sister's 4 kids as well. I don't have the answers to NOTHIN and barely know what I'm doing!
‘Thirty AF’ is the brainchild of Chloe Jankowitz and Peter West. They’re friends in real life!
“We've been good friends since day one of our freshmen year at Emerson College in Boston, MA. Since graduating in 2009, we've always lived far apart, in different states or sometimes in different countries,” they told Bored Panda during an earlier interview.
Despite the sometimes vast distance between them, they constantly kept in touch by sharing memes and videos with each other. Their sense of humor was very similar.
“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,” they told my colleague before.
“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,” Chloe and Peter said.
False! As an adult you have to get up even earlier to check the kids don't eat junk food, and do shower.
The last time that Bored Panda featured the project, their Instagram page had 1.6 million followers. Now, the account boasts a jaw-dropping 2.1 million fans. It’s not hard to see why. The memes they share are as relatable as they are funny. What more could you want?
"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 founders of the project explained how a hobby turned into a profession.
As the page gained more and more popularity, Chloe and Peter broadened their horizons. They expanded to TikTok and created a spinoff account, called ‘Hungry AF.’ They’re constantly thinking of ways to evolve their brand.
"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!"
Over the years, the duo has changed how they manage ‘Thirty AF’ because of how time-intensive it is.
“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,” they said.
“We keep a close eye on meme trends and will often share roundups of the funniest memes and tweets related to trending topics. 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," they told Bored Panda.
Level 11: write “cross this off,” somewhere in the middle of the list.
The ‘Thirty AF’ team finds a ton of ways to keep their audience engaged and having fun. "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!" they explained how some of their IG stories work.
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,” Chloe and Peter noted that, from time to time, they share the businesses they love on their Small Business Saturdays.
"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," they said.
Some of the memes that resonate the most with their audience include self-deprecating humor that millennials can definitely relate to, commenting on issues like the state of the economy, and finding humor in challenging issues like dealing with anxiety and depression.
However, it’s posts about nostalgia for the ‘90s and 2000s that really gets people’s attention. "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," they told Bored Panda.
"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 duo said.
"There is so much that is driving everyone apart right now and putting 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!"
Which memes made you laugh the hardest, dear Pandas? Which ones did you find the most relatable? How has life changed for you when you turned 30? Tell us all about it in the comment section!
A human version of rooster morning call, nothing to see here, please disperse.
Either she is on a diet, or leaving a gift for the raccoon that will raid the trash and think it is Christmas.
Too many people thinking it can all be solved by working harder and making more sacrifices of the little bits of joy we hold in the world. 8 hours is already 1/3 of the day how much more time do we need to give up to make a dollar? Work an hour to make $15 to buy a $5 coffee today because it gives me something to look forward to and a home in the area isn't going to cost less that $200k and a 20% down payment is $40k, or can give up coffee and have enough for that down payment in 21 years. i also enjoy Netflix because it's the only tv I have so let's get rid of that too at $15 per month now it will only take 19.95 years to get that down payment. Guess I can also give up eating out once every other week and save another $20 by eating the same penny saving meals I usually do but now we're getting somewhere cause it will only take 15.8 years to save up that down payment now. These "experts" want to act like we live in excess wehen we're just trying to live at all.
We used to go to karaoke. The nice lady, Robin, used to ask us to go up because we were so bad everyone else felt safe signing up.
I've been doing that since I was a kid. I would take my plushies and "tuck them in" like a half circle and put my pillow in the middle. Now I do that with 5 pillows instead!
Mainly it meant that we didn't instantly bother our friends with every trivial thought that popped in to our heads.
No we collected all those trivial thoughts and word vomited them out the next time we spoke.
Load More Replies...Yes and more hanging in person. Oh and prank phone calls were the ultimate fun!
It meant you walked round to your friend's house and asked if they were free to come out. If they weren't, you walked back home again.
Then add an extension phone in the kitchen to that mix. Darnit...!
Load More Replies...My parents, even though they were divorced, lived under the same roof. I once took a call and the guy that was on the other end said "Who is this?" I said "Carol, who is this?" He said "Tony." I knew Tony from the night clubs I went to, but didn't know how he got my number. He starts talking sexy to me. I said "Wait...is this Tony from (name of nightclub?)" He said "I haven't been there in ages." I said "You want my mother Sharelle (Cheryl) not me." He's like "Holy c**p! I'm so sorry! Can I talk to Sharelle?" Yep. I told her what happened and she laughed as she took the phone.
We called on landlines, we talked at school and we took our friends home. I still don't text a lot because I hate it. Call me if you want to talk because if you keep whatsapping me, I'll ignore you. Luckily my friends and coworkers know me well by now and always call.
Funny, I’m so the opposite- I mean I had the exact same type of childhood but I *hate* actually making phone calls and see texts as a direct answer to my childhood prayers
Load More Replies...Telemarketing would have been way too expensive. You wanted to sell something (religion, vacuum cleaners, insurance) you walked door to door.
Chaos? Nah, simple times actually were easy. I remember talking on the phone for a long time. Then the obligatory "hang on while I switch phones". Run to another room, pick that phone up, run back to the original phone I was on, hang that one up, then back to the other room. Good times! LOL
Telemarketers had not been invented yet. Don't get me started on party lines. My grandparents were a long ring followed by a short ring.
More than that…every phone call cost actual money, and long distance (which could be anything over 20-30 miles) cost a small fortune. AT&T was hugely wealthy for a reason, even after they were split up by the government. Phone bills tended to be the highest bill of the month…and this continued until the early 90s.
I honestly don't remember what we did, and we can't look it up bc there's no proof thank god
I love reading this as they scratch their heads trying to figure it out like it was hundreds of years ago. Hahaha
My girlfriends and I passed notes to each other between classes, and sometimes during classes.
We went out every Friday and Saturday night. Hung out at the mall, movies, game room, mini golf, pizza parlors, movies, and football/basketball/baseball games. We were very involved in clubs and sports at school. So that meant, meets, meetings, fund raisers, volunteer work. We also got jobs. School was the social center of the universe, college/career/adult life/travel were the things we dreamt about and made into goals. We had friends and family to spend time with, only really used the phone to check movie times, call for pizza, check the time, call a friend for help with homework or to meet up somewhere. You know, all the things you make fun of now.
Yes but to be honest my dad's boss didn't answer the phone very often
The greatest thing they ever happened to my household when I was a kid was caller ID. It's finally allowed us to ignore people.
I still don't care for phones...went from 2007 to 2021 withought a cell. You want me, come find me.
Truth is .. we went outside and socialised .. 😲😲.. I know, I know, it sounds dangerous these days but back then it was actually fun!
I managed to skip a whole weekend's work shift (accidentally) because I didn't remember I was supposed to be on duty the weekend, and left for a weekend trip instead! When I got back from my beach trip on Sunday eve, my answering machine had some angry messages from work...
(And yes, I'm that old. I was already legally adult before mobile phones were a common thing....)
Load More Replies...Prior to caller ID, it really was the Wild West and a damn gamble to answer. Oh lord it’s grandma now I’m committed to this call for 45 minutes 🙄
That is right! Telephoning was a maze you learned to navigate with quick thinking.....not for the faint-hearted!
we had amazing lives on bikes and adventures around our neighborhoods with real friends who actually cared ;)
Just watching stranger things tv show and it captures that pre cell phone freedom of being a kid and going out on adventures (mine had less shadow monsters tho 😊)
Load More Replies...except for when you needed to be online, because that was the same line too
These people have no idea how awesome call waiting was. With 2 teenage daughters, my parents, who didn't have an over-abundance of cash, spent that money and I'm pretty sure thought it was well worth it. It didn't work if you were using a dial-up modem (this came about 10 years later), but it was so cool to be able to switch lines and talk to other people!
A single line because it cost extra for more lines. Only the rich could afford something like that, & w/ servants, why bother?
And when we got the ability to send text messages, we had to pay for every single 160 charactes long sms and so we had to think about what to write and if was worth the cost...
When I was younger(mid seventies) we had a party line. Not as fun as it sounds, especially when you have a gossipy, long winded sharer(2 different homes for one line)
Phone calls and no caller ID, played outside until sunset, read books and played video games when it rained…name it!
Us older generations often don't realize what common knowledge really isn't common anymore. I just never had to think about the fact that younger people wouldn't know how land lines work. FYI, telemarketing calls or phishing calls are pretty much the only calls I get on my land line anymore, but they used to be a lot less common. We used to love getting calls on the home phone, because it was usually someone we knew. My siblings and I would race to the phone for the privilege of answering.
Under "How to tell people that you're Old without . . ", My parents' house had a Party Line. Half the time you picked up the 'phone there was already someone talking on it. You could just put it down and try again, or listen to total strangers talking to each other. Or butt in and get 'em mad at you.
Some? SOME?? Lol. Uh, most of us, dude. You're the minority here, you'll have to wait another 25 years to even be close to half and half.
I'm glad those days are over, I need my friends to know my chaos
There are so many songs that have lyrics about sitting at home waiting for someone to call that don't make sense to people 10 years younger than me. The Heart song Alone is completely obsolete.
Honestly I can't remember. :D Maybe I played with PS1 and read Harry Potter.
So you have to grow up before texting? I've been doing it all wrong then 🙃
I was 18 and drunk and wrote a check to my friend for $1,000,000.00. It was because I was, obviously, responsible with my new bank account.
Note: this post originally had 97 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
I... I am 38 and I still don't know what I want to do with my life. I only bought a house this year and I Can't even live in it as I had to buy it FAR AWAY so it was cheaper, and is too far from my established life so I rent, and rent out my own house. Being a millennial is just WEIRD.
I'm almost 60 and *still* don't know what I want to be when I grow up.
Load More Replies...Oh yeah...the name doesn't fit. I'd call it "when life hits you", or something.
Load More Replies...I’m 18. Most people my age are out doing sports and being athletic . I slept wrong about a week ago and my back still hurts. I’m interested to see how bad this’ll be when I’m 30
I knew I was screwed when I dislocated my jaw. By yawning. I was 11 or 12 and just gave up on the delusion of doing sports with any proficiency.
Load More Replies...I... I am 38 and I still don't know what I want to do with my life. I only bought a house this year and I Can't even live in it as I had to buy it FAR AWAY so it was cheaper, and is too far from my established life so I rent, and rent out my own house. Being a millennial is just WEIRD.
I'm almost 60 and *still* don't know what I want to be when I grow up.
Load More Replies...Oh yeah...the name doesn't fit. I'd call it "when life hits you", or something.
Load More Replies...I’m 18. Most people my age are out doing sports and being athletic . I slept wrong about a week ago and my back still hurts. I’m interested to see how bad this’ll be when I’m 30
I knew I was screwed when I dislocated my jaw. By yawning. I was 11 or 12 and just gave up on the delusion of doing sports with any proficiency.
Load More Replies...