As you all know, Easter was this past Sunday. Well, ever since then, a series of two very different photos have been circling TikTok, racking up nearly 17 million views.
The photo series was posted by a 19-year-old woman named Isabelle. She decided to make a TikTok slideshow of her parents in their early 20s vs. her 29-year-old brother, Austin.
First, in her TikTok, she shared this pic of her parents getting married at ages 21 and 23:
And then she compared it to this pic of 29-year-old Austin very intently appreciating his Easter basket loot this year:
The innocent face of an almost 30-year-old man, without a care in the world except what he got for Easter this year. (OK, maybe that's a stretch but WHAT A DREAM IT IS!!!!) ...
VS. the faces of a very different generation who are thinking about starting a family before age 25:
Aside from all the thirsty comments for Austin (which, sorry, he's taken), the TikTok has generated a lot of conversation...
For starters, the obvious is how relatable it is:
There seems to be at least one "Austin" in every family:
And, TBH, those people are the ones typically envied the most!
According to Statistica, in 2023, the median age for men to first get married was about 30 years old, and for women, it was around 28.
Then some folks who married younger and didn't have things pan out the way they thought they would also shared how they were now "Austins" — and happy to be so.
BuzzFeed spoke to both Austin and Isabelle about the viral TikTok. Isabelle shared, "On Easter Sunday, I walked into our living room to see Austin opening his basket from our parents. I took a quick picture, without thinking much about it honestly, just to capture the moment. Later that day, when we were celebrating Easter with our family, the idea of using that picture to compare Austin and our parents randomly hit me. I quickly made it and showed it to my family — my grandma, cousins, parents, siblings, aunt, uncle, and even Austin, all thought it was hilarious. We kept checking the view count, shocked, but laughing at how fast it was going up."
And the two agree that the video went so viral because it shows the huge differences between generations. "It seems that many others also have parents who got married in their early 20s and most of us in our early 20s are far from where our parents were at this age. Even for me, my mom was close to my age when she got engaged, and I could not be farther from that," Isabelle said, adding, "I think my TikTok also captured the essence of sibling relationships. My siblings and I have always been close, especially considering some of our age gaps. Being the youngest sibling, I have always looked up to each of them in various ways. We are a tight-knit group that will always support one another, but we are not afraid to crack a joke or two when we are together."
Austin also pointed out how the video is relatable to people around the world, not just the US. "You'll find so many different comments in various languages. If you click on the profiles from these comments, you'll see that these folks are from all over. This highlights how this perceived generational gap transcends through cultural and geographical groups. Overall, I think the whole thing is just really funny, and I'm thankful that our family has this little experience we get to share," he said.
Austin said he is still surprised every year when he shows up at his parent's house to see an Easter basket waiting for him. "I know my mom thoroughly enjoys the festivities of every holiday we celebrate. There were some comments about parents 'infantilizing' their grown adult children… That couldn't be further from the truth. Our parents respect and treat us as adults, but at the end of the day, we'll always be their kids. There's always room to have a little fun and not take things too seriously."
Lastly, the important takeaway from all of this is to do what makes you happy — Easter basket or not!
