High school seniors are buying kids’ backpacks for back to school in an effort to honor how far they’ve come: ‘I’m glad this generation is so much more fun’
In preparation for senior year, many high school students are getting nostalgic with their choice of backpack.
On July 26, Jeremiah (@blessupinspiration), who is based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, looked to TikTok to inquire about whether or not all soon-to-be seniors were opting for “little kid” backpacks.
The decision, per Jeremiah’s daughter, he says, is to honor their early days of school.
“From what she’s telling me, they all get this little kid backpack for their senior year to take them back to kindergarten [and] first grade,” Jeremiah explains in the TikTok post. “The kind of backpack they would wear back then to graduate high school in, man. It’s like full circle.”
Many high school students have taken to Jeremiah’s comment section to share that this backpack trend has, in fact, reached a number of schools around the country.
“Seniors in cali r doing it too,” @totally_not3lla wrote.
“Seniors in ny been on this one for a minute,” @mikaylareis revealed.
“Kids in Washington do this. One senior last year wore a small Lightning McQueen backpack every day and it was great,” @6urnt0ut6itch replied.
This backpack trend seems to corroborate the idea that “while all generations feel nostalgic to some degree, it’s the younger ones who are driving the trend today,” per GWI.
In January 2023, GWI also found that Gen Z, as a generation, is “the most nostalgic, with 15% feeling that they’d prefer to think about the past rather than the future.”
Now, as back to school gets closer, incoming seniors are documenting their hunt for the perfect kids’ backpack.
On July 15, Nicolette Tan (@nicolette.tan) searched for her senior backpack at her local Target.
While a Disney Princess-themed backpack that featured Mulan was a “strong contender” for Tan, she ultimately went with a Spider-Man backpack that had a “3D effect.”
For Gen Z, honoring the past may be a means through which they’re trying to increase feelings of hopefulness about the future, according to some experts.
“There is a growing body of evidence of how nostalgia can give a sense of meaning, be an antidote to collective angst, a disillusioned mind and boredom,” reports Phys.org about Gen Z in reference to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. “The effect is explained by the buffering effect of nostalgic experiences that increases optimism and a sense of purpose.”
With this in mind, it’s possible that for high school seniors, the nostalgic backpack trend is representative of a time of life that was free of existential concern or uncertainty about the future.
‘I’m glad this generation is so much more fun’
With more than 3.9 million views and 568,700 likes, Tan’s video has garnered some buzz — and while many TikTok users are in favor of this trend, others think it’s more “cringey” than anything.
“I can’t do this I’ll be embarrassed,” @monicamakui423 wrote, to which Tan replied, “Last year to make my mark.”
“I wanted to do this but I thought people would make fun of it,” @iii_steph commented.
“I had a bratz backpack in 7th grade and kids made fun of me. I’m glad this generation is so much more fun,” @bqbymars wrote.
On July 28, Karlie Self (@karlieissoswag) posted a video showcasing the wide range of kids’ backpacks being worn by seniors.
Many of the selected backpacks featured animated characters from popular children’s shows, like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Dora the Explorer, The Backyardigans and SpongeBob SquarePants.
“Senior backpacks slay!!” Self writes.
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