Netflix’s New Reality TV Show Paints an Honest Picture of Life in Your Twenties
There is a common perception that your twenties are the “best years of your life.” Despite there being no consensus on this topic, your twenties are generally filled with major milestones. Many young people graduate from college, enter the workforce for the first time, and explore serious relationships. But being in your twenties today is a unique experience. Considering the mountain of student debt graduates carry, the global climate crisis, and the devastating COVID-19 pandemic, it is no ordinary time to be twentysomething in the United States. Netflix understood this reality, so they decided to release a show that documents the experiences of real people living in urban cities during their twenties, fittingly titled, Twentysomethings: Austin.
The premise is similar to past reality TV shows like MTV’s The Real Word. The show follows eight men and women living together as they navigate life in their twenties. It is filled with juicy drama, passionate romance, painful heartbreak, and genuine acts of friendship. Not only is it entertaining to watch, but the show also highlights the unusual social, political and economic environment people in their twenties are currently living through. In this article, I will dissect how the experiences of cast members throughout the show are indicative of what it is like to live in your twenties today. WARNING: There will be spoilers! So if you have not seen the show yet, I recommend you watch it before reading on.
All of the cast members in Twentysomethings: Austin were pursuing new sexual and emotional connections. Some were searching for serious relationships, while others just wanted something casual. No matter the intentions, most of the cast used Hinge to find potential partners, including Isha, Bruce, Natalie, Abbey, and Michael. Bruce and Isha even matched with each other on Hinge in the first episode, which led to some funny, yet awkward, conversations. The common usage of dating apps throughout the show sheds light on the ubiquitous use of dating apps for people in their twenties. A Pew Research survey found that 48% of 18- to 29-year-olds reported having used a dating site or app. This percentage is far greater than any other age group, partially because of how easy it is to meet people on dating apps and the pressure that young people feel to find a partner. According to another Pew Research study, 53% of single 18- to 29-year-olds say there is at least some pressure from society to find a partner. This number is higher than every other age group studied, as well.
The cast of the show not only pursued potential romances, but some explored their sexuality for the first time. 28-year-old Keauno, who goes by KeKe, came out as gay three years ago. He grew up in a small, conservative town, so he didn’t know his family would accept him for who he is. He moved to Austin so he can “learn how to be gay.” Once in the city, he went on dates, partied at gay bars, and approached every experience as his true, authentic self. This was similar to Abbey, a 25-year-old girl on the show who was exploring her bisexuality for the first time. Abbey and Keke often talked to each other about their new sexual and emotional explorations, and this willingness to be open about their identities is consistent with many other young people today. A recent Gallup poll found that 7.3% of millennials identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender in 2016, up from 5.8% in 2012. This is the largest increase compared to any other generation during this 4-year period. These findings don't necessarily mean that more people are LGBTQ. Instead, it shows that people in their twenties are more willing now than ever to express their sexuality freely. This is a great sign of progress, and it is conveyed through Keke and Abbey’s experience on the show.
The cast spent much of their time focusing on romantic and sexual explorations, but one thing was more important than finding their next date: finding a job. Almost all of them were unemployed for most of, if not the whole season. They were living off of the few savings they had and made it a priority to find a job as soon as possible. This dependence of little savings and difficulty finding a good job is consistent with many other twentysomethings in the United States. Younger people today are more likely than previous generations to take on student debt, while tuition costs are steadily rising. According to a 2021 Pew Research survey, 72% of Americans think young adults today have a harder time than their parents’ generation when it comes to saving for the future, and this percentage goes up to 80% when just asking young adults. Additionally, 55% of 18- to 29-year-olds say finding a job is harder for young adults today than it was for their parents’ generation. Young adults have also been more likely than other age groups to lose their jobs or take a pay cut since the start of the pandemic.
In the series, we see how this job loss coupled with the difficulty of finding good employment led much of the cast to live with their parents. When the pandemic hit, Bruce lost his job, so he had to move back home. Natalie and Raquel also lived at home before coming to Austin. This experience of living at home is a common occurrence for people in their twenties today. Pew Research recently published a survey which showed that 18- to 29-year-olds living with their parents has become a majority since the COVID-19 outbreak began, surpassing the previous peak during the Great Depression era. In July 2020, 52% of young adults aged 18-29 resided with one or both of their parents, up from 47% in February, 2020, and 44% in 2010. This high of 52% is greater than any previous measurement, based on current surveys and decennial censuses. These findings also come as young people face an affordable housing crisis, with rent and housing prices increasing faster than incomes in the last decade.
The current financial struggles that people in their twenties face is a major contributing factor to their mental health challenges. According to a 2019 National Health Interview Survey, 21% of adults aged 18-29 experienced symptoms of depression. This is the highest percentage among any age group, and it has undoubtedly increased since the start of the pandemic. These contributing factors to poor mental health were evident throughout the show, as well. When Abbey, Bruce, and Kamari were having trouble finding work, they felt defeated. They seeked consolation from their family and fellow roommates. Despite their emotional pain, however, the casts’ pursuit of comfort from others highlights an admirable quality of their generation– the ability to be cognizant of their mental health. Millenials have been called “the therapy generation” because they seek out help for mental health with fewer reservations than young people did in previous eras. A 2017 report from the Center for Collegiate Mental Health found that the number of college students utilizing mental health services increased substantially from 2011 to 2016. These findings convey the openness that young people, particularly people in their twenties, feel towards addressing their mental health.
The social, financial, and emotional realities discussed above are common for many people in their twenties today, which we see throughout the show Twentysomethings: Austin. Watching the cast navigate life in their twenties was both fascinating and eerie considering that I recently embarked on this new decade myself. Being 21-years-old, my twenties have only just begun, so watching the journey of the cast is possibly a sign of what’s ahead. However, being twentysomething does not mean the same thing for everyone. For some people, being in their twenties means raising a child. For others, it means caregiving. For many, it just means trying to make ends meet. Due to this variety of experiences, it is impossible to say that your twenties will be the “best time of your life.” But this decade is undoubtedly important, and I think it is summarized best by something Bruce says when he first met Keke. After Keke told him that he recently lost his job and that he wants to focus on himself now, Bruce told him, “That’s why we are here. To figure it out.” I believe this quote resonates with a lot of twentysomethings.
When it comes to living in your twenties, we are all just trying to figure it out.
