For Gen Z, using an umbrella is cringe The invention of the umbrella has been undermined by a TikTok trend

Gen Z has its own trademark: deciding what is cringe. In recent weeks, a TikTok posted by user @_martincoppola_ flooded the for you page of the Italian community, surpassing 2 million views and receiving over 2,000 comments. But what could possibly have sparked so much buzz and visibility? Nothing special, just a guy walking in the rain claiming that using an umbrella is cringe, choosing instead to get soaked from head to toe rather than pull out the most basic accessory in the world.

A meme-fueled battle

The comments section turned into a real battle between two sides: those who agreed with the user and those who simply could not understand his point of view, assuming it was just a meme. Among the comments that best represent Gen Z is «the umbrella makes you lose aura», meaning those imaginary points of coolness that are gained or lost based on everyday choices. Who decides which actions increase those points? Always Gen Z.

But the truly funny reaction came from the opposing side, who couldn’t understand how such a simple object like an umbrella could receive so much criticism without any rational reason. Their comments became memes in their own right: «Cringe is getting pneumonia out of principle», or «It’s the sore throat that ruins your aura, not the umbrella».

In short, for Gen Z every micro-decision can turn into a fail, making even a declaration of what is cringe itself cringe. It is precisely from this perspective that the essence of the new generation emerges: in this new generational debate, at times hilarious, everything, and we really mean everything, can be labeled as embarrassing, as long as it earns approval from peers.

A discussion that has been going on for some time

This isn’t the first time Gen Z has questioned the use of the umbrella: already in an Est Radio interview from two years ago, Italian content creator Matteo Varini stated that «The umbrella is one of the things I hate most in the world», echoing the same point of view that later went viral in @_martincoppola_’s video. According to the content creator, opening an umbrella in public equals a complete collapse of one’s image, stressing that the real reason behind his stance against the accessory is the fear of being judged by others.

Varini also added a series of practical examples showing how umbrellas are inconvenient: from flipping inside out because of the wind, therefore failing their purpose, to the awkward moment before entering a store when you try to close it and end up soaking your shoes due to the difficulty. Once again, the community was divided between those who agreed with his statement and those who, unable to find a rational explanation for the hatred toward umbrellas, harshly criticized the interview.

Is it simply about inconvenience, or is there something more?

Gen Z has certainly exaggerated the inconvenience of umbrellas, but its reasoning finds grounding in the lifestyle of Nordic countries, where umbrellas have never played a major role. Walking through the streets of Amsterdam or Copenhagen, it is common to see people walking in the rain, likely unfazed by the city’s sudden weather changes. A short published on YouTube by travel blogger Martina Massai explains why Northern Europe is so unaccustomed to umbrellas: it’s a matter of inconvenience rather than image.

The new generation shares an attraction to anything that guarantees comfort and ease, starting with technical garments that do their job far better than a simple umbrella. Just look at the rise of brands like Arc’teryx, with its high-performance rain jackets that have become fashionable even in urban settings, to understand why many no longer feel the need to open an umbrella.

Despite the fact that there are arguments Gen Z seems to rely on to strengthen its case against umbrellas, what truly emerges is the complicated relationship young people have with embarrassment. The new generation is so attentive to other people’s judgment that even an umbrella can put them in difficulty. It’s also true that trends come and go, especially those born on social media, and maybe Arc’teryx or Burberry will eventually invent an ergonomic umbrella capable of passing the ever-active Gen Z cringe-meter test.