“Who Raised You?” — Woman Shocked Gen Z Co-worker Has No Idea Who These ‘90s Icons Are
"Icons of their own industry."
![Mustafa Gatollari - Author](https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/Svmb6c7FP/200x200/mustafa-headshot-5-1715200618128.jpg)
Published July 25 2024, 3:00 a.m. ET
![Gen Z Coworker Doesn’t Know “Iconic” 90s Celebs](https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/sVVHplpHF/480x251/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-icons-1721830009642.jpg 480w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/sVVHplpHF/640x335/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-icons-1721830009642.jpg 640w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/sVVHplpHF/768x402/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-icons-1721830009642.jpg 768w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/sVVHplpHF/1024x536/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-icons-1721830009642.jpg 1024w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/sVVHplpHF/1280x670/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-icons-1721830009642.jpg 1280w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/sVVHplpHF/1440x753/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-icons-1721830009642.jpg 1440w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/sVVHplpHF/1600x837/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-icons-1721830009642.jpg 1600w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/sVVHplpHF/2160x1130/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-icons-1721830009642.jpg 2160w)
Who do you consider a generational talent that should be remembered for decades?
A TikToker named Jenn (@80sbaeby) believes she has three of them on a t-shirt, something he discusses in a viral TikTok.
She begins her video by recording herself in the mirror. She's rocking an LA Dodgers baseball cap, a pair of black bicycle shorts, and checkered slip-on Vans. It's her t-shirt, which is the focus of her video, is white with a photograph in the middle of it.
The photo is of three iconic '90s entertainers: Kurt Cobain, Tupac Shakur, and Chris Farley, who passed away in 1994, 1996, and 1997 respectively. Jenn, couldn't wrap her head around the fact that her Gen-Z co-worker had no idea who these three figures on her shirt were.
"I wore this shirt to the salon for work the other day and one of my co-workers who's also my friend says to me, 'Who's on your shirt?' Excuse me what? I have a better question: Who raised you?" she asks, baffled by the fact that the co-worker had no idea who the celebrities on her shirt were.
Jenn continued, "I'm gonna need to speak to your parents. You cannot identify at least one of the three of these people then I'm really starting to question our friendship. We have two music icons from the '80s and '90s two different genres, and I'm sorry have you not seen Tommy Boy?"
She added a message for the folks of Gen Z kids who aren't versed in the cultural impact of the people featured on her t-shirt: "I don't know where my Gen X and millennial parents are at but we gotta do better." She caps off her video with a link to the t-shirt so other folks could purchase it and try to keep their "childhood alive."
Now just in case you happen to not know who the individual figures on her shirt are, let's break down why Jenn was probably so shocked that her co-worker had no idea who they were, starting with Kurt Cobain.
![gen z coworker doesnt know s](https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/3dWtP099P/480x105/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-1-1721830184079.jpg 480w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/3dWtP099P/640x140/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-1-1721830184079.jpg 640w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/3dWtP099P/768x168/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-1-1721830184079.jpg 768w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/3dWtP099P/1024x224/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-1-1721830184079.jpg 1024w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/3dWtP099P/1280x280/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-1-1721830184079.jpg 1280w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/3dWtP099P/1440x315/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-1-1721830184079.jpg 1440w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/3dWtP099P/1600x350/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-1-1721830184079.jpg 1600w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/3dWtP099P/2160x472/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-1-1721830184079.jpg 2160w)
He was considered the figurehead of the grunge movement in music as the frontman for the band Nirvana, the three-piece unit that is largely attributed to heralding in an entirely new genre that snuffed out the remaining "hair metal" acts that dominated much of the 1980s.
Tupac, is one of the most influential rappers of the 1990s as well — growing up in Harlem, his first tracks dealt largely with what life was like living in impoverished neighborhoods along with racial tensions in the country.
Pac's career would skyrocket after he moved to the West Coast and he signed with Death Row Records. He would go on to produce two albums with the label, including his most popular collection of songs "All Eyez on Me," which included the monster track "California Love" and "How Do U Want It."
![gen z coworker doesnt know s](https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/86zDzrlcx/480x113/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-2-1721830196411.jpg 480w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/86zDzrlcx/640x151/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-2-1721830196411.jpg 640w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/86zDzrlcx/768x181/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-2-1721830196411.jpg 768w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/86zDzrlcx/1024x241/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-2-1721830196411.jpg 1024w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/86zDzrlcx/1280x301/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-2-1721830196411.jpg 1280w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/86zDzrlcx/1440x338/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-2-1721830196411.jpg 1440w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/86zDzrlcx/1600x376/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-2-1721830196411.jpg 1600w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/86zDzrlcx/2160x507/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-2-1721830196411.jpg 2160w)
Pac would go on to become an icon of West Coast Hip Hop and the forefront of a heated rivalry with East Coast stalwart Biggie Smalls (Notorious B.I.G.). Both entertainers would find themselves killed in separate shootings many believe were tied to these rivalries.
And as far as Chris Farley goes, he was a once-in-a-lifetime comedic talent with boundless energy and a knack for making all of his co-stars break down with laughter by the sheer virtue of how far he was willing to go for his antics. As a breakout star on Saturday Night Live, Farley delivered several legendary bits and characters.
We can't forget about Matt Foley, the inspirational speaker who was quick to let everyone know that if they don't shape up they're going to end up living in a van, down by the river. Christian Bale even said that one of his favorite movies that made him "cry with laughter" was Chris Farley's Beverly Hills Ninja.
Other folks who responded to Jenn's video replied that they aren't suffering from a lack of '90s pop culture appreciation. One commenter remarked: "My son is named after Tommy Boy: Callahan."
![gen z coworker doesnt know s](https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/HVSCbb_Ey/480x111/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-3-1721830207392.jpg 480w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/HVSCbb_Ey/640x148/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-3-1721830207392.jpg 640w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/HVSCbb_Ey/768x178/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-3-1721830207392.jpg 768w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/HVSCbb_Ey/1024x237/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-3-1721830207392.jpg 1024w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/HVSCbb_Ey/1280x296/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-3-1721830207392.jpg 1280w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/HVSCbb_Ey/1440x333/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-3-1721830207392.jpg 1440w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/HVSCbb_Ey/1600x370/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-3-1721830207392.jpg 1600w, https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/HVSCbb_Ey/2160x499/gen-z-coworker-doesnt-know-90s-3-1721830207392.jpg 2160w)
Someone else said that they stopped talking to someone once they learned they weren't privy to popular '90s comedies: "I once met someone who had never seen Tommy Boy or Billy Madison. I never to spoke to them again."
There was one parent who said that their kids, upon seeing the shirt, did ultimately pass the test: "Gen X here. Just questioned my kids (15 and 17), both knew! I’m doing it right I guess."