Why Elphaba Is Gen Z & Glinda Is A Millennial, According To A Career Expert
Gen Z might be able to relate to Elphaba the most, especially when it comes to demanding better workplace values.
Featureflash Photo Agency | Shutterstock With people flocking to theaters to see "Wicked: For Good," the long-awaited sequel to "Wicked," fans are buzzing with excitement to see how this final chapter unfolds on the big screen. While there are many themes in "Wicked" that can be directly applied to life right now, one stands out regarding Elphaba, Glinda, and the difference between Gen Z and millennials.
In a TikTok video, a career expert named Grace McCarrick insisted that "Wicked: For Good" is a great representation of the corporate world right now, especially when it comes to analyzing the difference between how Gen Z and millennials handle the status quo.
Why Elphaba is Gen Z, and Glinda is a millennial.
"Elphaba is your Gen Z. Glinda is your millennial," McCarrick began in her video. "Elphaba speaks her mind. She won't stand for any injustice. She says what she needs to say when she needs to say it. This is actually such a perfect movie to come out in this moment in time."
McCarrick explained that Elphaba represents the archetype of a person who refuses to accept things the way they are when injustice is happening. In the movie, Elphaba spends pretty much the entire runtime trying to show the people of Oz who The Wizard really is. She stands up to the system, which McCarrick admitted is rather similar to how Gen Z approaches the corporate world.
"In your corporate world, sometimes silence is you biding your time, gathering up the data, positioning yourself correctly so that when you go to make that change," McCarrick continued.
Gen Zers are the ones who demand more from their employers.
Lysenko Andrii | Shutterstock
Compared to Gen Z in the corporate world, millennials would rather not fight against the system, just as Glinda does in the movie. While she sympathizes with Elphaba and can see that the Wizard is corrupt, she still chooses the safer route, which is to do nothing, so that she doesn't ruin her image and stability.
Many millennials entered the workforce with a "keep your head down and do the work" mindset, while Gen Z are not afraid to speak their mind and challenge the things that have remained the same but are doing more harm than good. In particular, Gen Z has their top three "must haves" in the workplace, which include health insurance (70%), a competitive salary (63%), and a boss they respect (61%).
Frankly, Gen Z pushing back against the outdated corporate norms makes sense considering how they've watched millennials, and even Gen X, burn out. It makes "Wicked: For Good" coming out during a time of massively shifting workplace values that much more poetic. Just like Elphaba, Gen Z is bold enough to challenge the system rather than shy away from it.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
