Five Lies Culture Tells Gen Z Women

My Instagram algorithm knows my age, demographic, and general hopes and dreams, and it’s creepy.

I’m often amused as I (Michaela) watch the algorithm attempt to refine its content to keep me hooked, because the typical “woman in her 20s” material doesn’t work for me. But the algorithm still tries: I see posts from Christian couples, influencers, runners, young families, and then I get an ad for “the hottest summer fits” or “the one exercise to get that swimsuit body in six weeks.”

I’m quite tired of it, and I’m spending less and less time on the app these days.

Instagram’s algorithm is just one example of the cultural lies, especially targeting Gen Z women. These lies are hidden in every movie, show, and podcast and simultaneously proclaimed as doctrine among female influencers and content creators.

As women consume more of these deceptions, the folly informs their life choices. The days pass into years, filled with discontent and heartbreak, and all the while women pursue the fool’s gold that promises fulfillment, until one day they realize they missed the greatest blessing of life: family.

Here are five of the common cultural lies I’ve seen and the devastating impact they have.

Lie One: Masculinity is toxic

Classic. Common. Utterly false.

The phrase “toxic masculinity” is itself toxic – it has poisoned our minds and daily actions. But, given I believe that adjective is thrown around far too frequently (and without any thought), I won’t make that argument.

This lie has trained women to scoff at courtesy and protection as if these honors are insults. True masculinity values women as sacred and honorable. A man who holds the door does so to show respect, not because he believes a woman can’t open her own door. A man who walks on the street side of a woman does so to protect her from danger – not because she is weak, but because she is vulnerable.

Vulnerable, yes. Many women will likely scoff at that word and perhaps even stop reading. But hear me out: no matter how strong you physically are (and many women are incredibly fit), evil predators choose victims who are smaller and weaker than they are, and women, biologically speaking, are. The biological reality of male and female is inescapable, no matter how much our culture attempts to deny it.

Wicked men see this treasure as an opportunity for robbery. Honorable men see this treasure as sacred and worthy of protection. Men who use their physical strength and physique to protect women fulfill proper masculinity – a character that is admirable, not toxic.

So, women, kindly acknowledge when men honor you. Compliment them. Our culture has beaten many men into hiding and inaction, and women who praise a good man’s character and actions will draw them from seclusion.

Lie Two: Enjoy your 20s because marriage is imprisonment

Betty Friedan, one of the main voices of second-wave feminism, called the home a “concentration camp,” and her despicable characterization of marriage and family has evidently circulated for nearly seven decades.

It’s hard for me to even wrap my mind around this claim. The work, travel, adventure advertisement, while certainly exciting, is also exhausting – and I haven’t been doing it very long. The idea that the security and beginning roots of marriage are somehow an entrapment is absurd. In fact, marriage itself is an adventure, as I’ve seen firsthand through the lives of my parents, sister, and friends. A life shared with another will contain mini-adventures throughout the decades.

Adventure alone is never as fun as shared memories.

Even more important, marriage is a gift and an opportunity to daily demonstrate and receive the humble, sacrificial love of dying to oneself for another. If the opportunity arises, if you’ve found the person you want to do life with, jump in hand-in-hand. Then, adventure together.

---

Saving Civilization Starts with a Date

---

Them Before Us is making a difference. More people than ever are seeing our children’s rights message. We are only limited by the hours in the day, our staff has to sleep, and that we’re on a budget. We will change the world; you can join us and be a part of it.

Make a monthly gift today!

---

Lie Three: One-night stands are fun and harmless

Utterly false. This lie could not be more harmful or devastating, especially to young women. No matter how hard society tries, an individual cannot truly deny the innate connection of body, mind, heart, and soul.

In such moments, women are freely giving men everything they want in exchange for nothing: no protection, no security, no commitment. When he wakes up and leaves, she is desolate and heartbroken, even if she denies it.

Free sex has isolated and devalued women. Even the introduction of contraception during the sexual revolution harmed the female sex.

The promise of sex without fear of pregnancy became sex without his commitment. When the biological ties of sex supposedly disappear, oftentimes, so does the guy. Instead of granting a woman promised freedom, the sexual revolution handed her lack of commitment, abuse, and heartbreak, disguised with a pretty bow.

Lie Four: Living together is a necessary trial run before the altar

“Let’s just see how it goes.”

That very phrase lacks commitment. If he isn’t sure about marrying you, he shouldn’t get all the benefits.

Besides, sharing a space and life is likely one of the most beautiful yet challenging aspects of marriage. Maybe his laundry is always on the floor. Maybe she snores. Maybe he likes more silence, and she always talks. Maybe he sleeps in, and she goes to bed early.

First, these habits can adjust – and often, that’s the sacrificial choice in a marriage. But more importantly, these habits are far less significant with an altar vow sustaining them. When no such vow exists, the habits become much more grating and damaging to the relationship.

So, living together is one of the worst things a couple can do before marriage. Grant each other the honor and devotion of a life utterly committed to the other. Support each other in patience and perseverance through those long months of engagement. The reward is well worth the wait.

Lie Five: Kids can wait, enjoy life

In May, Alex Cooper, who will be 32 in August, announced on her podcast that she is pregnant and due later this year. This follows a video from last June when she disclosed that she, 30 at the time, was not ready for kids and wanted to enjoy her adult years a bit more.

Society has promoted this lie more and more, especially as the technology of in vitro fertilization and egg freezing has improved.

Scientists claim they have overcome that “biological clock,” which is simply untrue. Only 2% of eggs frozen ever result in born children, according to new data from the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Additionally, the number of women who chose to freeze their eggs quadrupled from 2014 to 2021, according to the same study. This means the majority of women who froze their eggs and hoped to have kids either decided not to or could not conceive when that time came.

The biological design still dictates physical realities, despite culture’s numerous attempts to deny these features. But when the promise of future kids falls unfulfilled, women wish they had listened to the biological signs.

Many adventures of life can fill various seasons: travel, career, side projects, private businesses. But children and a family dictate a very specific season. The fertility and children window might seem long, but delaying this stage could bring the unintentional consequence of never seeing it. In some ways, this season cannot wait, whereas other adventures can. At the end of a life, the people around you are the important reflections of life, not the awards and photo albums gathering dust in the basement.

Conclusion

Culture’s lies, disguised in perceived happiness and success, are harming women and leading them down paths of discontent, frustration, and anger. No person’s life can be reduced to an algorithm, no matter how much social media attempts to force-feed us the same content.

Women must resist the AI-edited reels that present a false reality. They must know their self-worth and the respect they deserve. Even these two reminders deflate the premises of circulating lies and strengthen women’s confidence in their uniquely feminine qualities, hopes, and pursuits.

---

Them Before Us is a global movement committed to defending children’s right to their mother and father. We believe that adult desires should never come at the expense of a child’s fundamental needs. If you believe children deserve a mother and a father, join us by making a monthly gift today.

We are not professional lobbyists or political insiders. We are ordinary people with an extraordinary conviction: children must come first in every conversation about marriage, family, and fertility. We exist to make one thing clear: when adults sacrifice for children, society thrives. When children are forced to sacrifice for adults, everyone pays the price.

Find us around the web: Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram, Podcast, TikTok & Radio.