on being a millennial: let's not turn into boomers... or worse, gen x
a plea to not become the very thing we swore to destroy
tl;dr: happy labor day! millennials, we're no longer the hot new thing, but let's not become bitter about it! instead, let's show the world how to age with grace, humor, and a dash of early 2000s nostalgia. 🙃
disclaimer: here's a little disclaimer for all you sensitive souls out there (and let's face it, we millennials are experts at being sensitive) - look, i know i'm poking fun at different generations here, including my own. but before you start crafting a strongly worded tweet or planning a boycott of my nonexistent brand deals, take a deep breath. remember, i come from the generation that turned self-deprecation into an art form. we invented the "i want to die" meme while eating avocado toast, for crying out loud! so let's (all of us) embrace our ability to laugh at ourselves.
hey y'all,
so, i was scrolling through tiktok the other day (yes, i use it, don't judge), and i had this earth-shattering realization: we millennials are no longer the trend setting generation. 😱 shocking, i know. it's like we blinked, and suddenly gen z swooped in with their center parts, baggy jeans, and ability to make literally anything go viral.
remember when we were the young, hip ones? when our avocado toast habits were the subject of countless think pieces? when we were killing industries left and right just by existing? ah, those were the days. now, we're watching as gen z gets all the attention from advertisers, politicians, and pretty much everyone else. we've become the jan brady of generations: "marcia, marcia, marcia!" except in our case, it's "gen z, gen z, gen z!"
my fellow millennials - we have a choice to make here. we can either:
go full gen x and become bitter, cynical, and spend our days complaining about "kids these days" while listening to nirvana on repeat
channel our inner boomer and start writing angry facebook posts about how no one wants to work anymore and how we walked uphill both ways to our unpaid internships; or… and listen to me here…
create our own path. 💅 one that involves embracing our age with the same enthusiasm we once had for harry potter (barf!) and twilight fan fiction (even bigger barf!).
i vote for option c. who's with me?
let's be the generation that embraces our aging process with open arms and a sense of humor. sure, we might not understand all the tiktok dances or why everyone suddenly hates skinny jeans, but that doesn't mean we have to become grumpy old farts. that’s not the image i had in mind for any of us! por favor.
instead, let's lean into our millennial-ness. let's wear our side parts with pride. let's keep using the 😂 emoji even if gen z thinks it's cringe. let's continue to drink our oat milk lattes and post pictures of our sourdough starters on instagram. to quote “the kids these days” (i will now plunge myself, rock collection in my pocket, into the sea), let. us. cook!
but most importantly, let's not shame the younger generations for being, well, younger. remember how annoying it was when boomers blamed us for everything? let's break that cycle.
here's my proposal for how we can age gracefully as a generation:
embrace our nostalgia, but don't get stuck in it. yes, the 90s and early 2000s were great, but so is now. we can enjoy our throwback playlists while also appreciating new music, new art, new things. did you know there's music that isn't just taylor swift's re-records? wild, i know.
keep learning and adapting. sure, we might never be as tech-savvy as gen z, but that doesn't mean we can't try. let's keep our minds open. remember, we're the generation that went from nokia bricks to smartphones. we've got adaptability in our dna, right next to our crippling anxiety and ability to quote every line from "mean girls."
use our humor as a shield. we grew up with friends, seinfeld, and the golden age of the simpsons. we practically invented sarcasm (or at least, we'd like to think we did). let's use that power for good.
pass on our wisdom, not our bitterness. we've learned a lot from our experiences. like how to survive a recession (or two), how to turn a liberal arts degree into a semi-functional career, and how to craft the perfect away message on aim. let's share that knowledge with younger generations without the side of "back in my day" sauce.
continue to fight for what we believe in. we're the generation that brought social justice to the mainstream faster than you can say "intersectionality." let's not stop now just because we're more interested in good sleep than good parties. we can fight the patriarchy, fight for a free palestine, and enjoy a nice charcuterie board. multitasking is our superpower, after all.
bridge the generational gap. we're in a unique position. we remember life before the internet, but we're also fluent in meme. we can explain to boomers why their all-caps facebook rants are not the move, while also gently guiding gen z away from their worst impulses (like bringing back low-rise jeans. please, for the love of all that is holy, no).
look, i get it. it's weird to no longer be the "young" generation. i still have moments where i think, "wait, when did i become an actual adult?" (usually when i get excited about a new vacuum cleaner or complain about my knees cracking like rice krispies).
but hear me out: we have an opportunity here. we can show the world what it looks like to grow older without growing bitter. we can be the cool tías and tíos who know how to use snapchat but also how to balance a checkbook (jk, who actually balances a checkbook anymore?).
so, the next time you see a gen z-er with their middle parts and bucket hats, looking like they raided your middle school closet, don't roll your eyes. instead, give them a knowing smile and think, "damn, they look good. but wait until they hit 30 and realize high-waisted everything is a gift from the fashion gods." then go home, put on some britney spears, and dance like it's 2002 and you just got your first ipod.
because at the end of the day, we're all just trying to navigate this crazy world. and if we can do it with a little humor, a lot of compassion, and a sprinkle of millennial pink (or green!), then i think we'll be just fine.
who knows? maybe in a few years, we'll be the cool "vintage" generation. stranger things have happened. (see what i did there? netflix reference. the cringe is real, folks.)
paul begala, a democratic campaign guru and advisor, once wrote, perfectly: “the single greatest sin a generation can commit is the sin of selfishness.” and he’s right. so let's be the generation that breaks the cycle.
let's be kind to those coming after us, respectful to those who came before, and always, always ready with a snarky gif reaction.
who's ready to be the coolest almost-middle-aged generation ever? let's show these kids how it's done. with a side of avocado toast, of course. 🥑🍞
con amor, humor, y un poquito de dolor de espalda,
edgard 💖✊🏽🌈
p.s. if you need me, i'll be over here trying to figure out how to use bereal while simultaneously researching how to start a 401k. because nothing says "i'm an adult" quite like planning for retirement while also pretending to understand crypto.
p.p.s. seriously though, let's make aging cool again. share your own ideas for how we can grow up without turning into human eye rolls. maybe together we can write "adulting for millennials: the survival guide." chapter one: how to enjoy a music festival when you have a bad back and need to pee every 30 minutes.
speaking as a boomer, generational thinking doesn't serve any of us well. people change as they age (yup, you too Edgard). The best thing we can all do is be the best version of -- yourself.
ty for this (ur local zillenial)