We catch a bad rap as Millennials. We’re flaky. Not loyal. Lazy. Always on our cell phones. But the truth is, we’ve changed the world already. And we’ve only been relevant for a few years.
As I started compiling points for this article, I realized that we Millennials are concerned with one thing: comfort. In a world of constant chaos and connectivity, we strive to find those bright spots in the world. And if we can’t…well…we just make it ourselves.
Here’s a list of reasons you should be thankful for the Millennials in your life:
We made the “athleisure” trend a thing. If you haven’t jumped on this train, I don’t know why. Brands and designers are making SWEAT PANTS THAT YOU CAN WEAR TO WORK and sneakers that you can wear with dress clothes. This is the greatest thing ever. Physical comfort generally promotes better self-esteem and positive body image. Plus, why wear something frumpy and uncomfortable when you can wear running pants?
We’re super accepting of anyone and anything. Equality. For. All. We want anyone and everyone to be able to live their lives and do their thing no matter who they love, what their skin color is, which bathroom they use, or where they come from. Everyone is entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And really, if someone you’ve never met wants to live their life in a certain way that doesn’t even remotely affect you, why do you want to stop them? Millennials refocus that energy on our own passions and people.
We’re thrifty. I don’t like the term “cheap” because I don’t think that’s it. We’re spending money, we’re just trying to be more creative about it. Pinterest and Buzzfeed’s Nifty give us all of our DIY ideas and brands like Trader Joes and Whole 365 (Whole Foods’ newest Millennial-facing endeavor) give us quality and specialty all within our budget. We’re recycling our trash, thrifting our clothes and shoes, and growing our own food.
We’re nostalgic. Say what you will about the 90’s, but Millennials are super nostalgic for our childhood favorites. So you’re welcome for that Spice Girls reunion, and the new Full House revival on Netflix. And you’re especially welcome for that Dunkaroos party dip recipe and those adult Lunchables Oscar Meyer has created.
We challenge status quo. We’re curious and always asking “why?” If there’s something we can do faster or better, we want to do it our way. Efficiency is key in a fast-moving world. Oh, your company has been doing the same thing for 15 years? Cool. Let’s shake it up a bit and see if we can do it better and more effectively.
We’re really smart. And funny. When you grow with Google, your smarts and wit are virtually endless. Today, we learned how old some of our favorite game show hosts actually are (Alex Trebek is 75!!) and watched a Family Guy rerun that was relevant to a real-life situation. But besides those silly things, today, a ton of Millennials worked really hard to build their own companies and inventions. And some probably made some super important discoveries that we’ll likely hear about in a few months. And it’s all because we know how to use our resources.
What are some of your favorite Millennial qualities? Tell us in the comments!