Generation Y...awn

There's an article I read recently that resonated with me. It's almost as if I wrote it, I'm slightly annoyed I didn't muster the time to research and write it before this lady did.

It was a first person article in Stella magazine, a supplement to The Telegraph entitled 'Generation Y...awn'. Not only a fantastic title, the first line had me hanging right through to the end. The basic discussion throughout the piece argued the point that babies born in the 80s and 90s are, well boring. We indulge in hobbies traditionally assigned to our grandmothers (sewing, cooking, gardening) and we choose to dress comfortably with materials that will last (cue the tweed jackets and normcore trend). But why is this so?

There was evidence to support the fact that our generation is finally putting a downward trend in binge drinking, drug taking and eating crap food.

We are taking care of our bodies. How many twenty something's do you know who now regularly drink protein shakes, go to the gym before work and upload pictures of their 'eat clean' dinners to social media? 

It's not unusual and there is certainly nothing wrong with this notion either. The article explained that our generation are simply doing what our parents did best - which was rebel against their parents. We are actively doing the opposite of what our parents did our age! They had much easier and / or socially acceptable access to drink, drugs(?), convinience (crap) food for the first time, so if we did it too, were just being exactly like them. But each one of us wants to rebel against that - we want to be different. Now the economy has a big part to play in this too. We don't have as much money as we would like to and go out every weekend, we are all budgeting and that goes as far as our fashion and food. Everything we can afford must count, must have a dual benefit. Hence our sensible choices in our lives. How many people do you know who are now making sensible decisions (rebelling against their parents), buying a house rather than spending the deposit on a wedding? I know I do.

I can honestly say that as a part of Generation Y, my lifestyle has shifted, I crave intimate homemade dinners with friends rather than blowing the months budget on one night out. I like supporting friends on their charity fundraising run instead of buying them unwanted birthday presents. I enjoy learning crafts off others rather than relying on getting things readymade. I've bought a cottage to suit my lifestyle rather than an inner city apartment. I have a dog and enjoy holidaying in Cornwall rather than the sunshine abroad.

This theory partly goes hand in hand with lipstick feminism (for which I am, research it). There is nothing wrong with admitting you like to be different to what the stereotype of living in your twenties should be like. This is just one idea that explains why so many of us may choose a different path. After all, the whole point of being young is rebelling.. So isn't that what I'm (and many others) are doing? X

Read it for yourself and let me know your thoughts: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/11061434/Charting-the-rise-of-Generation-Yawn-20-is-the-new-40.html