MADETOLEAD
nial . A simplified , matter-of-fact and humorous take on what is essentially Darwinism .
In the survival of the fittest ideology , adjustment is the key . Technology and the Great Recession are the two major lifetime events that millennials have had to adjust to ; they cannot be ignored in assessing us . The Shared Economy is a new fascination among financial analysts and experts , and millennials are at the center of the discussion . Why are we choosing UberShare instead of cabs ? Why are we vacationing in AirBnBs instead of hotels ? Why are we buying secondhand items from Tradesy instead of luxury brands ? Why are we doing business at WeWork instead of our own offices ? Why are we renting houses instead of buying them ?
Lemons to Lemonade Stand . That ’ s why .
“ More Millennial households are in poverty than households headed by any other generation . In 2016 , an estimated 5.3 million of the nearly 17 million U . S . households living in poverty were headed by a Millennial ,” according to The Pew Research Institute ’ s “ 5 Facts About Millennial Households ” report . It ’ s not that we don ’ t want the same experiences of generations before us , it ’ s that many of us can not afford them . Some because our day-to-day income is too low . Some because our lifetime debt commitments are too high . Each situation is unique . But the awareness of the risk in long-term investments is common . “ It ’ s not just homes : Millennials have been reluctant to buy items such as cars , music and luxury goods . Instead , they ’ re turning to a new set of services that provide access to products without the burdens of ownership ,” according to the Goldman Sachs report .
Just because our version of adulting looks different doesn ’ t mean we ’ re not trying . We are busy creating lives for ourselves too . And , how we ’ re doing it will soon be the new normal .
“ I felt free once I realized I was never going to fit the narrow mold that society wanted me to fit in .”
ASHLEY GRAHAM , MODEL made-magazine . com | 14