Talking ‘Bout My Generation (But Not Quite Being Sure What to Say)
Dec 9th
The Who have never been more apropos. Over the past decade, the amount of new books (a quick Amazon search for Generation Y yielded over 7000 results) profiling Generation Y has soared, sparking a new industry of those who base their careers pontificating over Generation Y, explaining the feelings and beliefs of the new generation to large corporate audiences for a hefty fee. Stereotyping Generation Y has become a new industry unto itself, and anyone with the platform to say something seems to have something to say about Generation Y, either negative or positive.
We have been described as dumb (in The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don’t Trust Anyone Under 30)), depressed (in Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled–and More Miserable Than Ever Before), great (in Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation), or just simply as taking over (in Generation We: How Millennial Youth are Taking Over America And Changing Our World Forever). Can all of these contradictory views of generation Y can be true? Does the lack of consistency between the views of generation Y show that these books and profiles are quick to stereotype what is actually quite a large and diverse group of young Americans? And, most pressingly, do any of these views answer the question: what is Generation Y really like?
Unplugged: Deactivating My Brain
Dec 9th
No TV. No Facebook. No Texting. Can anyone imagine such a world?
This became reality for 26 students at the University of Central Florida. Last year their English professor, Mary Ann Murdoch, challenged her students to unplug and live a technology-free life for five days.
Only two of 26 students in Murdoch’s class were able to relinquish cell phones, iPods, portable CD players, text messaging, e-mail, computers, TVs, DVDs, and video games.
I crafted a similar technology-free experiment for myself. No texting. No web surfing. No social networks. No iPods, CD’s, TV, video games or personal e-mails. Just my phone for basic calls and my laptop for emergency school-related email and Microsoft Office programs. For one week.
Tech Diaries
Sunday Night 11:45pm –
The experiment was set to start at midnight. Before I unplugged from my comforting world of chargers and wires, I posted a disclaimer on all my social media profiles stating: Doing a social experiment for a class which involves me giving up most technology for a week. If you wanna talk to me, call me or stop by my place! Starts tonight at midnight! Bets on if I can do it?
The Evolution of Fashion Journalism
Dec 9th
For the past ten years, Los Angeles Times fashion critic Booth Moore has been covering fashion shows in New York, Paris, and Milan. But at fashion week in New York this year, she noticed that something was different. “Bloggers were the flavor of the month this season,” she says, noting the overwhelming presence of these hyper-intense fashion fans.
Known for their role behind computer screens, bloggers upgraded this year to front row seats at once-exclusive runway shows like Dolce & Gabbana and Rodarte. These trendsetting, influential, and style-conscious members of Gen Y seized the role of fashion editor, with the Internet as their stage.
The number of colorful blogs and fashion forums has exceeded ten thousand, providing some stiff competition for traditional fashion magazines like Vogue and Elle. Fashionistas rely on daily visits to these sites in order to keep up with the dynamic fashion industry.
“The Internet has really allowed for the democratization of fashion,” says Moore . “Now everyone can participate in the discussion of clothing and designers.” Read the rest of this entry »
How Generation Y Is Transforming Fashion Now
Dec 9th
Raymond Chu, a 20-year-old NYU student, doesn’t follow fashion trends. He preferred military jackets and three-piece suits a la Indiana Jones and Fred Astaire in high school, and was always considered overdressed. Now, instead of mockery he receives praise from friends and strangers alike. Repeatedly featured on street-style photography blog The Sartorialist, and chosen as a 2008 finalist for Esquire’s Best Dressed Real Man, Chu feels flattered by the recognition, posting these photographs online for his 1,000 Facebook friends to view.
From Facebook to Twitter to blogging, Generation Y live their lives online—and nowhere more so than in fashion. In this public celebration, camera-loving Gen Yers post outfits, clothing and inspiration on the Internet, using this platform as a way for the fashion-minded to share ideas. With the unlimited possibility of the web, Generation Y has made fashion more influential, more accessible, and certainly more global.
“Fashion is no longer a one-way street to consumers, but now a two-way street,” says Susan Cernek, senior fashion editor for Glamour.com, the online counterpart to the magazine.
The Internet has drastically shortened connection time, and communication is now instantaneous around the globe. If traditional print magazines rejected online components, they would be far behind the times. Still, with the never-ending flow of online outlets, many readers look elsewhere to find their daily dose of fashion.
Affordable Luxury for the Gen Y Woman
Dec 8th
NYU junior Mary Williamson hasn’t been to Fifth Avenue’s Henri Bendel, where the girls at the headband counter used to greet her by name, all semester. Though she no longer hands over $150 for a Jennifer Behr headband, visions of the pricey accessories run through her head.
Williamson has limited her food purchases, walked the mile and a half to class instead of taking the subway, and skipped going out to bars and clubs in order to save up for her beloved Lululemon yoga pants and a new pair of designer jeans.
She, and other Gen Y women have grown up on brands just as they came of age with Nick at Nite, Beanie Babies, and slap bracelets. They sought out designer buy goods as early as middle school, first with $150 Kate Spade bags, soon after with $80 Juicy sweatpants and finally with $160 designer jeans. Over the years, Gen Y has become hyperaware of designer labels.
Although the recession has hurt premium apparel brands, they continue to find favor among fashion-conscious, Gen Y women who, so long as companies tailor their marketing strategies appropriately, are buying into affordable luxury. Read the rest of this entry »
Gen Y Catholics
Dec 8th
Instead of cramming for classes or watching TV on Sunday nights, some 400 students gather weekly for mass at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Greenwich Village. The choir, many of them music theater majors, sing contemporary hymns as students fill the pews. After mass, some students head to the priests’ quarters to eat a free, home-cooked dinner. The joke at the Catholic Center is, “Go for the food, stay for the community,” according to one member.
Greenwich Village is “one of the loudest neighborhoods in the world,” said Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan as he addressed the congregation during a recent Sunday mass. Amid the commotion of New York City, the Catholic Center, run by the Archdiocese of New York, provides NYU students a peaceful place to reflect on their lives and their faith.
Many students speak about the indifference or hostility toward religion that they encounter.. “Here in New York City it’s looked down upon to be a person of faith,” said NYU senior Paolo Larano. In a class discussion of foundational texts, Larano said he”got a lot of heat” from classmates because he interpreted the Bible as a believer. “People wanted to poke fun at religion,” he said. “One part of me wanted to defend it, but the other part didn’t want to single myself out as the crazy kid.”
Shaping religious beliefs and values is a major part of personal development for 18 to 30 year olds, according to Jeffrey Arnett, the author of “Emerging Adulthood.” However, this development doesn’t only happen at church. Many people form personal relationships with God and don’t attend religious services. “To most emerging adults, participating in a religious institution, even a liberal one, requires them to abide by a certain set of beliefs and rules and therefore constitutes an intolerable compromise of their individuality,” he writes.
The students who participate in the campus ministry at St. Joseph’s, however, value the structure and constancy of religious services. “Mass is so traditional,” said NYU student Christina King. “You always know what’s going to happen. It’s home base.”
The weekly mass is not the only draw. A smaller number of students belong to one of three undergraduate clubs that meet weekly. For these students, the Catholic Center provides them a foundation for their social and spiritual lives. Read the rest of this entry »
A Change of Faith
Dec 8th
A Muslim named Kaivan and a Jew named Dylan are both typical members of Generation Y. They both subscribe to a different religious belief, but neither is fighting over who is right. For them, their religion is not about whose is the best, but which religion works best for them.
Overall, Generation Y breaks into three religious categories. There are 27 percent who consider themselves “Godly,” 27 percent who are “Godless,” and 46 percent who are Undecided. This is according to the survey OMG! How Generation Y is Redefining Faith in the iPod Era. generic diflucan This survey found that while today’s young people still follow the same religions their parents did, they differ in their expression of faith.
For many, this means replacing religious services that may feel outdated. “Most young people today will say they are spiritual, not religious,” said Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, the Jewish chaplain at NYU. Those spiritual youth believe holiness is subjective, and doesn’t have to be determined by an organized faith. “People began thinking in terms of ‘me’ and not ‘the community,’” Rabbi Sarna said. Read the rest of this entry »
Hinduism, Caste and Generation Y
Dec 8th
“Each man devoted to his own duty, attains perfection.” –Bhagavad-Gita, Ch 18, v 45.
To Kevin Naidoo, Hinduism is more than a series of rituals performed in temple.
“When I was seven years old, there was a stage in our lives when my Dad was unemployed for nine months,” said Naidoo. “He had to sweep floors to put food on our table.” But, because of his father’s devotion to God, there was never a day the family went hungry, he said. “My dad’s faith carried our family through all those times.”
Naidoo, now 30, works as an accounts manager for a California based company, traveling the world and living life as a successful yuppie. Because of his father’s devotion and dedication, religion is of special importance to Naidoo.
“That’s why I prefer to marry someone within my faith. There’s nothing more blissful in a marriage than a husband and wife praying together.” he said. “Being the only son, my father wants me continue his legacy and uphold what we inherited.”
And in Hinduism, that which is inherited is caste. Read the rest of this entry »
Bears on the Web: Gen-Y Gays Get a New Attitude
Dec 8th
Twelve-year-old Lorenzo Rodriguez’s cursor hung over a link labeled “Gay Bear Porn.” He had no idea that what he was about to see would end up defining part of his identity.
One click, and everything changed.
Though earlier Internet adventures had helped Rodriguez accept his attraction to men, he had never seen a gay image he could relate to until he discovered bear porn. “I was 12, chubby as hell,” he said, “I never knew any gay people, so all I had to go by was the skinny, hairless twinks in the porn I was watching early on,” he said. “I always thought that being gay meant being effeminate…my biggest fear was that if I told my parents I was gay, they’d make me wear a dress.”
Growing up in the Dominican Republic, Rodriguez, now 20, felt that since he didn’t fit the image of gay men he saw in the media, he would never be able to have a relationship with a man. “I thought I was the last person in the world anyone would want to have sex with. The bear thing completely changed my life,” he said.
So, what is a bear?