“I decided it would definitely be something different that’d make me stand out,” Atkin says.

Atkin’s tattoo artist inked a blue and black HIM heartagram using a tattoo gun and a UV torch. Atkin says the tattoo is invisible in normal light.

UV tattoos, or black light tattoos, are leaving their mark on the bodies of many millennials these days. Originally popular among the rave culture, UV tattoos have surfaced as a new way to get inked. Nearly invisible in non-UV environments, these tattoos come alive under ultraviolet or black light. However, the newest trend in body art isn’t exactly mainstream.

Black light tattoos have also been popping up all over online forums, Pinterest and YouTube. UV tattoos are particularly popular among 18- to 30-year-old club goers, rockers and tattoo enthusiasts who want to hide their ink, according to tattoo artist Richie from the American Tattoo Society via the ABC News article “Latest Body Art Trend: ‘Invisible’ Tattoos.”

Nearly four-in-ten millennials have a tattoo, according to the Pew Research Center. However, there are no reported statistics for UV tattoos because of its underground popularity. In a survey of the eight most reputable tattoo shops in New York City, none offered UV tattoos.

Because tattoos are so common, UV tattoos give millennials the opportunity to spruce up and edge out their ink. Greg Kulz, tattoo artist at Fura Bodyworks in Castro Valley, CA, is known as the pioneer of UV tattoos, having appeared on “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not” for his homemade UV ink. The 15-year UV tattoo artist says the invisibility factor in normal light is what draws young people to the new trend. “Now you can have tattoos and not be tagged a biker because no one can see them,” the 28-year-old said.

When it comes down to inking a UV tattoo, the process is slightly different than a regular tattoo. Kulz says he still draws up the tattoo and applies it to the skin like any tat. Because UV ink is thinner than normal ink, it’s a slower process that requires a lot of attention to avoid irritating the skin too much. He also has to use a black light while tattooing to make sure it looks correct under black light.

Kulz recommends using white UV ink for the most unnoticeable UV tattoo because it is virtually invisible on light skin tones under normal light.

Anthony, 22, who declined to give his last name, itches for a new tattoo every couple of months since his first tag on his 18^th birthday. Word of mouth and the internet introduced him to the world of UV ink. “I ordered some ink and a small ultraviolet torch. I took the ink down to my tattoo artist [at Ink Lined tattoo parlor in Sylvan Lake, Alberta] and said we have to give it a shot,” the Canadian student says.

The successful outcome of Anthony’s white UV koi head tat on his arm amazed him. “After two weeks, it didn’t look like there was anything in that spot but it still glowed. It was quite cool,” he says.

Like any tattoo, UV ink tattoos leave minor scarring from the actual tattooing process itself. With regular tattoos, the scarring isn’t visible because of the colored ink that hides the scarring. Unless the UV ink is used to enhance a regular tattoo, light scars resembling fine tan lines can be seen.

But Anthony doesn’t mind the visible scar. “It doesn’t bother me that a scar can be seen,” he says. “I haven’t had any bad skin reactions, swelling or sickness.”

Overall, Anthony recommends getting a UV tattoo. He says it’s been about six months and the koi head still glows nicely. He even got a small LED UV key ring to show off his ink. “It’s quite a cool party trick. A lot of people are amazed and straight away want one,” he says.

Anthony lucked out when his tattoo artist agreed to use UV ink. Many tattoo artists forgo the use of UV ink in their shops.

Jon Renee, owner of Main Street Tattoos in Urbana, Ohio, refuses to tattoo anyone asking for a black light tattoo. “I’ve always steered clear of the stuff because of safety issues,” the 13-year tattoo vet says.

Such reactions to UV ink may include severe blistering, pain, a burning sensation, and skin rashes, according to livestrong.com.

“I get calls almost daily about ‘glow in the dark’ ink. That stuff just scares me,” Renee says.“I’m not chasing the dollar. I’m in business for the long haul and I care about my customers’ health and safety.”

UV ink is normal tattoo ink mixed with UV-reactive ink. Vendors like Crazy Chameleon Body Art Supply and Skin Candy have been providing UV ink to the public since 1999 in 18 different colors.

Dr. Will Kirby, dermatologist and co-founder of the Dr. TATTOFF laser tattoo removal clinics, doesn’t recommend getting a black light tattoo because he says some of the ink could cause adverse reactions, or worse be cancerous.

UV ink doesn’t contain phosphorous, the carcinogenic ingredient that may cause cancer. However, glow in the dark tattoos, tattoos that only show in complete darkness but not in UV or black light, do contain phosphorous, according to livestrong.com. Whether the phosphorous in glow-in-the-dark inks is cancerous is still unknown.

“First off there’s a big difference between black light and glow in the dark [tattoos]. There are alot of things that glow under black light that aren’t toxic,” Chris Van R, owner of tattoo Tattoo, a tattoo parlor in Queensland, Canada says.

Crazy Chameleon, the best known supplier of UV ink, declined an interview but states on its website that its EverGlow-free UV ink is FDA approved with no preservatives or other additives. Stephen Griffin, tattoo artist at Epic Dermis Tattoo Parlor & Curiosity Shoppe in Plattsburg, NY, finds that hard to believe. “The FDA approved a blacklight reactive ink for marking seafood, not for tattooing. That is where the confusion comes into play, since apparently some people have used this ink for blacklight tattooing thinking that it was FDA approved and therefore safe for human consumption. In reality, it was FDA approved simply for the purpose of stamping fish,” the New York native says.

Seventeen percent of those who get tattoos consider getting them removed, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. However, it’s not that easy for black light tattoos. UV tattoos may be less prominent in normal light, but are much harder to remove off the skin.

Dr. Kirby says only one patient out of every 1,000 patients who come into his office to get a tattoo removed is removing a UV tattoo. He considers freezing tattoos off to be an antiquated process and says the only way to get rid of a regretted UV tattoo is by cutting it off.

So is it worth it to get a UV ink tattoo? Griffin doesn’t think so.

“When in doubt, do without. A cheap party trick is no reason to jeopardize one’s health,” Griffin says.

Many college seniors like Sidhu are faced with daunting questions and difficult decisions about their careers and their futures: What are my plans now? What if I get stuck doing something I don’t like? Should I go straight to grad school? And then there are those who avoid answering these questions, and instead, spend the time after college in a “gap year” of self-exploration.

While some choose the do-it-yourself approach, many others participate in formal gap year programs or volunteer organizations such as the Center for Interim Programs, City Year Inc., Sea|mester, and WorldTeach. They see it as an opportunity to explore career options, experience adventures abroad before settling down, and add a few intriguing lines to their resume. After all, teaching English in South America, interning in New Zealand, and taking classes at sea could add a little spark to the average LinkedIn account.

For Sidhu, a year off was just what she needed. “It certainly gave me more time to research my options.” She divvied up her time and spent part of it working at Canada’s largest newspaper, the Toronto Star, part of it traveling to Malaysia and interning at a strategic diversity company, and part of it applying to carefully selected graduate programs. She highly recommends the experience. “People should use gap years to think about ways in which they can commit to certain projects, jobs, and plans, while at the same time leaving room for exploration and mental refreshment.”

For many students, gap year experiences “have an impact on their choice of… career – either setting them on a different path than before or confirming their direction,” according to the American Gap Association, a non-profit professional organization. As an undergraduate student at Rutgers University, Susan Kim studied English and psychology. But because of the weakening job market in the United States, she joined the English Program in Korea (EPIK), a one-year paying program established to teach English to students and teachers in South Korea. During the course of the year abroad, she found her love for teaching. “I just got really into it and ended up getting my masters in English-language teaching.”

Another benefit of taking this break, according to the American Gap is that gap year students gain a “better understanding of other countries, people, cultures, and ways of living.” A few months after graduating from the University of California, Davis, Mike Hower realized that he had window of time to fulfill a “longstanding desire to travel and make a difference in a poor community.” So he made a spontaneous decision to drop everything he had – his double degree in political science and history, his new job as an assistant account executive, and an impending promotion – to get out of the office and teach English in a poor part of Colombia. He went with WorldTeach, a non-profit organization that places volunteer educators in developing countries around the world. Whenever he had time off from teaching, Hower traveled as much as he could. His Spanish language skills improved, and he was able to visit Chile, Peru, Costa Rica, and Panama. “I honestly believe that travel is as crucial to success as formal education,” he says.

The Center for Interim Programs, a service that helps people find meaningful gap year opportunities, offers similar programs. Travelers can take classes while doing a home stay in Europe, Asia, or Central America, volunteer at wildlife conservatories around the world, intern in New Zealand or London, teach English in developing countries, and more. “These programs give people more clarity in what they’re interested in,” said president Holly Bull. “Plus you can expand your frame of reference and get that special experience many graduates don’t have.”

One of the biggest concerns of students, however, is the cost associated with taking these gap years. And after paying thousands of dollars for a college education, paying another large fee might be the last thing on a student’s mind, and the gap programs can be costly. For example, Interim’s consulting fee, which entitles participants access to more than 5,000 program options, costs $2,300. And program costs fall into three basic categories: fee or tuition programs, which can cost anywhere from $6,000 to $17,000, volunteer placements, which cost about $600 per month, and placements that provide housing and food in exchange for labor. These numbers might seem high for students who are on a tight budget, but Interim offers large scholarships and financial aid to those in need. “I think there is a misperception that you have to be well-off to embark on a gap year,” said Bull. “It simply isn’t so.”

And though many of the gap year opportunities are unpaid, students admit that the experience itself is a well-worthy payoff. Hower’s job teaching English in Colombia was voluntary – it paid nothing. But he describes his experience as the “best, worst, and greatest year of [his] life.” He believes that teaching is rewarding, and traveling expands horizons by placing people into new situations.

“If you’re part of the vast majority of the early 20-somethings who still don’t know what you really want out of life even after graduating from college, don’t let yourself get pigeon-holed into something you hate,” he said. “Take risks and venture outside your comfort zone. Who knows, maybe it’ll end up rewarding you beyond your wildest dreams.”

The best application of Universal Japanese.

Kayla Zimmerman remembers freshman year of college as the year of all work and no play. The Ohio native was taking a full plate of biology and pre-med courses at New York University, with her mind set on a very stable career course as a heart surgeon. But halfway through her sophomore year, Zimmerman changed her major to something much less traditional: anthropology and Irish studies. And now, on the brink of graduating with this unusual major, Zimmerman’s path forward is much less clear than it was three years ago.

Life after graduation is becoming more and more daunting for members of Gen Y, whose entrance to the workforce means inheriting a tight job market and a flagging economy. These emerging adults are encouraged to carve out as big a space as possible in their desired career whilst still in school, by way of interning and networking, to ease the transition into the real world. But what about students who are graduating with degrees so obscure or specific that they have even more limited options than someone with, say, an English degree, that stereotypical “what are you doing with your life” pursuit? Has studying based on pure interest rather than applicability really just left members of Gen Y with nowhere to turn?

Zimmerman, like many members of Gen Y, thinks that it is far better to pursue a major for passion than simply for the sake of a career path. “Before applying for school my dream was to be a heart surgeon,” the 21-year-old says. “But it got to the point where I realized that I liked the idea of being a doctor, but not actually being one.” She decided on anthropology out of a broad, general interest, and on Irish out of a random class selection that led to a deep connection with the material. She even joined an Irish folk singing group to help improve her pronunciation.

What did Zimmerman’s parents think of her switch from syringes to sláinte? “Being a doctor was a family dream, so my mom was a little down. But she got over it pretty fast. My parents don’t really have a say in my education, but they were happy if I was happy.” But despite how happy she has been over the past several years, Zimmerman is quick to admit that she does not have a set plan for after graduation, though she is currently thinking of going into some kind of forensics. She has never held an internship related to her major, opting instead to tutor at America Reads.

Jack*, a representative for popular intern-matching site Barefoot Student, says that this is less than ideal. “The best internship, regardless of major, is one that fits into your long term career goals,” he says. “Even if you do have an offbeat major you still want to keep one eye on a future job.” Zimmerman, for example, could try her hand at a travel agency, museum or PR firm; Jack points out a recent listing on Barefoot Student for an internship with Irish Voice newspaper, promoting the brand and managing their research databases. Internships like this are useful in that they relate to a specific set of interests but still incorporate more general and transferrable job skills.

But sometimes grads who have managed to find internships like this are still unlucky in finding a similar crossbreed as a career. Caroline Cohen, a Pennsylvania native who is preparing to graduate from York College of Pennsylvania, is entering the real world armed with a degree in Universal Japanese. “It’s a very well-rounded study of one particular thing,” Cohen says of her major. “I studied history, business, literature, math, everything, but as it pertains to Japan and Japanese culture.” Cohen has held two jobs this past year: one as a paid receptionist at a Japanese hair salon, and one as an unpaid analysis assistant at a business firm. Neither have offered her full-time hours after graduation.

“I sort of knew that I was going to learn extra things that I wasn’t going to be able to apply to a job,” Cohen says. “There aren’t any jobs that encompass everything that I want to do. But no one really has that. I’m just happy I got to study things I was interested in while still picking up skills I can apply to careers.” Cohen plans to return home in January and resume her part-time job as a caterer while she looks for work.

Lindsey Pollak, global spokesperson for career-connector site LinkedIn and author of Getting From College To Career, says that relevant internships and work can be found for even the most obscure majors if one only knows where to look. She advises taking steps as simple as web searching “email” or “newsletter” combined with a certain industry, or setting up a news alert using keywords common to a certain industry, in order to keep up with the industry news and any openings. The wait for something relevant to land in your inbox will be worth it if they lead to a job that is great instead of good.

And a wait there will be, according to a November interactive article by the Wall Street Journal.  The article allows users to search for a broad range of majors and informs them of the unemployment rate and potential earnings for those graduating with them. Intercultural and International Studies, the closest approximation to Zimmerman’s and Cohen’s majors, yields a 6.6% unemployment rate. Archaeology is a 6.9%. Linguistics is a 10.2%. And liberal arts, a canopy term for many different majors, has an unemployment rate of 7.6%. Medical professions, on the other hand, yields a 3% unemployment rate.

But despite sometimes-bleak statistics and uncorrelated internships, there are Gen Y-ers who are making their passions into careers. For Allison Schieler, a 21-year-old who graduated last year with a dance degree from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, it doesn’t matter that her major has only taught her one marketable skill. Dancing is all she wants to do, and she is committed to making it work. For financial stability, she teaches numerous styles of dance and acrobatics at a local dance studio, and she’s also been commissioned to create a new piece for LaGuardia Performing Arts High School. The rest of her time is spent auditioning and performing throughout the city. Schieler says that much of her guidance in where to go after graduation came from her instructors at Tisch, many of whom had faced the same decision at one point or another. She says she is glad she felt comfortable going to them when life felt overwhelming, and she now feels comfortable dreaming of and working toward joining Cirque du Soleil as a dancer, contortionist, or acrobat. “For a recent graduate, I am definitely doing well,” she says, “but there is so much more I hope to achieve!”

And Emily Wallace, a junior at Goucher College in Maryland with the ambiguous major “homeostasis and equilibrium,” has started carving her niche early, aware of how difficult using her major could be after graduation. “I don’t want to end up just working in retail,” the 19-year-old Colorado native says. “I want to go into alternative medicine. I’ve been teaching yoga classes and studying acupuncture. I’m going to try really hard to make something work.”

All but gone are the days of core-class majors with set career paths, as colleges offer an ever-expanding list of majors to Gen Y-ers with a real passion to pursue them. Some students, like Zimmerman and Cohen, acknowledge that the classes they took out of interest will likely not figure into their ultimate career paths. Others, like Schieler and Wallace, are following their majors through to careers, no matter how niche. But one thing that they all have in common is that no one sees their college years as time wasted simply because of an unusual choice in major.

*did not wish to use last name

Source: beatsandgravy.com
Violinist Lindsey Stirling combines her playing skills will music videos and dubstep.

Steven Brown, a 50-year-old musician, reminisces about the days when he was a little boy sitting in his Brooklyn home listening to the stereo blasting Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the sounds of trumpets and cellos echoing through the living room. Today, that stereo has been replaced with iPods and ear buds.

Musicians like Brown lament on an ongoing decline in popularity of classical music, especially for millennials. While the sounds of pop, hip, and rock may drown out those violins, trumpets, and timpani, some fans are working to revive classical music in a way that GenY will appreciate.

“I think a major factor with my generation is that we had the benefit of knowing the music of the generation before us,” says Brown, a former associate teacher at Long Island University and a performer alongside Stevie Wonder and other renowned musicians. “I don’t think the younger generations, for the most part, have that experience to draw on.”

As Generation X rebelled against traditions set before them, they did so through rock music. GenY was then the product of a previous generation that already began to forget about the classical music genre. A recent New York Times op-ed by Les Dreyer, a former violinist with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, blamed the younger generation’s waning interest in classical music on orchestra tour cancellations, a decrease in classical music radio circulation, a focus on pop sensations, and decreased monetary support for orchestras. The article, “Is Classical Music Dying?” generated multiple comments including one from Anthony Rudel, a former vice president of programming for WQXR and author of “Classical Music Top 40” who points to a lack of classical music education.

“The failure to bring younger audiences to classical music happened more than 30 years ago…Too many of those listeners were never introduced to the power of Beethoven, the elegance of Mozart or the soulfulness of Mahler, and if they were, it was the aural equivalent of ‘eating your vegetables,’” he wrote.

Another reason for the continuing disinterest is that classical music has become an art that is watched rather than participated in. “Classical music is no longer a living culture,” says Alf Bishai, a music theory professor at New York University and music director of Trinity Grace Church. “When you go to a museum, the whole idea is to preserve the past. You can’t go and touch the painting. There is a sense that classical music is to be observed as masterpieces.”

Bishai, who is working on a book on the future of the genre, explains that classical music in its origins used to have responsive and critical audiences. Concert halls would echo not only with the sounds of instruments and concertos but also with those of applause, and sometimes, negative commentary.

A classical music and Indie film composer, Bishai also believes composition is at the heart of interest in the genre. As composition changed in the 1900s, so did attitudes towards classical music. He believes that for interest in classical music revolution to increase, audiences need to feel free to “boo” again.

“Right now, you can’t applaud between movements, and that would be a disaster in Beethoven’s time,” Bishai says. “It would be like going to a comedy show today and holding your laugh until the very end of the show.”

Another cultural difference is that GenY grew up in front of a television set watching the music videos on MTV and VH1, where dance moves and scenes matched artists’ musical works. Maybe the culture of classical music will change if audiences are allowed to dance along to the music of the New York Philharmonic.

C Music Television is trying to do just that, offering classical music videos. A television channel focused on classical and film music, C Music TV broadcasts music videos of musicians holding see-through violins with flowing curtains in the background and young men that appear to have come out of a One Direction style band passionately playing their cellos. Because of this form of presentation, the music channel recently won the Best Music Channel at Eutelsat TV Awards 2012 for “bringing classical music to a younger audience.”

In an NPR interview, “Classical Music Gets MTV Treatment,” Julian Rigamonti, the CEO of C Music Television, explained his motivation. “If you want to compete for the attention span of younger audiences particularly, it’s important to approach them on their own level. The pop music phenomenon has been around now for 25 years and there’s been a whole generation who understands it intrinsically.”

Another step in getting the younger audience interested in classical music would be to play contemporary music, like that of pop culture stars such as Lady Gaga and Rihanna, on classical instruments. Yut Chia and Jonathan Archer, a young subway musician duo, are often found playing modern popular music on their violins. While their playing sometimes causes the sounds of Vivaldi’s “Spring” to bounce around the station walls, the music that attracts much of the younger audience are drawn from the Billboard Top 100.

“Young musicians should combine the simple style of music that we sometimes play, a more modern style, with classical roots,” Archer, age 21, says. “Younger audiences could then get interested in where the classical music styles originally came from.”

Chia, age 19, enjoys the younger audience’s reaction to his subway performance. “People my age are more into rock and hip hop and pop, and when they see it on an instrument, they’re like ‘whoa,’” Chia says. “When I was playing Thunder, we once got these guys starting to dance and do some beat boxing along while everyone just enjoyed the show.”

Photo Courtesy of Devyn Rafols-Nunez

“We wouldn’t pay five bucks for a high end coffee shop, but I’m not paying for coffee,” said millennial Patrick Evans, who writes for the MediaPost.com blog, “Engage:Gen Y.” . “I’m paying for the community aspect with the cool atmosphere and being part of a society and a movement.”

In a 2009 study, psychologists at San Francisco University found that people were happier after they spent money on experiences rather than objects. This wasn’t the first time that a study has showed that buying tickets to a concert seemed to yield more lasting value than buying a new pair of shoes, but this idea has become increasingly prevalent with Generation Y.

Millenials have oft been described as “too materialistic” because they devour expensive products, such as all things Apple brand or because they choose to spend money on travel as opposed to savings. While these observations are valid, what they really prove is not that millennial don’t value the dollar, but rather that they value money in different ways than previous generations. . “Gen Y is a generation that values value,” writes Evans.  He first noted this when working at STA Travel, a global travel agency geared toward students and young adults, In a recent MediaPost.com article, he noted that he found that the Gen Y consumer is looking for  “value, clarity and the potential for happiness.” “They were looking more flexibility, more options and more transparent transactions. Not just hostels, but hostels with cool community spaces,” Evans said. “There’s a sense of sensibility and value authenticity.”

These were characteristics that he noticed not only from his job at STA, but through his own saving and spending habits.  “There’s’ a clear difference between what I was saving for after college and what I wanted versus what my parents saved for,” he said. “If I was saving money I wanted to travel or see something, where as my parents wanted to be able to put a down payment on a car or buy a house.”

As of last year both the number of millennial car owners and the number with a driver’s license had dropped, as has been recently reported in The Atlantic.  Megan Winter, a 22-year-old nursing student at Phillips Beth Israel School of Nursing, lives in Brooklyn and attends nursing school in Chelsea, and does not see herself learning to drive or owning an apartment, let alone a house, anytime soon.

“The thought of owning something as permanent as a car or a house just seems way too big and not ‘me,’”Winter explained. “If I wanted to spend a huge amount of money, I’d travel.”

Winter much prefers spending money on dining out or having drinks with friends, or other activities that involve people. The point? Winter, like other millennials, enjoys spending money on experiences that involve friends and or create long-lasting memories.

Part of the reason that millennials prefer spending money on experiences is because they are the first exemplifiers of a larger trend in a society that is less interested in buying “stuff.” In “Why Millennials Don’t Want to Buy Stuff.” Josh Dykstra, a member of the Young Entrepreneur Council, points to the generation’s “evolution in consciousness,” and the changing attitude toward ownership.

Technology is one of the first observable results of the change, something largely exemplified in the notion of the “cloud,” an entity brought up by Dykstra The days of photo albums, music albums and a Rolodex have been replaced by the cloud, where one can store and access everything important to their life, electronically.

Dykstra, in the article, explains that the large societal shift of de-materialization is a result of increased globalization and sharing of ideas leading to changing attitudes toward what is really valuable in a person’s life. “The trend is pretty clearly going towards people wanting more meaning from their worth and what we do with our money and with our time. Gen Y in particular is saying ‘no I’m not willing to make that trade,”” he said. “Why we’re seeing it in Gen Y is because they’re early adaptors who lead the innovation of ideas.”

Bloggers Gabi Gregg and Stella Boonshoft

Amid the madness of Black Friday, Columbia University senior Tina Rose tried her hardest to find a pair of jeans that went up higher than her mid-thighs.  She scurried through the fitting rooms of Macy’s, American Apparel and Zara, failing to find anything over a size 14.  Yet this young woman wasn’t discouraged; she knew that her goal could easily be met at several other stores.  As she stood outside Forever 21, a bold-lettered sign reading “plus-size” summoned her through the doors.

Rose, 21, has always struggled finding clothes that fit her size 18 frame.  She is “a fat girl in a skinny world,” to borrow the catch phrase of Marie Claire’s plus-size columnist Nicollete Mason.  “Finding a pair of pants that’d actually cover my butt in its entirety  was hell,” Rose said.  “I used to have to special order things online because I wasn’t about to give in and shop somewhere my grandma would go just to find some jeans.”

With images of Barbie dolls surrounding them since childhood, young girls grow up fastened to a skinny ideal.  More than 90 percent of teenage girls want to change something about the way they look, with body weight ranking the highest, according to a study done by the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty in 2006.  The average woman in America may be a size 14, but there are still 24 million diagnoses of eating disorders in the U.S., according to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD), 95 percent affecting women  between the ages of 12 and 26.  Being plus-size may be common, but it’s never been easy.

But plus-size GenY-ers like Rose have noticed some reassuring changes in recent years.  Where size 2 fashionistas used to be the norm and center of idolization, and the Internet a source of potential cyber-bullying, there are now several outlets embracing weight acceptance.  From plus-size role models who showcase their curves in front of cameras, to an explosion of plus-size fashions, to online support, plus-size GenY-ers are relishing the “more to love” body type and revealing a confidence never seen before.

“It’s like all of a sudden people stopped and said, ‘Hey, most women aren’t a size 4,’” said Rose.  “Plus-size women started blogging, wearing bikinis and modeling without being ashamed of how they look.”  This past summer, size 18 GenY fashion blogger Gabi Gregg of “Gabifresh,” started a ”fatkini” trend by posting photos of herself in a bikini on xoJane, a women’s lifestyle site.  Instantly, fatkini photos exploded online and have continued to do so, with positive coverage in publications like the Huffington Post, Marie Claire, inStyle and, of course, through the blogosphere.

Bloggers Ragini Nag Rao and Nicolette Mason

Other plus-size GenY bloggers like Ragini Nag Rao of “A Curious Fancy” and the size 12 N.Y.U. freshman Stella Boonshoft of the “BodyLoveBlog” have followed the lead, proudly showing off their stretch mark-clad bellies and celullitey bottoms, only to be met with instant celebredom and accolades from  young women worldwide.  Such bloggers, though they’ve received the occasional criticism from gym rats and nutritionists for “promoting obesity,” have been valuable inspirations to plus-size acceptance for this generation. “They are making a difference,” said Sheila Dicks, a Canada-based stylist and personal fashion coach.  “The idea that extra weight is unattractive is a belief dictated by society. When more women embrace their bodies’ shape and size, ideas and beliefs will change.”

Then there are the plus-size models themselves, and the stores that cater to them.  Back in 2010 French Elle put plus-size model Tara Lynn on the cover.  Vogue Italia followed suit in 2011 with its nude plus-size photo shoot that featured not one, but three plus-size supermodels on its cover.  Tara Lynn, Candice Huffine and Robyn Lawley (all GenY-ers over a size 12) were proudly rocking their birthday suits on the inside pages, decked out in burlesque apparel.  And in these past two years, youthful stores like Forever 21, ModCloth, ASOS and Charlotte Russe have marketed  plus-size lines.    “As women become more content with their bodies they need places to shop [so designers start adapting to that],” says Dicks.  While a few years ago it would’ve been difficult to find stylish clothes in anything over a 16, these stores are carrying items up to 4X and 24, allowing bigger girls to have a bigger variety than ever.

In addition to the celebrity plus-size role models and the fashionable clothes, the Internet also prvides  a newfound source of confidence for plus-size GenY-ers.  Iona Starr, a 29-year-old Scottish BBW (Big Beautiful Women) model who works for the online site Va-Va-Voom BBWs,  feels more confident than ever in her size 24 skin.  “Online you can chat and get to know other BBWs from chat rooms and forums who are in the same line of work,” she said.  “Your fans can come from all different countries [to see your site], and plus-size bloggers and columnists are doing fantastic articles on BBWs – how they feel and what they want.”

Forever 21′s Plus Size Line

Just as plus-size bloggers and plus-size columnists in magazines like Marie Claire and inStyle are embracing the thicker figure, authors are attempting to do the same in print.  Jeni Starr, the plus-size author of “The Plus Size Girl’s Guide to Plus Size Confidence,” wrote her book with the goal of helping larger ladies feel confident enough to allow themselves to be noticed.  Starr has extensively studied and researched topics of body image and weight, and thinks that though body issues are inevitable in any generation, GenY-ers are embracing curves more than any other age group.  “I believe that GenY’s plus-size popularity stems from its access to social media,” she said.  “You may have felt alone being plus-size a decade ago, but now you can do a quick search on Google to find people that speak to you and share your experience.”  With access to confidence-boosting blogs, and positive reviews, weight acceptance forums, Facebook pages dedicated to being plus-size and proud or images of models and celebrities sticking up for their curves, it’s easy to see where GenY-ers are finding their fat-spiration.

Even some  celebrities love being plus-size these days.  Adele, for one, has defended her voluptuous body time and time again, openly slamming Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld who called her “a little too fat” along with the tweeting bullies who suggested murdering her newborn son to save him from inevitable fatness.  Both Christina Aguilera and Kim Kardashian, who have also put on some weight, have become either spokespeople for “Big and Beautiful Dating” or started plus-size fashion lines of their own.

Of course, there are still critics, and these celebrities are constantly receiving negative backlash from haters, being called hypocritical fatties who only a few months ago were worried about dieting and fitting into size 0 skirts, and being blamed for the “unhealthy” pro-plus-size trend.  The renowned bariatric surgeon Dr. Carson Liu of Santa Monica, CA, has stated that weight acceptance is “disturbing” and told M&C news, “I cringe at knowing more and more people are accepting being fat, and doing it proudly.”

For every negative comment, however, there seems to be a dozen positive ones.  Christina and Kim fans have supported their new look.  Karl Lagerfeld has been torn apart on the Web and forced to apologize.  The Twitter troll who suggested killing Adele’s baby has deleted her account.  And Dr. Liu has received numerous e-mails expressing public distaste for his remarks.

Author Jeni Starr offered one piece of advice for those larger ladies who want to keep the pro-plus trend going strong and carrying on: “As plus-size women, I think it’s up to us to not let the idea of weight acceptance fade away. We need to keep being noticed and demanding fair treatment and respect. And we need to get out there and contribute positive things to the world.”

Katie’s  anxiety is shared by many  high school and college students who  are experiencing higher levels of anxiety than students of the Great Depression, according to a 2010 study done by Jean Twenge, author of “Generation Me,” at San Diego State University. Loss of breath, rapid heart rate, dizziness, blurred vision: for the many members of Generation Y who suffer from anxiety these aren’t the symptoms of a medical emergency, but daily occurrences

But anxiety doesn’t just strike at night. Though Katie found a method of coping with the late-night stress, she has sought help from a therapist, as well as her family and friends to deal with severe panic attacks and other symptoms of her anxiety. (Katie, and the other Gen Yers interviewed will only be identified by first name to protect their privacy.)

Lisa Schab, a psychotherapist and author of “The Anxiety Workbook for Teens,” has found that the best way to deal with anxiety and its symptoms varies from one person to another, but there are two basic methods she advises for anyone. “The main coping skills I teach to teens or adults are to work with your thoughts and your breath– two tools that fortunately, everyone already has,” she said. “It’s just a matter of learning how to use them to help you.”

However Schab has noticed some differences among how Gen Yers handle their anxiety compared to previous generations. “I see an overall greater intolerance for ‘normal’ feelings of discomfort or anxiety. These kids have been raised in a ‘quick-fix’ ‘drive-through’ society where there is a huge emphasis on immediate gratification,” she said. But rarely is there a “quick-fix” for anxiety.

Schab describes a uniquely negative outlook within Generation Y. “The world appears to be a scarier and less stable place than it did a generation or two ago. Kids don’t see the world as trusting and positive of a place as much as they used to,” she said.

This may partially explain why all three types of anxiety tend to begin during early adulthood. The most common is Generalized Anxiety Disorder, characterized by a near constant, non-specific worrying or fear. GAD has a median age of onset in the early twenties, according to a study conducted by the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology.

Also common is Social Anxiety Disorder, which tends to begin in the mid to late teens, and differs from GAD in that the constant source of worry is being judged by others, embarrassed, or other social concerns. Another type is Panic Disorder, with a median age of onset of 23, it causes people to experience panic attacks. Much of GenY is currently within this age range, when the most common anxiety disorders often begin.

Nicole, a 19-year-old Towson University student, developed anxiety in mid-October after a breakup. Her anxiety peaks when she feels a loss of control and begins to imagine worst-case scenarios. She uses a few methods of avoiding such thoughts. “I try to keep busy and focus on positive thoughts, but sometimes it’s literally impossible to get rid of the anxiety and I just have to deal with it,” she said.

After her anxiety first started, Nicole met with a Towson University therapist, and has seen the same therapist a few times. She also copes by talking to close friends and her mother, who has suffered from anxiety herself, on the phone everyday. “It helps to talk to people and explain to them exactly what I’m feeling,” she said. Soon, however, Nicole plans to see a psychiatrist and get an official diagnosis, which may lead to prescribed medication.

In addition to anti-anxiety medications and antidepressants, recommended courses of treatment include cognitive behavioral therapy, which helps to change thought patterns and behaviors.  Some millenials have, through trial and error, devised their own methods. Timothy, now a 22-year-old marketing director, found a different solution to the social anxieties he developed in middle school, when he was bullied for being overweight. His anxious feelings made him uncomfortable around others and caused him to avoid people and new situations, which he now regrets. “I feel like I missed out on some major experiences because of it,” he said.

Though he did go through counseling to cope with these feelings, the best outlet for Timothy came through participating in high school football and basketball teams. “Sports helped me out so much. It got me in shape and I was a good player, which boosted my self esteem,” he said, “It also helped me become more social in that I had something in common with my teammates.”

Looking to bring that social experience online, Salomon Ptasevich founded Anxiety Social Net earlier this year. A social network for people suffering from anxiety, ASN is intended to help people share their experiences and feel less lonely.  There are already thousands of users on the site from diverse ages and backgrounds who can make profiles and add each other as friends, similar to Facebook.

Ptasevich decided to start Anxiety Social Net after searching for a website to help deal with his own GAD and social anxieties, and feeling dissatisfied with the results. “I looked for a site where I could learn from others’ experiences and talk one on one,” he said. “All I found was forums that were really impersonal for my taste.” On ASN, users can share their current state through an emotion chart and write diary posts to be seen by other members. One of the most popular features is a Q&A service where users can ask questions to be answered by others.

Soon Ptasevich will launch a new therapist program for the site. This will allow therapists to pay a monthly fee to belong to ASN so that users looking for one can see more about them, and choose a local therapist that they feel would be a good fit.  “Peer-to-peer support is great but we want to give more value to our users, and give them the chance to choose a therapist socially,” Ptasevich said.

Therapy is one of the treatment options for anxiety, and though there is little research available on the success of specific treatments, fewer than one-third of GAD sufferers treated with psychotherapy relapsed within the first 6-12 months post-treatment. This is a much lower rate of relapse compared to other forms of treatment, according to the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology.

Alexandra, a student at the University of Southern California, hasn’t sought professional help for her anxiety, but she is interested in trying it. Until then, she copes through frequent exercise including running, weight training, and yoga. “It keeps me in the present and promotes awareness of my body,” she said, “I’ve become a fitness junkie because of my anxiety.”

The theater and forensics major also speaks with her friends and family frequently about how she feels, and tries to control her own anxious thoughts. “Anxiety is an every day, every hour type of struggle. I practice internally talking myself down. It’s been helping a lot,” Alexandra said, “I still struggle with anxiety everyday, but it’s something I’m slowly learning to control.”

Mom and Dad aren’t always the most reliable sources of career advice. (courtesy Millennial Marketing)

Mother and Father may know best, but they don’t always make the wisest career mentors. Landing a first job in 2012, where the unemployment rate for Gen Y (aged 16-34) is 13.1 percent, requires a vastly different strategy than their Baby Boomer parents experienced decades ago.

Hannah Orenstein, a sophomore journalism major at New York University, found that her parents’ post-grad experiences are a far cry from her expectations. As computer science majors, both of her parents graduated college during the boom of the computer industry in the early 1980s and walked straight into jobs in their field. While her parents want to offer help, they don’t recognize how changed the 21st century job market is. “[My mom] tells me all the time that she made $40,000 her first year out of college. I know journalism majors making half of that their first year out of college – and that’s if they’re lucky enough to find a job at all,” Orenstein says.

They’re also out of touch with the steps Orenstein must take to gain an edge over competition. As a sophomore in college, she has already held four internships, worked as a staff writer at her college paper, and run her own blog. The more experience, the better, though her parents don’t seem to understand that her labor is free. “I recently sent my parents a cover letter I had written to apply for an editorial internship at a magazine. My mom sent it back to me with the word ‘internship’ crossed out and changed to ‘PAID position. Sorry, Mom, that’s not how it works!” Orenstein says.

Still, Orenstein finds her parents to be beneficial in other parts of career advice, like proofreading her cover letters and editing her resume. Many millennials also rely on Mom and Dad for help with finding work. Nearly 40 percent of Gen Y indicated their primary mentor is their parent, according to a recent survey from Gen Y consulting firm, Millennial Branding and StudentAdvisor.com, an online student resource center.

Dan Schawbel, Gen Y workplace and career expert and Managing Partner at Millennial Branding, finds the practice of going to parents for career counseling troubling. “If you rely on only your parents for career mentoring, then you aren’t getting all the perspectives and information needed in order to make a good decision,” said Schawbel in a recent Business Insider article. A good relationship does not a good mentorship make, he says. Parents cannot be solely relied upon because they’re too close. In this respect, they can’t give their children all perspectives and information, or give them their unbiased opinion.

Another reason parents may not offer solid career advice is because they often come from entirely different job sectors than their children aspire to, which limits their expertise. N.Y.U. junior Katharine Francis is enrolled in the Gallatin School of Individualized Studies, where she focuses on sexual orientation and gender inequality and aspires to be a midwife.

Her parents, who work in education, have a difference in career experience that limits their assistance. They are ideal sources for figuring out necessary pre-requisite classes, editing internship applications, and teaching efficient work habits, but advice ends there. Even though they are supportive of her goals, Francis doesn’t expect them to give her concrete career advice in the same way they can to her two older brothers who are pursuing traditional business-related jobs. “We have a great relationship, but it feels like I’m speaking another language when I am describing the post-grad path I need to take,” she says.

Today’s young adults also have different professional goals than their parents. A stable, well-paying desk job isn’t for everyone: several studies show that Millennials value a fulfilling job over a steady salary at a long-term position. This can conflict with their parents’ ideals of job security. Janelle Sadarananda, a senior at the University of Richmond, has a different idea of her post-grad plans than her parents. A classical civilization major, minoring in archaeology and women, gender, and sexuality studies, she plans to get a PhD in archaeology. From there, her dream is to work as a classical archaeologist or museum curator. Her mother, an employee of the Pennsylvania state government, has a different idea.

“My mom thinks that I should be looking for a job with the federal government, specifically the state department, in order to earn money until I go to grad school, but I would really prefer to look for jobs or internships at museums, or at least for jobs that are more congruent with my academic interests,” Sadarananda says. “And maybe she is hoping that my hypothetical government job straight out of college will be so fulfilling that I forget about archaeology.”

Though her parents have been supportive once she made her career goals clear, she says there is still tension. She wants a challenging, exciting job that makes her feel like she is contributing to her field and to society. Her parents would prefer something financially stable; like many of her peers, predictable and “boring” are the last things Sadarananda desires out of a job.

Sadarananda’s parents are still supportive and offer help on general issues, but she’s learned that the chasm in values doesn’t make them the best sources when it comes to career mentoring. “At this point, my professors are my best resource for career advice, since my field is fairly specialized,” she says.

Another criticism of parent mentors is that their opinions are not unbiased when it comes to their children. While professionals can offer unbiased opinions, parents are in the position to give the most tailored assessments. Still, Gen Y should take that ‘tailored’ advice with a grain of salt, keeping in mind that parental biases can be misleading.

Sarah Nguyen, 22, a recent journalism graduate of N.Y.U., works at a Dallas-based media company. She says her close relationship with her parents is why she trusts their advice so much.

“My parents have seen me at worst and at my best for the last 22 years, so it’s safe to say that they know me best. They’re both in their 50s, so I know it sounds cheesy but they really have always been the oldest mentors and role models in my life.”

Nguyen highly values her parents’ professional experiences for guidance through every stage of her professional journey, from reading cover letters for first internships, to answering questions about her salary, benefits, and 401k for her first post-grad job.

Laura Schildkruat, director of Onboarding Gen Y, a Seattle-based career consulting firm for millennials and their employers, says parents as mentors aren’t always a bad thing. However, they shouldn’t be used as a sole source of advice.

She encourages job-seeking young adults to “take advice from any and all adults they respect. Some parents may be able to help more than others. It depends upon the parent’s scope of experience and network in relation to what his/her child is interested in.” It’s unrealistic to assume that Gen Y will work with a professional instead of their parents when it comes to career counseling, Schildkraut says.

Forbes career blogger J. Maureen Henderson urges Gen Y to seek professionals’ advice. “There is certainly a wealth of career guidance out there and instead of waiting for it to be hand-delivered to them from the most accessible sources, students need to do the legwork to seek out the advice, the mentorship and the connections that support their career goals,” she says.

While parents don’t need to be shunned completely, in the game of career counseling, they’re better in the specific role of the number one fan than the coach. Henderson says, “Mentors are more than cheerleaders. As well-meaning as they might be, most parents aren’t equipped to fill this role for their own offspring.”

Like many other GenYers, when Balkan wants advice and recommendations she relies on more than just friends and family. Her network spans the globe. While seeking advice from a large group of people rather than one source, or trusting in the wisdom of the crowd, is not unique GenY, this age group has expanded the “crowd” to include the virtual world, where everyone has an opinion. . GenY relies heavily on those opinions for helpful recommendations on everything from shopping to business start-up ideas, more so than older generations

GenY was raised with values of teamwork, creativity and positive affirmation, which are all key features of the wisdom of the crowd.  “GenY is a generation born with Intel inside,” says Sara Bamossy, a marketing expert and group-planning director of Saatchi & Saatchi public relations firm  “They’re just used to using social networks as a shortcut to find information.”

The wisdom of the crowd extends to personal music preferences. Chris Mooney, head of artist promotions at TuneCore, one of the highest revenue-generating music catalogues in the world, explains that GenY simply loves to share their own opinions. “While GenY tends to focus on individuality, they also love to share that individualism with their peers, making it nearly impossible to escape the music interest of others,” Mooney says. Which is why so many apps, like Pandora, rely on the wisdom of the crowd to function.

“[The apps] offer the unpredictability of the radio but also ask for listeners’ input, creating a listening experience that is random yet personalized, appealing to their penchant for customized and intelligent technologies,” he says. Mooney explains that Pandora becomes more “intelligent” based on listener feedback. Users can click a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” to indicate songs they like or dislike, and Pandora will take that into account, more frequently playing “popular” rated songs in the future.

The benefits of the wisdom of the crowd extend to academics, as well. StudyBlue is a new site that creates a network connecting students studying a particular subject at a particular time of day, so they study together online and benefit from bouncing ideas off one another.

Becky Splitt, CEO of StudyBlue, says that the wisdom of the crowd is effective, because it is inclusive. GenY wants its opinion to count. “When students know their presence matters, they will participate,” she says. “They will give feedback and create an opportunity to reply and discuss and argue and create.”

She also agrees that the accessibility of a wide range of responses draws student users into the site. “When we use a network, the most important asset we get is access to one another,” she says.

In fact, there’s even an app for the wisdom of the crowd. Dr. Scott Testa, a professor at Cabrini College and marketing expert, recently used “Thumb,” the wisdom of the crowd app, to ask the masses if they thought that his latest business project idea was worth pursuing.

“Within a day, I had great feedback and a pretty good idea I was on to something of significance,” he says. Dr. Testa says that the ability to tap into a “large and specialized audience” simply did not exist 10 or 15 years ago.

He says that while this idea of using the wisdom of the crowd to fuel important decisions is something considered “common” to GenY, it is a novelty to his older generation, but something he values and appreciates.

“I think we take for granted how powerful these networks are,” he says. “It’s quite frankly interesting that you can have these people around the world to tap in to voice an opinion.”

And as our networks continue to expand, one could wonder where this wisdom of the crowd will lead us in future years. Ms. Bamossy, marketing expert, says that while there will be a surplus of information; it will continue to prove beneficial.

“The most truly creative people are the ones who most freely give knowledge away. They are confident that they will have more ideas and are rewarded by the contribution of new ideas from the people they inspire,” she says.

Photo courtesy of Career Girl Network.

Blame it on Barbie. She has it all: successful career, active social life, and good looks. She’s been a doctor, an astronaut and even a president, yet maintains an enviable – if unrealistic – figure at the same time. Barbie is the plastic embodiment of a perfectionist’s dreams.

Barbie is just one representation of the unprecedented possibilities for women today. But millennial women are becoming their own worst enemies. Gen Y women tend to hear “can do” as “must do.” And, not only must they do everything, but do it perfectly, just like Barbie.

Perfectionism isn’t always a bad thing. It can have its perks. Several studies show that perfectionism affects drive and determination to meet personal, social, academic, and career goals. But, the dark side of perfectionism can cause depression, anxiety, and stress.

Starting in 2008, Barbara Kelley, a journalism professor at Santa Clara University, noticed an increase in unhappiness and dissatisfaction in her students. She began receiving emails from distressed former students asking for advice. They had great jobs, nothing was particularly wrong about their lives, she said, but some were unsatisfied and didn’t know what to do next. Kelley suspected that they were overwhelmed by the array of choices and opportunities.

“The niece of a friend once confided she sometimes wished she’d been born into a world where everything from spouse to career was chosen for her,” Kelley wrote in an op-ed on the situation for the Christian Science Monitor.

Her daughter, Shannon, then just out of college, realized the topic was ripe for exploration, with enough information for a book. Together, they wrote “Undecided: How To Ditch The Endless Quest for Perfect and Find the Career – and Life – That’s Right For You” and formed a corresponding blog in 2011.

“There’s a constant state of stress and the sense that no matter what they’re doing, it’s not good enough,” says Barbara Kelley. She attributes the stress to new pressures placed on the generation, saying they’ve “been raised on a treadmill.”

“From the time they’re very young it’s been about resume building. Get into the right school, have tutors if you’re not doing A level work, get into the best soccer team or the traveling softball team, the best high school, the best college,” she says.

Additionally, Kelley believes young women feel increased pressure because of the opportunities they are presented with that weren’t available before. She says that based on psychological studies of decision making, more options means a greater belief that one of the choices must be “the right fit.” Finding that no option – whether it’s a job, school, or spouse – can realistically be perfect makes disappointment inevitable.

Disappointment isn’t only found in professional pursuits, but in appearances, too. For Gen Y women, the challenge of doing it all has now come to include looking good while doing it.

With an all-or-nothing mentality, perfectionists are often at risk for developing eating disorders or negative body image

Nearly 92 percent of teen girls would like to change something about the way they look. Seventy-five percent feel depressed and guilty after spending just three minutes leafing through a fashion magazine, according to the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, a division of skincare brand Dove aimed at inspiring confidence and self-acceptance in women.

After discovering that 70 percent of girls will avoid normal daily activities, such as going to school, if they don’t feel good about the way they look, New York University senior Lauren Berninger decided to combat the pressure to be flawless.

Berninger is the founder and director of Finding the Fabulous, an annual summer camp and monthly outreach program to help girls ages eight to twelve struggling with self-esteem and confidence to find their inner beauty and build confidence.

The camp is partially inspired by recognitions of her own problems. A self-described perfectionist, Berninger says she let the fear of being perfect held her back.

“Nothing I ever did was good enough, I was never doing enough. I was always doubting myself and never really wanting to celebrate my accomplishments. That really prevented me from trying new things, because anything I wasn’t going to be perfect at, I was not going to do,” she says.

Her program aims to combat the ideal of beauty fueled by the media and intervene with a younger generation to keep them from following in Gen Y’s footsteps on quests to achieve unachievable perfect lives.

NYU journalism and women’s studies professor Carol Sternhell also notices the increased pressure for women to look perfect today.

“Young women today are obsessed with being beautiful, being thin, with being groomed everywhere,” she says. “There’s a sense that you have to look like a model and you have to be performing at a high level in a career and eventually you have to have a family.”

Sternhell thinks this pressure leads to increased anxiety that destroys the pleasure of high achievements. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to look good, have a great career, and a great family life.

“It’s just that if you feel that you have to have it all at a very high level, I worry that the anxiety destroys the pleasure,” she says.

However, aside from beauty ideals, Sternhell sees perfectionism as an isolated problem, not a generational one. The pressures aren’t new, just different. For the most part, things are better for women today, Sternhell argues, not worse, compared to the past where women’s choices were limited.

“It’s good to do it all – but you don’t have to do it all at these neurotic levels. You don’t have to be the most famous dancer or the President of the United States or whatever field you’re in. You don’t have to be the pinnacle. You can just have a decent career.”