Growing up, I was a huge consumer of media, and all you heard about this generation was that we were lazy, entitled, narcissistic, very promiscuous and the demise of the future.
But when I looked around at my friends, all in a public school in South Florida, I saw something very different: everyone was hungry for success, and so eager to go to college.
I didn’t see peers that were lazy, entitled and narcissistic. I saw people who were entrepreneurial, incredibly philanthropic, very liberal and really hard-working.
So at 16, I created a radio show called Teen Talk Live—think The View gone Millennial—and pitched it to Clear Channel Radio in South Florida.
Other opportunities grew from there.
- When I was 18, my mom and I put together our first family mission trip on behalf of feminine hygiene care.
- We went to Nairobi, Kenya for almost three weeks and distributed hundreds of thousands of feminine hygiene products to women in need, which was coupled by an educational effort about the menstrual cycle.
- I put together a four-part docu-series, and then U by Kotex tapped me to be their Millennial spokesperson.
That led me into the branding world.
I loved the impact that working with brands has when I talk about how to market to Millennials, trying to get people to understand what makes this generation tick.
Millennials are the generation of the future. And we are also here and now.
We are the largest population in the United States. Companies have to revamp what worked 10 years ago, because it’s not going to work today or tomorrow.
There is no one-size-fits-all description for the Millennial woman.
Old, cookie-cutter descriptions of men and women’s roles no longer apply.
Millennial women get to pursue whatever passion or desire they want, because we have the means to do so today.
Thanks to technology we have a lot more resources to take advantage of.
The Millennial woman is more confident than ever, and she has more of a voice than she ever did have in the past.
We have more of the determination to be entrepreneurial because we have cheerleaders, too.
There are no longer taboos about women working, and we have more supporters.
We’re experiencing a resurgence of the feminist movement in our own time.
It’s not necessarily taking off our bras and rallying down the streets, but it is being led by women like Sophia Amoruso, author of #GIRLBOSS and founder of the Nasty Gal clothing Empire.
People like Beyonce, Sheryl Sandberg and Hillary Clinton are totally breaking down gender barriers.
Those are the women that are really inspiring the Millennial woman.
The ultimate Millennial woman doesn’t let her gender hold her back whatsoever.
She’s badass.
How Millennial women are redefining motherhood, continue reading
– Chelsea Korst is a TV and radio host, host of the #MillennialTalk Twitter chat, and a Millennial branding expert who helps companies understand the lifestyle and values of our generation.
Additional readingNews category: Analysis and Comment.