Move over, Millennials. A new generation is pushing its way onto the scene. Born between 1995 and 2010, the oldest members of Gen Z turn 24 years old this year and are making their presence known in the workforce.
I’m a member of Gen X raising children of Gen Z, and while some generational generalizations can be unfair, overly broad and too sweeping, the core principle of this generation caught my eye while reading a McKinsey & Co. report. (You didn’t know that this intrepid Purple Guinea Pig was such a fancy-pants researcher, did you?).
“The core of Gen Z is the idea of manifesting individual identity,” the report states.
Manifesting individual identity? Sounds Princely, I thought. Tell me more, McKinsey consultants. I’m all ears (adorned with my crescent moon ear wraps).
I really like things that are unisex! I think it’s absurd that stores and brands split everything into “male” and “female.” After all,
—Female respondent to McKinsey & Co. survey, 22, Goiânia, Brazil
Sound like someone we know?
The report’s authors continue: “For Gen
Prince became an identity nomad in 1993. You could say he spent seven years in the identity wilderness as the Love Symbol (there is something to those seven-year cycles, isn’t there?). The report goes on to state that Gen
“Gen
Something tells me that if Prince had been a member of Gen Z, his peers would hardly have blinked an eye when he became the Love Symbol. As it was, back in the Dark Ages of 1993, people judged and ridiculed him.
So far, Gen Z is shaping up to be one impressive generation. I don’t know how much credit Gen X can take, but I am proud of how we’ve raised them.
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