Trauma has shaped the millennial way of life, through the lifetimes of a large portion of millennials, the attacks of September 11th, Hurricane Katrina, the Great Recession and the Iraq War unfolded right before the eyes of Generation Y, forever shaping their views of the world (Tanenhaus). I see myself as a perfect example of a millennial shaped by this trauma. In the summer of 2012, I visited Paris days before the French Independence Day, Bastille Day. While walking through the city, the sudden sound of low flying aircraft caused my American group to stop in our tracks. As my heart pounded, I reluctantly willed myself to look up in the sky, only to see military jets practicing a maneuver for the celebration in the coming days. While I was only four at the time of attacks of 9/11, the images of the burning buildings are forever implanted in my mind from seeing the news on that fateful day. Traumatic events such as that have shaped not only my life, but the life of the millennial generation as a …show more content…
In 2011, millennials sought to challenge the tight grip of the corporate world by beginning the Occupy Wall Street Movement (Tanenhaus). Movements such as these and the generation’s unwillingness to settle for corporate employment make millennials ever powerful in the economy. As consumers, Generation Y has changed the way society buys products, especially clothing. Millennials tend to look past the advertisements for luxurious fashion brands and instead purchase organic, lesser-known products (Tanenhaus). Millennial consumerism has also changed food corporations, as the generation is more conscious as to what they are putting in their body. While established food corporations have flourished under the rule of baby boomers and Generation X’ers, millennials’ health conscious style of living has noticeably transformed the way society sees food. New restaurant chains, such as Silver Diner, have begun to cater to the nutritionally aware generation by implementing menus that specifically target vegan/vegetarian individuals, as well as those on specific diets