Meghan Markle Doesn’t Want Anyone Retouching Her Freckles

Millennials And Gen Z Are Both Living In A Digital Age

Millennials grew up during a time when the digital age didn't exist, but we watched it unfold and change the way the world communicates. The internet launched in 1993 and connected people to each other in a way no one could've expected (via NPR).

I remember when MySpace, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LTK, Snapchat, and more popular apps launched — literally started from the beginning. Growing during as the digital age became what we know it as today, I can confidently say that Millennials and Gen Z are still finding our footing with all of the technology — and constant connection — at our disposal.

We both watched as social media and the algorithm change the way we think. We saw the rise of content creators and heavy politicized messages filtered to us. We doom scrolled and curated and shared and liked and kept trying to find the balance that would finally feel just right.

We're all in this very online experience together at the end of the day.

Millennials And Gen Z Value Flexibility

Going from my 20sto my 30s has seriously made me realize the flexibility I crave as a Millennial. It seems like I was born to look at certain parts of traditional ideals and go, "That's not going to work for me." It's even more evident now that I'm older and have found that my approach to my career and family life doesn't completely match what I was taught. And it's not that different for Gen Z either — check it out!

Approach To Careers

Over 80% of both Millennials and Gen Z believe it's important to work somewhere that gives us a sense of purpose. According to Deloitte, both generations also value work/life balance that doesn't require us to pretend that we don't have a life or other obligations outside of our jobs.

As a mom, this was one of the biggest issues I faced because I realized how much society doesn't make room for working parents. The amount of times I heard a random stranger say, "Parents should plan for one person to be at home" as if that solves the problem is ridiculous.

Whether we have families to raise, hobbies to juggle, or anything in between, it's clear that Millennials and Gen Z crave balance in their careers.

Views Of The Nuclear Family

Speaking of motherhood, I like to think Millennials and Gen Z aren't so different when it comes to our perspective of the nuclear family. Studies via Pew Research Center show we're not as judgmental about single-parent homes than prior generations, and that only 44% of Millennials were married in 2019.

This idea that families are supposed to look a certain way in order to be legit is something Millennials and Gen Z continue to raise their eyebrows at — and even scoffed at — but not because we don't value family. We're just less likely to stress ourselves out believing we're failing or behind because we don't have or want the traditional nuclear family model. Both generations approach relationships and family on our own terms.

Millennials And Gen Z Gravitate Towards The Same Pop Culture

Did you know almost half of Millennials love listening to music in our spare time (via Spotify), while 43% of Gen Z loves to stream it (via EMarketer) as well? It seems like music still makes the world go around.

Besides that, Millennials and Gen Z are still the driving force behind what's considered in or out in pop culture. Gen Z is usually regarded as being tastemakers on TikTok, but reporting from Ad Newsshows that Millennials are "...2.3 times more likely to be the ones fueling this online content engine by posting videos and tagging brands."

Basically, we're both moving the pop culture needle forward, consuming and driving the trends across platforms! So remind me, how different are we again?

Millennials And Gen Z Value Diversity And Inclusivity

I grew up during a time where certain internal biases were stated as facts and it was always handful of weird pills to swallow. I couldn't understand why I'd hear "Love thy neighnor" in church only to watch some of the same people blatantly treat the LGBTQ+ community in hellish ways. We could talk about what's in the Bible all day long, but I've never been a fan of picking and choosing who's worthy of being treated with love and respect.

It's clear I'm not the only one who rejects those notions, though. First of all, more young adults are identifying as queer than ever. In 2022, 19.7% of Gen Z and 11.2% of Millennials identified as part of the LGBT community compared to 3.3% of Generation X and 2.7% of Baby Boomers (Gallup).

Outside of sexual identity, there's also the racial aspect of how accepting Millennials and Gen Z are. According to reporting from Built In, 48% of Gen Z are racially diverse, and Millennials are 19% more racially diverse than Baby Boomers. This leads me to believe that both generations know that the world doesn't look a singular way — and therefore respect and understand that diversity even more than previous generations.

These shared qualities and values are just another way that Gen Z and Millennials are more similar than they are different at the end of the day. But in the ways we are different — well both generations would know how to celebrate that diversity, now wouldn't they? 😉

Millennials And Gen Z Aren't Fans Of Injustice

Compared to prior generations, Millennials and Gen Z have found ways to speak out against injustice. Both generations believe that systemic racism is still an issue in society (via Forbes) with 92% of Gen Z willing to be a part of public protests (via Oliver Wyman Forum). Despite the higher number of Gen Z that are actively participating in protests, Millennials have changed their tune.

Social justice organization, Points of Light discovered that 50% more of Millennials believe in civic engagement now that we're living in a post-pandemic era, which isn't hard to believe. We're in the midst of a great political, racial, and social reckoning that's causing more younger people to speak up than before.

A part of me is keeping hope alive that this Millennials vs. Gen Z debate doesn't take away from all of the ways we can align to continue changing outdated ideals and policies. It seems like together, we can create a positive change in the world around us.

Cindy Belardo, 26, and Drew Jarvis, 23, might have come up with the Sunny Cup from opposite sides of the country, but both knew they needed to find a solution for traditional menstrual cups that just weren’t meeting their respective needs.

“I had not learned about menstrual cups before, and was so intrigued,” said Belardo. “But, the learning curve was something that was not ideal for me, and I really wanted to make it work. I knew that others would run into the same problem.”

Menstrual cups were downright frustrating to use.

“When I went to try menstrual cups, I was a little bit intimidated, but I was very willing to at least give it a shot. I spent an hour in the bathroom trying to put it in. I was laughing and crying, like “what the hell is this thing?” said Jarvis. “I ultimately realized, there's not really been much innovation with a period cup in years.”

That’s why they’re not only providing better solutions with Sunny, but working toward a more sustainable, more effective, and overall more inclusive approach to periods.

One menstruator will use an average of 9,120 tamponsor pads in their lifetime. More often than not, these single-use products (which are 90% plastic, BTW) end up in landfills, taking anywhere from 500 to 800 years to decompose, though plastic never truly decomposes.

In addition to the raw materials used to make tampons and pads themselves, manufacturing practices suck up energy and water sources, contributing to carbon emissions.

Menstrual cups can be reused for up to a decade with a lot less of an impact on the environment, but a very slim percentage of menstruators are actually using them. The Sunny Cup is reusable for up to a year, replacing an average of 225 tampons that one person can potentially use per year.

“I mean, billions of pads are going into landfills. You're not supposed to flush them, obviously, but people do,” said Jarvis. “After five years of prototyping, research, and development, we finally came up with a design that we feel will help beginner menstrual cup users switch to this really cool, sustainable option that saves you money and saves disposables from going into landfills.”

There’s a bias for tampons and pads because they offer convenience at the tear of a wrapper – but convenience isn't the only factor driving it. Many menstruators simply do not have the luxury of choice when it comes to period products.

This fact became a reality for Belardo in 2018 when she began working with menstruators in India through a research grant. Her team had the opportunity to survey 200 first-time menstrual cup users on their experience with the device.

“One important takeaway was the taboo around periods and the female body. That was not unique to the individuals we surveyed in India – it's here in the US and globally,” said Belardo. “It became very apparent that period poverty is a worldwide issue that needs to be addressed.”

Medical News Today defines period poverty as “the social, economic, political, and cultural barriers to menstrual products, education, and sanitation.” It’s estimated that 500 millionmenstruators around the world lack proper access to a few or all three of these things. Though not exclusively tied to a specific demographic, period poverty is most commonly present in low income, impoverished, and food insecure communities.

“Unfortunately, [period poverty] is everywhere. I think we don't really realize that where there's food insecurity, there’s poverty,” said Jarvis. “That can be in any community. You may not know those people are dealing with those circumstances.”

Period poverty can put a lot of stress on menstruators, depending on their situation. For those without proper access to period products, scarcity can cause physical stress. For those living in poverty, affording period products in the first place can cause financial stress. For those shamed for having a period, the embarrassment can cause emotional stress.

“When you don't have access to period products, a lot of young menstruators will miss school, which is driving a gap in education, and then ultimately leading into a gap in income for people with periods, which is disproportionately women, and is even more challenging for women menstruators of color,” expressed Jarvis. “Of course, that's no place that we should be living in.”

Societal stigmas and myths surrounding menstruation further the divide between menstruators and access to period-related resources. The belief that periods are gross, unnatural, or perverted comes from a lack of education and understanding, according to Belardo.

“We understand that periods are a bodily process that have been punished, stigmatized, and shamed by society, and we committed to educating and working with our community to co-create solutions to unmet needs,” said Belardo. “The only way we are going to see change is if we can shift society's understanding.”

Sunny is combatting period poverty in the states and abroad by simply normalizing periods. In addition to their menstrual cup, they’ve created a graphic novel for young people that aims to educate about periods. They continue to have candid conversations surrounding periods, sexual health, and period poverty through their social media channels. Sunny is also dedicated to donating products and resources to those who need them through Period.org, a non-profit that advocates for menstruators.

In addition to these things, Jarvis and Belardo are ensuring their efforts with Sunny are oriented towards menstruators of all backgrounds in order to serve the community at large.

“It's vital to openly combat the stigma associated with our bodies in order to advocate and sustain our community's mental health. Part of that is being inclusive,” said Belardo. “Truly including everyone in this conversation, cis and trans men, cis and trans women, non-binary folks, menstruators and non-menstruators, lower-income countries and higher-income countries, people of color, et cetera, so that we can normalize our bodies.”

“We've had people get frustrated by that at times. But the reality is, we're a period care company, and we are addressing people with periods and we're not going to exclude anyone from that,” said Jarvis. “We knew that it was going to be political because we wanted to include everybody with a period. We realized that while we are passionate about earth-friendly products, inclusive education, and global impact, we were always going to be more than just a period product.”

I believe that practically everyone has had their own personal "Channing Tatum awakening" at one point or another. For me, that came in 2006 when he starred as Tyler Gage, alongside Jenna Dewan as Nora Clark, in Step Up. What's hotter than a troubled, handsome, and surprisingly talented hip-hop dancer falling in love with a ballerina? I rest my case.

That's why it was thrilling to find out the pair began dating in real life and tied the knot on July 11, 2009. But then, after having a daughter together, Channing and Jenna announced they were getting separated in 2018, and plenty of fans were devastated.

Their divorce was reportedly only finalized in September 2024. Regardless, that hasn't stopped 44-year-old Channing from getting back out on the market.

First, on October 30, 2023, the news broke that he'd gotten engaged to Zoë Kravitz, an American actress and filmmaker most well-known for her portrayal of Catwoman in The Batman and directing Blink Twice, which also starred Channing as Slater King.

Yet, one year later, in October 2024, Channing and Zoë called off their engagement and split up after spending three years together. Since then, the actor has seemingly begun seeing a younger model, 25-year-old Inka Williams.

Channing and Inka attended a pre-Oscars party hosted by the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) at The Living Room in Los Angeles on February 28. They've also been seen together around town. One source confirmed the pair were "seeing" each other when speaking to People after reportedly meeting through mutual friends.

"She's great. She has her own life. She's young but seems older," the source said of Inka.

"Channing's doing well. [Inka] makes him happy. He's reuniting with Zoë later this spring for another movie project. It shouldn't be too awkward; they ended things on okay terms."

Inka, who was born in Melbourne, Australia, and raised in Bali, Indonesia, is signed to IMG, a top global modeling agency. She previously said that her childhood in Bali shaped her into a "very compassionate person," and she later moved to London to grow her career.

In addition to modeling, the 25-year-old also launched her own fashion brand, known as She Is I, in 2019. Her mother often made her clothing when she was a young girl, and she viewed the business venture as a way to continue her mom's "legacy in design and bring back to life her amazing relations from the '90s."

"I always knew one day I would try my best to create those timeless pieces from her wardrobe! I still wear the pieces she made and wore through the '80s, '90s, and 2000s," Inka wrote on her brand's website.

Channing and Inka both have yet to comment on public speculation about their supposed relationship. Nonetheless, she did post a story from the beach on her Instagram @inkawilliams, with the words "I love you" written on top of the sand.