10 20-Something Stereotypes That This 24-Year-Old Can’t Relate To

1. We’re supposedly going out for brunch every weekend.

I don’t know what television show you think I’m living in, but between paying bills, working 40 hours a week, and constantly trying out new ways of time-management, the last thing I find myself doing on a Saturday morning is sitting in a restaurant 3 drinks in at 11 a.m. More accurate: eating eggs and pancakes that my boyfriend made while telling myself that I should really clean the bathroom before going out to buy more groceries because now we’re out of eggs. Wait, can we afford eggs this week?

2. Prior to brunch- we’re going out every night and getting hammered.

Oh, how I envy the 18-22 year old crowd. The party pretty much moved from the hosts’ place to…brunch! (also known as the carb load-up before the next drinking binge-er-party). I fondly remember the nights (days?) where I would go home at 4 a.m, feeling like I’d had the best night ever. (Hey, at least I remember them!).

Now? Truth be told, I’ve never had a high alcohol tolerance. I have always been happy to stop at “pleasantly buzzed”. But never has my lack of tolerance been more laughable than now. The last time I got buzzed was when I went to Chili’s with my boyfriend, at 7 p.m on a Tuesday, had one margarita and a full meal, and giggled hysterically over nothing our whole way home. When we made it, was I ready for round 2? No. I was ready for bed. Chili’s is just way too much excitement!

3. We are all getting help from/babied by our parents.

I’ve been living with my boyfriend for 7 months in Chicago now, and I haven’t needed to ask for any substantial amount of money from either of my parents. Frankly, if I did, it would have to be a dire, dire emergency. Sure, my boyfriend and I help each other out, and it would be lying to say I’ve never been given a dime in a tight spot from my parents, but never more than it cost to fix the problem and again, never anything excessive. Sometimes I get jealous of people who do get unnecessary things handed to them-but since it wasn’t how I was raised, I’m also motivated to work that much more.

Also, a lot of us have support systems (emotional, financial, etc) that aren’t related to family. Its important to acknowledge that some of us only have our chosen families.

4. We have no morals and we all love playing the field.

Can we stop assuming that all 20-somethings are untrustworthy and/or are just terrible in the romance department? I’ve heard so many of my friends say they give up on bothering to connect because of this idea that people just want to play the field forever. Why go on a few dates in person when you can…what, swipe left/right on your phone by yourself and meet up “for drinks” sometimes?

(By the way, why do we assume people our own age can’t handle real dates or conversation anymore? Why are people assuming that going for dinner is too much too soon, but ask if you’ll get drunk or intimate together on a whim…?)

I’m in a committed, stable relationship, so I understand if I sound biased, but the assumption that everyone around me is somehow superficial and looking for meaningless hook up after hook up for eternity and with no regard for the future is alarming.

5. Our careers are going nowhere, and/or are something to laugh about.

I personally don’t care where you work. I have friends who work in retail, restaurants, offices, from home…all over. I work at a desk job that, while I’m not too thrilled about the work, is keeping me afloat. It’s discouraging to hear from people that our work means nothing. Would you like to go into a clothing store and have no one to ring you up? Rather than encourage people to take pride in any work they do (and that doesn’t mean to give up on other opportunities), we are sometimes made to feel like we’re just not doing enough. If you’re paying your bills and trying to better yourself — you’re doing just fine.

6. We are all training for marathons and taking spinning/tightrope/hot yoga/ballerina rock climbing…whatever joie de vivre fitness classes are happening.

Didn’t I just say that I work 40 hours a week and don’t know if I can afford eggs? Did you know that marathons are expensive? $25 for a sign-up that you can’t cancel, $50 for a t-shirt/swag bag so that you can show people you ran it (like you’re not Instagramming every step you take)…my wallet has no room for this. I’ll admit to taking (and recommending!) some Zumba and hot yoga classes if you can find them on the cheap. But don’t feel guilty for not partaking in every new fitness craze-there are exercise videos on youtube that you can do for free that still burn calories.

7. We are all wasting our time because we think that 30 is the new 20.

Its true — people are getting married, having kids, etc. later in life than previous generations. Big careers tend to fall into our hands later rather than sooner, and we generally have to tough out more job/career changes than our parents, as well. Juggling all of this does not mean that we think our 20s are meant to be worry-free and that we want zero responsibility until the big 3-0. If anything, I am motivated to work hard and make sure that my 30s are easier-more financially stable, happier career-wise, etc. I believe plenty of people I know are the same way.

8. We are selfish and are only trying to get ourselves ahead.

This one kind of has 2 parts. First: Is being selfish so bad? I think being selfish can be a matter of self-preservation, and of putting ourselves first so that we know what we want. We have to be selfish sometimes and think about ourselves so that we can take care of ourselves. The better we try to do that, the better we can take care of other people.

Second: I volunteer for an organization in my city and find it extremely rewarding to give back and to think of people who can benefit from the services I can help provide. So no, not all of us are incapable of thinking of others.

9. We focus on insignificant little problems and can’t see the bigger picture.

With the number of statuses, articles, and discussions that I have seen and taken part in both online and off about religion, the government, human rights, current events, and education, it is hard to believe that at the end of the day, 20 somethings just “don’t care”. I believe that this stereotype is because other people choose to focus on…those not focusing on those things. And really- are you trying to tell me that you can’t be informed about world issues and also be a tiny bit irritated that a restaurant messed up your order?

10.  We are all eating the recipes that we curate on Pinterest.

Chicken enchilada stuffed zucchini boats? Barefoot Contessa’s winter minestrone & garlic Bruschetta? Greek yogurt cheesecake with pomegranate syrup?

I’m sorry, did you mean stir fry (with brown rice to be healthy), adding different spices to Ramen, and going out every day for frozen yogurt? Because that is my reality. I looked up a recipe the other day for tomato and cucumber salad…and ended up eating plain cut-up tomatoes and cucumbers.

I simply haven’t found the time or money to invest in all of this just yet. To be fair, if I got off of Pinterest long enough to make something fancy, I guess I might attempt it. Might.