How do you describe the American Dream?
When defined it is the ideal that every U.S. citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. This statement remains true but the imagery behind these words have made drastic changes.
Once upon a time it was the depiction of a house in the suburbs with the dog and white picket fence. Women stayed home doing chores and baking apple pies while the children played in the front yard, patiently waiting for dad to return home from his office job. That was the dream. A stereotypical version of the 1950s; where everyone was all smiles, even the dog.
Now that we live in 2016, we live in a world of opportunity and the foundation of the original dream has started to crumble. What was once considered ideal isn’t the case anymore. More and more women are out working those business jobs and putting off families to pursue a steadfast career. We live in a time of free spirits where the American Dream has shifted into something entirely different but distinctly achievable.
As Millennials we tend to be wild. We want to see the world. We go to college, we strive for excellence, or we don’t attend higher education and we look for adventure. Traveling the world is a lot of people’s dream. For others, it’s owning a one bedroom apartment off 54th and 2nd Avenue and listening to the never-ending chaos of the city. Some people still search for love. We are all different but we all have one common goal: happiness. The everlasting pursuit of happiness.
Happiness used to be defined by family and living in a man’s world, a world in which the men brought home the money and the women took care of the home. This is what our grandparents grew up with and I know that a lot of people’s grandparents wonder why their 20-something year old grandkid isn’t married.
Most movies that parade the ideals of past lifestyles still visualize the same ideals that I listed before: the white picket fence and the neat lawns. We live in a world where women are nearly equal to men. Someone older sees this lack of interest in starting a family as the main reason to the chaos that our nation can be. We see it as an interest.
According to statistics, the average age for a woman to get married today is 27 and 29 for men. That means there is more focus on careers and activities that don’t really pertain towards starting a family or getting married. Another report states that the average age for a women to have her first child is 26.3. This has been a decent increase since the '90s. Creating little ones isn’t the only thing we were supposed to do on this earth.
While we move to cities to pursue what we have learned in the past four years, an older generation sees this as rash and almost absurd. We tend to head for bigger businesses at first; even working internships for them when we are still in school. Other times we move just to be where the people are (excuse "The Little Mermaid" tag). We hope to prosper in these highly populated areas because media portrays these areas as favorable in opportunities. This is where we believe we will prosper. If not, we move to where we believe we will.
Just because the burbs isn’t our ideal outcome doesn’t make us wrong. We have the right to travel, to visit new and exotic places; maybe eat a bug. We can pursue degree after degree and learn different things without feeling guilty about not starting a family or finding Mr./Mrs. Right. We could go to jail! We shouldn’t, but we could. There are so many more opportunities for us than there were in the '50s and we should take them when given to us. We aren’t wrong for wanting different things. Our generation isn’t ruining America.
I’m not sorry that my future includes me struggling for apartment rent instead of making apple pies everyday. I’m not sorry that I don’t plan on having children for a very long time or even ever because I’m focusing on me and what makes me happy. Millennials shouldn’t be sorry for not wanting what their grandparents’ viewed as the dream. We don’t need to be defined by lawns or our relationship statuses. So I’m not married by 22, sue me.
Millennials aren’t letting the American Dream die. We are only reshaping it to fit our needs. Millennials adapt to their surroundings and chase after what they want. We are constantly pursuing what will get us ahead or the next big adventure that will shape us into the humans we are meant to be. If anything, we are allowing the American Dream to flourish into something that is relatable for everyone. So that everyone can have their own version of the American Dream. That’s what we are always working towards, isn’t it? Our dreams in America.
