I don't know about you, but I love being a millennial. Sure, explaining to my parents how to use social media apps, make avocado toast, or create the perfect meme can get a little old. Like you, I've had real talk with people from other generations about the rise of influencers and alternative career paths, too. I've throughly laid out my reasonings for purchasing a plane ticket over fancy dishware, and my plan for conquering everything on my bucket list. Sometimes, I've received an encouraging nod back, and other times, I've faced endless questions. It's OK. I know our generation can be misunderstood at times. Maybe it's because there are phrases millennials use that nobody else really would.
These are phrases like "lit" and "so fire" that you regularly read in the comments of your Instagram posts, or the messages in your group chats. They're usually accompanied by some sort of emoji, meme, or GIF that perfectly describes how the person on the other side of the screen is reacting to the #content. Every once in a while, though, they come up in your real-life conversations — the ones that happen beyond the digital world, in a picture-perfect café or coffee shop.
You might be talking to your bestie about the latest episode of The Bachelorette or some drama that just went down. She'll say, "OK, spill the tea," after grabbing her cappuccino. You know instantly what she means, and the context of these seven millennial phrases.
The first of these phrases that millennials use is: "The struggle is real." This phrase is typically used in a situation that's very worthy of rolling your eyes and saying, "Ugh."
For example, I've used it (and still do) when I have a planner full of assignments I know will take me, well, forever to complete, or when I need to clean the dishes after making dinner. In that moment, I wish that I could snap my fingers and make those tasks in my little world disappear. *Snaps fingers.* (Did it work? Let me know.)
Let's be honest: Sometimes, you're really feeling yourself and your lifestyle. It's the weekend and you just filled your camera roll with perfectly lit selfies, or you're relaxing by the pool with your phone notifications turned off. That's a mood — aka I'm feeling it, too.
I'm rocking an outfit I just bought and love, or I'm totally tuning out drama and my "real world" responsibilities. I'm virtually nodding my head toward you and saying, "Same." Do you use that millennial phrase, too?
You always have the best intentions, and don't mean to be rude. But there are some scenarios in your life that you're not so apologetic for. You're just being straight-up and brutally honest about your personal opinions on a given topic. To everyone in the room who's not in your generation, this may seem pretty harsh. But the millennials know you're, "Sorry, not sorry."
I'm not quite sure when the phrase "here's the tea" became popular. But I do know that I use it every Tuesday morning after watching the latest episode of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette. I text my besties and catch them up on all the latest drama, the emotional goodbyes, and the rumors that circulated around the mansion. It feels very high school sometimes, I'm not going to lie. They appreciate the 411, though, and being served the piping hot tea.
If you ask me, the millennial phrase "I can't even" is very similar to "the struggle is real." They are both very worthy of rolling your eyes, letting out a huge sigh, and showing the world that you're not going to deal with any BS. The major difference is that, "I can't even," is used mainly in situations that include drama or piping hot tea.
For example, your roommates might get into a random argument about the dishes in the sink, or a petty disagreement about the television remote. Instead of participating, you let out this phrase, as if to say, "Leave me out of it, please."
Back in the day, you'd leave an away message on AIM that said, "GTG." All the other millennials knew that it meant, "Got to go," and that you were busy hanging with your siblings or going to the local soccer game.
Nowadays, that phrase has changed and evolved a little bit into, "I've got to bounce." You use it when you're out on the town with your besties on a Saturday night and have to leave the bar, or when you need to check-out of a coffee date and into your next work meeting. It's a fun way of saying, "I need to go, like, right now."
You may have come across the phrase "weird brag" on social media when you were aimlessly scrolling one afternoon. Somebody was talking about how they got the "Most Improved Brusher" award at the dentist when they were in third grade, or had the fastest mile-run time. They concluded their story with, "Sorry, weird brag."
When you were reading it, you thought, "That was a little weird," mostly because it seemed random or out-of-date. But you also really enjoyed it and maybe laughed a little, too. That just proves you understand your fellow millennials and the phrases this generation has come to use and love.
