Page 60 - Q1 2021

FEATURE

I am a millennial woman.

Can you just let me be myself?

By Marie Okorie

We all are a unique set of people with different could be done. Now it’s 2021 and we are posting
qualities, talents and gifts. images with ‘Rich Aunty Vibes’ captions because
just like Eve, we have ‘tasted’ individualism and
None of us were born the same. However, the there is no turning back.
society we live in advises that we all act the same
way. In short, it DEMANDS that we act the same So what is it about individualism with the millennium
way. Should you want to be, and I mean in the woman? Why is she on about it and why is our
slightest way different from these societal norms, be society obsessed with shutting it down?
ready to be challenged or ridiculed.
You see, the millennial woman doesn’t care
So you have two options; stay true to society’s anymore about having it all. Instead, she is choosing
demands and endure a lifetime of suffered her happiness above anything else. She wants to
happiness or, simply choose yourself. To choose live and not merely exist. She wants to excel and not
yourself, you have to first understand the concept just succeed, she wants to dominate and not just
individualism. disrupt.

Simply put, individualism is the freedom to do what And the best part? She doesn’t care about trying to
we want as independent people. find a balance. Rather, she takes each stage of her
life as they come and blends them into each other.
As a millennial woman, the concept of individualism
gradually became a way of life even before we knew For the millennial woman, happiness is a major
what it was called. We grew up admiring aunties component of her existence and so embracing her
who chose themselves before marriage, having kids individuality is essential for personal happiness and
and really just wanted to make a living and ‘enjoy growth.
life’. Some never bothered about any of these, they
just went on with their guts and did whatever made Our society will argue that millennial women who
them happy regardless of what society asked of are big on individualism are selfish and entitled but
them. the honest truth is that we have decided to give
more time to ourselves. We are no longer interested
They were the rebels; they were our heroes. They is picking from the limited options society has given
were doing something we wanted but didn’t know us but are opening ourselves to newer choices

60 | The Lion King | Jan - Mar 2021