For years, our elders have told us that we are a part of a “lost” generation. They say that we are far too dependent on technology, our music is distasteful and most importantly, that we have no one to look up to. I’ll save the first two topics for another one of my rants, but today, however, I’d like to introduce two people that our elders didn’t know were extremely influential to us millennials.
Meet Khaled Mohamed Khaled. We know him as “DJ Khaled.” Back in December of 2015, DJ Khaled began to spread positive energy through his public story on Snapchat. While some of the things that he says and does are laughable, we are not oblivious to the fact that they truly are life lessons. Every day, DJ Khaled wakes up, eats his egg whites and turkey sausage and goes about his day, Snapchatting all of his endeavors. He tells us that “they” don’t want you to win. He tells us to bless up and respect other people’s privacy. He tells us all of his keys to success and just when you think his Snapchat story is done for the day, he’ll always post “another one.”
Meet Belcalis Almanzar. We know her as “Cardi B.” Now, before you start making judgements, allow me to explain why the woman that never gets cold is so important and influential to this generation of young women. For years, women have been told that expressing their sexuality isn’t “classy” or “ladylike.” The two words I just used are two of the most degrading terms you will hear as a woman, not because of the way they sound, but because of how they are interpreted. Being “classy” and “ladylike” means many things, but the point I am trying to make here is that in today’s world, being “classy” and “ladylike” means that you are not allowed to be sexually liberated. When Cardi B. came on the scene late last year, young women all over the nation fell in love with her contagious self-confidence. Ms. Almanzar is empowering young women all over America by encouraging them to be themselves and she is completely unapologetic for it.
So, the next time you have a conversation with one of your elders, remind them that sometimes, your idols are people that you never even knew you looked up to. Much has changed since America had idols such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X to look up to, so our idols are spreading their own positive messages in their own positive ways and we think that is exactly what our generation needs.