Different Interests & Perceptions in Our Generations
As a company that celebrates women of all ages, we decided to look into the different tastes of our generations to see just how similar or divergent our preferences really are. We asked questions and gathered responses from over 30 amazing women, both in college and the professional world, with diverse backgrounds ranging from Fashion and English to Nursing.
Mar 24, 2019
By Caitlyn Park, Cornell University Class of 2022
As a company that celebrates women of all ages, we decided to look into the different tastes of our generations to see just how similar or divergent our preferences really are. We asked questions and gathered responses from over 30 amazing women, both in college and the professional world, with diverse backgrounds ranging from Fashion and English to Nursing. Here are our findings:
Most Used App on Our Phones
Overwhelmingly, almost all of the 30+ women we surveyed said that Instagram was their most used app on their phone. (Thank goodness we survived #instagramdown.) In addition to Instagram, we also saw that we cannot live without the mail app, Pinterest, Twitter, Spotify, YouTube, and Snapchat. Elizabeth Garcia, Tulane University (‘15) and current Marketing and PR Manager at KYLE CAVAN, stated that she loves, “Snapchat’s discover page and get a lot of my celeb news from E New’s and Rundown and fashion inspo from Vogue’s Snapchat story.”
Our Favorite Songs
Check out the complete Spotify Playlist of all the favorite songs!
Music, for me, is one of the best ways to form relationships with others. Regardless of your age, gender, or race, we can all appreciate music together. As a self-proclaimed “music junkie,” I love when I get new music recommendations. Here are some of our favorite songs:
Big Sis by SALES
- Samantha Kaplan, Cornell University (‘22) studying Biological Sciences
Landslide by Fleetwood Mac
- Lauren Gulotta, University of Colorado (‘07) and current PR consultant
Pyramids by Frank Ocean
- Ashley Garcia Lezcano, Montclair State University (‘21) studying Communication and Media Arts
Sentimental Mood by Duke Ellington
- Elizabeth Shirley, Penn State University (‘07) and co-founder of KYLE CAVAN
It’s Not Living If It’s Not With You by The 1975
- Caroline Babinski, College of the Holy Cross (‘20) and current intern at KYLE CAVAN and Elle
Sunflower by Rex Orange County
- Emma Flusk, Montclair State University (‘19) and current intern at KYLE CAVAN
Most Underrated Artists
Along with favorite songs, we asked who we consider the most underrated musical artists:
Maggie Rogers
- Lauren Kanfi, Penn State University (‘05) — Our generations share a love of Maggie; she was mentioned in so many responses!
dodie
- Caira L. Abdelrahman, Montclair State University (‘20) studying Communication and Media
Rainbow Kitten Surprise
- Tiffany Powell, Penn State University (‘20) studying Mechanical Engineering
The Greeting Committee
- One of my favorite artists — you should check them out! (Caitlyn Park, Cornell University (‘22) studying Fashion Design Management)
Bob Moses
- Bike Bayer, the Pratt Institute (‘12) and founder of 324 New York
Childish Gambino
- Casey-Jane Weinstein, Miami University (‘12) currently working at Studio71
Our Female Role Models
Michelle Obama, the notorious RBG, and our own mothers were the most popular female role models we have in common. We loved that they inspire us to be passionate, powerful, and hard working individuals. We also look up to Viola Davis, Demi Lovato, Donatella Versace, Kristen Bell, Audrey Hepburn, etc.
For Elizabeth Shirley, her role model is, “not one singular person — it’s my closest group of girlfriends. We’ve all been friends since high school — so for some of us, that means almost 20 years of friendship...I look up to them every day.”
Best and Worst Fashion Trends of 2019
Interestingly, we had many mixed opinions when it came to 2019 fashion trends. Most notably, the 90s revival trend, puffer jackets, animal print, teddy coats, dad sneakers, and cowboy hats/boots were all highly contested. Our stance on these trends was not split by generation either. Nicole Merendino, Montclair State University (‘20), said that animal print is the best fashion trend of 2019 while Nikki Simonson, Cornell University (‘22) said it is the worst.
Honorable mentions:
Best
Square toed shoes
- Briele Wallace, Montclair State University (‘22)
Flare pants
- Anastasia Mahdavian, Cornell University (‘22)
Worst
Biker shorts
- Emma Walsh, Boston College (‘20)
Air pods
- Melanie Yabroudy, Montclair State University (‘21)
- Nicole Merendino, Montclair State University (‘20)
Most Memorable Historical Moment
The majority of the women we surveyed said that there most memorable historical moment was the tragic events on 9/11. This poignant event in our nation’s history seemed to shape our understanding of the world. On the other hand, other women also recall much happier moments in history like the election of our first African American president (If you’re like me and also miss Barack, check out this adorable sweater!), the Women’s March, and the legalization of gay marriage.
Our Favorite Books
As for books, we seemed to really love “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald and “The Glass” Castle by Jeannette Walls. Both of these books are a must read.
Looking to gain entrepreneurial inspiration? Tara Byrne, Montclair State University (‘21), recommends reading “The Entrepreneurial Mindset” by Rita Gunther McGrath. Christina Giordano, Montclair State University (‘22) recommends “Girl Boss” by Sophia Amoruso.
Looking to escape into a fictional reality? Elizabeth Garcia recommends any book written by Japanese writer Haruki Murakami.
With headlines like “Millennials vs. Gen Z: 5 Ways They’re Totally Different,” media’s proclivity of sectionalizing our generations is pretty clear. But, as you can see, it turns out we have a lot more in common than it may seem! Regardless of our ages, ethnicities, backgrounds, beliefs, and universities, we share similar interests and tastes. For the tastes that we don’t share, we have the valuable opportunity to learn from each other. So, the next time you see someone and think, “they’re too old to relate to me” or “they’re too young to understand,” I say don’t limit yourself. Start the dialogue and who knows, you may share a lot more than you first think.