Book Review: One in a Millennial by Kate Kennedy *ARC
“But that’s the thing about girlhood. You and your friends have to take yourselves seriously, because no one will.”
Title: One in a Millennial
Author: Kate Kennedy
Series? N/A
My Rating: ★★★★
Genre(s): Nonfiction, Memoir, Pop Culture
Age Range: Adult
Publication: 23 January 2024 (St. Martin’s Press)
CW: infertility, miscarriage, misogyny, eating disorder, mental illness, toxic relationships, mass/school shootings
Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Get in losers, we’re going back to the 2000s.
The 2000s are having a bit of a moment right now. And for good reason. Anyone who knows anything about the decade knows it was kind of the golden age for pop culture. The music, the clothes, the celebs, the TV & film industry… All iconic. So let’s hop aboard a time machine and go way back to our Y2K era (long before The Eras Tour even existed!)
Kate Kennedy’s One in a Millennial has two purposes. The first is to act as a pop culture dictionary of sorts — a deep dive into the influence of pop culture on kids, teens, and adults of the decade. The other is an exploration of one millennial woman’s experience growing up in the 2000s and coming to terms with girlhood, womanhood, and everything in between.
Spotify is mix CDs, iPhones are Motorola Razrs, and Drunk Elephant is roll-on body glitter.
Welcome back to Y2K. Things look a lot different around here. Kate Kennedy is our humble host and travel guide, a cultural reference machine with a bubbly personality and infectious spirit. Kennedy is the founder of the fun and quirky doormat business, Be There in Five, and host of the pop culture podcast, Be There in Five Podcast.
If there was an award for “best time to be a girl”, the 2000s would be receiving a trophy and making a speech. As a very young girl in the early oughts, I can’t make too much of a claim to the full effect of the era. But I saw enough to be completely satiated. It was like floating on a pink cloud of boy bands, bubblegum lip gloss, Britney Spears, and seemingly endless content and products geared towards girls.
Ironically, the 2000s were simultaneously a time where it was pretty difficult to be a girl. Up until very recently, female-centric interests, hobbies, and media have been criticized, mocked, and degraded in our society. How many girls were trained to believe that pink is bad, pop music is gross, and being a girl is inherently a crime? I, for one, was. Most of my interests were carefully shielded for years in my teens after merciless teasing in my preadolescence. There is a certain amount of praise awarded to a young girl who can resist the temptation of enjoying media created for her, based on her own passions.
One in a Millennial, however, is a celebration of girlhood; of the things that made so many of us the women we are today. Kennedy describes pivotal 2000s milestones including but not “Limited Too”: using AOL Instant Messenger to communicate with crushes and friends and getting your hands on the holy grail — the American Girl doll (mine was Felicity, thanks for asking).
To cringe or not to cringe? That is the question.
By now, most of us have heard the words “cringe” or “cringey” or God forbid, even “cheugy.” Ugh. I shiver at the very thought of the word. In fact, if someone describes a trend as “cheugy”, I immediately get the ick and discount their opinion. These terms may be new to our cultural lexicon, but the sentiment behind them is practically archaic.
The trend cycle is not a new phenomenon. However, it is moving at lightspeed, in a way it never has before. By the time you order something online and it arrives at your doorstep, it’s considered out of style. Not only did this add to our culture of overconsumption, but there are distinctly misogynistic undertones. I mean, how often do you hear a man get shit for his hair parting or the rise of his jeans?
Sure, things may go in and out of style. But as Kennedy proves in her book, inherently female interests are constantly under attack. We are taught to hide or modify parts of ourselves in order to be marketable or interesting to those around us, particularly our male counterparts. And when we don’t, we’re accused of being outdated, ignorant, and the worst crime of all, “cringe”. It’s all a bit ridiculous — this coming from a Gen Z girl who proudly had “Rich Girl” by Gwen Stefani appear on her 2023 Spotify Wrapped.
Introducing: Kate Kennedy.
Although this book claims not to be a memoir, it did have very personal elements. As readers, we learn a lot about Kate Kennedy; her upbringing, her experiences, her work, and her current life. I would argue that in a book like this, there is a natural desire to connect the content to human experiences. In that regard, I didn’t mind the blend between nonfiction and memoir here.
Kennedy had what we can recognize to be a very privileged upbringing. Even today, the same stands. She not only acknowledges this throughout the book but goes a step further by drawing attention to important topics in intersectionality. As one of my favourite feminist quotes states, as penned by writer Flavia Dzodan, “My feminism will be intersectional or it will be bullshit.” There is a lot of white feminism circulating in our society and it is nice to see a white author acknowledge this in her writing.
As mentioned in my content warnings, Kennedy discusses some topics that might be difficult to read or even triggering for some readers. These are reflections on her own personal experiences, particularly mass shootings and fertility struggles. Her personal essays were intimate and touching and really added depth to the commentary on our culture.
Millennial vs. Gen Z: The Ultimate Showdown.
I am here to promote and maintain friendly relations between millennials and Gen Z. While I am self-proclaimed Gen Z, I often don’t fall in a particular generation. As a proud ‘98 baby, no one really knows for sure what my birth year classifies as. Are we millennial? Are we Gen Z? It’s really a toss up. I know people my age who are staunchly millennial, whereas others fall distinctly in Gen Z territory. I relate to the latter group, but growing up in the 2000s, I feel like I’m pretty millennial-adjacent.
Some of you may wonder: Do you have to be millennial to enjoy One in a Millennial? To that, I say: “Maybe? But probably not.” If you have a deep appreciation for pop culture and a passion for uplifting women and celebrating girlhood, One in a Millennial will likely be your exact cup of tea. Filled with references and (sometimes cheesy, but mostly endearing) pop culture puns, this book is a time capsule to an early digital world.
As we move away from 2023 and into a new year, there is a lot of opportunity for reflection. If there’s one thing I would like to bring with us into 20234, it’s the observance of girlhood. From Barbie (2023) to The Eras Tour and everything in between, the support for women and female-centric interests has arguably never been stronger. It’s a celebration of a phenomenon I like to call “being a girl for the sake of being a girl”. No hidden meaning, no greater achievement; just enjoying so-called “silly” and “juvenile” interests that make you happy, no matter how “silly” or “juvenile” they are deemed.
Kate Kennedy made me fall in love with being a girl again. Catch me listening to my 2000s playlist on repeat.
Synopsis: One In a Millennial is an exploration of pop culture, nostalgia, the millennial zeitgeist, and the life lessons learned (for better and for worse) from coming of age as a member of a much-maligned generation. Kate is a pop culture commentator and host of the popular millennial-focused podcast Be There in Five. Part-funny, part-serious, Kate navigates the complicated nature of celebrating and criticizing the culture that shaped her as a woman, while arguing that great depths can come from surface-level interests.With her trademark style and vulnerability,
One In a Millennial is sharp, hilarious, and heartwarming all at once. She tackles AOL Instant Messenger, purity culture, American Girl Dolls, going out tops, Spice Girl feminism, her feelings about millennial motherhood, and more. Kate’s laugh-out-loud asides and keen observations will have you nodding your head and maybe even tearing up.
Which 2000s trend are you hoping makes a comeback? For me, it’s all about the Juicy Couture velour tracksuit.
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