Do You Even Brunch? 7 Throwback Millennial Challenges You Have To Try

Millennials can’t ever seem to catch a break, can we? 

Even as one of the first generations to grow up in the digital age, we’re either the subject of mockery or the victims of actual challenges.

From the Washington Post calling us the unluckiest generation that will “bear these economic scars the rest of their lives, in the form of lower earnings, lower wealth and delayed milestones, such as homeownership” to PEW Research saying we’re “the first [generation] in the modern era to have higher levels of student loan debt, poverty and unemployment, and lower levels of wealth and personal income than their two immediate predecessor generations (Gen Xers and Boomers)”...

Being a millennial has its challenges.

But does it have to be all doom and gloom?

Yes, we get it that we come of age in the Great Recession. Yes, we get that our use of filters on photos is sometimes cringe (to steal a word from Gen Z). Yes, our obsession with Uber in the early 2010s may have been a little short-sighted.

But we invented The Facebook! And we made brunch a thing! 

Today, despite all the employment and environmental challenges we’ve been facing for years, we want to put a new spin on the challenges facing millennials by highlighting seven millennial challenges that will remind you of the simpler times (just throw a Gingham or Sierra filter on it, ya know?).

Completing these challenges is about more than having something to post, though. By taking them on, you can unlock real medals to claim your crown as a certified millennial.

1. Get Your Brunch On

According to lore, brunch was first used as a word in an 1895 edition of the publication, Hunter's Weekly.' While the term may be over a century old, we millennials like to take credit for how widespread a phenomenon brunch has become (and knowing the exact right time to go to brunch).

For the brunch challenge, you’ve got to go big. Visit a new Sunday brunch spot each week for a month (whether they are bottomless mimosa brunches or not is your choice… that may depend on whether you’re closer to the 1981 or 1996 part of the millennial range). Oh yeah, and it doesn’t count if you don’t upload a pic!

2. Take An Unnecessary Rideshare

In the first few years of app-powered rideshares, Uber and Lyft were in constant competition with each other (and with taxis) to provide the lowest possible cost (often one that was impossibly, unsustainably low, but that’s a story for another time). As millennials, we got the benefit, and we were able to zip around town like royalty at the click of a button.

In those wild early days, we may have gotten used to taking rides for short trips that could otherwise be walked or taken by public transportation. For this millennial challenge, compete with a group of friends who can come up with the most creative or absurd reason for taking a rideshare.

3. Post Something For The Likes

One of the first uses of liking on the internet came with Vimeo in 2005. Not long after, the ubiquitous thumbs up on Facebook came around. As we spent more time on social media, that little number of likes next to our posts and our photos became our go-to metric.

One thing we soon learned? Photos of ourselves (or videos of the TikTok dances we learn) got more likes, which the algorithm then showed to more people, getting even more likes. While it’s possible to use social media without paying attention to the likes, where’s the fun in that? For this challenge, compete with a group of millennials with the same style of photo or video to see who gets the most likes (winner gets treated to brunch!).

4. Screen A Call (And Respond With A Text)

As millennials, we grew up answering the phones at home. Yet as the years went by, we got increasingly shy on the phones and resorted to text messaging instead. (Or maybe we just realized the phone calls aren’t always fun!)

For this millennial challenge, see who in your group can go the longest without answering a call. Be warned, though: your mother may not put up with this!

5. Be Born Within These Years: 1981 - 1996

The millennial generation is generally defined as those born between 1981 and 1996. Of course, it’s beyond a challenge to change your birthdate.

What you can do is organize a reunion with people your age from different periods of your life (like when AIM and MSN Messenger were all the rage) to see who has changed the most since their high school or college days.

6. Try A Hard Seltzer

While millennials aren’t the only generation to drink hard seltzers, we are certainly one of the most excited. With sources like the Drinks Business reporting that a rise in millennial interest in low-alcohol beverages helped popularize hard seltzer, it’s time to raise your Claw in cheers.

Since that White Claw boom, most beer brands have launched their own version of a hard seltzer, flooding the market with fizzy options. For this millennial challenge, it’s time to taste test different brands of hard seltzer and rate them based on flavor and drinkability.

7. But First, Take A Selfie

Of the contenders for millennial anthems, the one most likely to elicit some groans is The Chainsmokers’ Let Me Take A #Selfie. Yet, who are we as a generation if not a selfie-taking one? 

Live up to your legacy, own your generation, and post a selfie (bonus points if you use the caption “Let Me Take A #Selfie”, but we know you may have limits and/or self-respect).