One in a Millennial: On Friendship, Feelings, Fangirls, and Fitting In

Kennedy presents a lineated poem which reflects on how her shopping experiences at various stores have impacted how she sees her body and herself.

Kennedy remembers the imaginary games she used to play as a child. She often pretended to have various jobs and idolized characters in movies who were businesswomen and too busy with work to have relationships. However, she remembers that the movies she watched in college were often about women looking for prince charming and trying to plan their dream weddings. She references specific romantic comedies that she enjoyed and remembers how people responded when she admitted she liked these stories (224).

When Kennedy was in eighth grade, a career-aptitude test told her that she should be an air traffic controller (226). She didn’t understand this suggestion and instead planned to study English in college. Per her mom’s recommendation, she ended up studying business and pursuing a career in marketing after graduation. Her first job was scary, but with the encouragement of her friends and family, she “moved to New York City for work” and discovered an exciting new life that made her feel confident and engaged (227). For a time, she worried that she wasn’t qualified for her job, but the woman who hired her,