Three months ago, I would have scoffed at the idea of renewing my lease and settling down into post-collegiate life in Madison.  Phase one of my Wisconsin exit strategy  was in full swing – I networked like a banshee at SXSW, contacted everyone from alumni to people my mom sends Christmas cards to, and was geared up to send out job applications en masse.  When I got a call to interview for a position here in Madison at Epic, I figured if anything, I should take the chance to sharpen my skills.  For once, I wasn’t a bundle of nerves during an interview, and things went surprisingly well.  In spite of that, I was still shocked when I got a call two weeks later offering me a position as a Recruiter.

That wasn’t part of The Plan.

For the better part of the last few years, I’ve been living only for the future.  Rarely have I done something spontaneously simply because it’s rewarding in and of itself – most everything has been a component of some overarching “bigger picture” that I’ve thoughtfully mapped out (and I did literally map it out as part of a long-term career path project for my capstone marketing course).  I somehow convinced myself that it wasn’t a big deal that I had no social life because I’d have one someday. I’d stick my neck out and try to make some new friends someday. I’d be happy…someday.

Here’s one thing you won’t learn in business school: there’s something wholly unsatisfying about living your life as though it’s a 5 year corporate strategy.  Maybe that strikes many of you as being obvious, but as someone who thrives in a structured environment, that realization hasn’t come to me overnight.  It’s easy to get sucked into the mentality that you’ll achieve that elusive sense of completion once you starting hitting the milestones of The Plan.  I hit the first milestone when I landed my gig at a marketing firm here; to put it bluntly, I didn’t feel fulfilled in the slightest.

So when I accepted my new job, I threw The Plan out the window.  To paraphrase Jason Fried, plans are irrelevant.  Externalities are a bitch.  You’ll run yourself ragged (and miss the bigger picture) if you always try to re-chart your course of action to accommodate for them.

The question I wish I had been asking myself throughout my job search is “What do I want to be TODAY?”  Many of us get so caught up in the throes of finding the elusive “perfect job” that we rarely pause to re-evaluate and expand our search to consider other options.  Had I stuck to the straight and narrow of my idealized career path, chances are I’d still be grinding away doing the same rather uninspiring work that I should have loved because I loved my major.  Yikes.

For the time being, the future I’m concerned with extends only as far as next weekend (don’t worry Mom, I’m still contributing to my 401(k)), and it’s liberating in a way I never expected.

Stop micromanaging your life and living for someday.  All the planning and foresight in the world is useless if it causes you to miss tremendous opportunities that are right in front of you.  Feeling directionless is terrifying, but so is being blind to a world of unconsidered possibilities.

A few weeks ago, the weekly #u30pro Twitter chat dealt with how to ask for help at work.  I doled out my two cents on the subject without a moment’s hesitation – I’ve never had a problem going to others for their advice when it comes to tackling issues of a non-personal nature.  Since that discussion, I’ve been thinking more about the importance of asking for help…not in the workplace, but in our every day lives.

It’s hard to believe it now, but I completely lost my sense of self during part of my last two years of college.  Feeling largely apathetic, I existed in a constant state of low-grade melancholy.  I retreated from the company of those who had been my closest friends and lost interest in the activities that had been my passions outside of school.  At one point,  I couldn’t even manage to sit down and read a book without feeling restless and distracted.  I did only what I had to do to succeed in school, and my social life went from thriving to virtually non-existent.

My family has a strong history of depression. Though the warning signs seemed obvious, I refused to acknowledge that it could be the culprit; I blamed it on stress, on disliking the alcohol-centric social environment at the UW, on the pressures of school…anything but *gasp* a mental illness.

A 2008 study by the American College Health Association found that 1 in 3 undergraduates had felt “so depressed it was difficult to function” at least once during the previous year.  By the time they reach age 24, 1 in 4 young adults will have experienced a depressive episode.  According to a 2005 study published in the Annals of Family Medicine, “depression during this critical period may increase the likelihood of substance abuse, impair work and relationship function, and negatively influence an individual’s subsequent development,” but “fewer than 20% of young adults with depression receive high-quality care.”

After months of existing as a mere shell of a human being, I knew I needed to ask for help.  I saw my doctor and discussed the changes in my affect.  He recommended that I see a therapist and consider taking an antidepressant (an idea I had previously been strongly opposed to).  I was tired of feeling so empty, and set up an appointment with a counselor through the university.  I came to terms with the fact that I truly needed some outside support; unfortunately, the same doesn’t hold true for many other young people.  In a study of nearly 11,000 16 to 29 year-olds who had positive screening results for depression, 26% stated they refused to accept the diagnosis.  The reasons for refusal?  Many disagreed with the idea that medications are effective in treating depression, while others admitted they would be embarrassed if their friends found out.

After a several weeks of therapy, self-reflection, and a low dose of an anti-depressant, I began emerging from the tunnel.  I started to reconnect with my friends and explained what I had been going through, and contrary to what I had been so convinced of, not a single one judged me or treated me any differently.  They simply said they had missed the “old Ellen” and were glad I had done what I needed to do.

They now know that if they’re ever struggling or need someone to talk to, they can rely on me.  I’ve been there, and I wouldn’t wish for anyone to tackle depression feeling alone and ashamed.

I’ve seen far too many 20-somethings try to drown their sorrows in a bottle of Grey Goose or a case of Beast Light…those who insist “everything is fine” but inevitably end up in tears after closing time is called.  While books like Prozac Nation stigmatize the use of antidepressants and claim we’re turning into a horde of pharmaceutically-numbed zombies, getting help for depression isn’t as simple as having a prescription filled.

Battling depression requires a willingness to acknowledge that you can’t continue to go on the way you have been.  Coming to terms with that, and realizing that it’s not a flaw or a poor reflection of you as a human being, is much easier said that done.  It simply is what it is; you do what you need to do to get back to the life you deserve to be living.

If you’re struggling with depression and you’re still in school, check out your university’s counseling services.  For those of you in the work force, see if your employer offers an Employee Assistance Programs that can provide some direction.  There’s absolutely nothing wrong with seeing a therapist; if anything, it speaks volumes about your determination to acknowledge your personal demons and banish them.  For some, it may be as simple as figuring out what triggers the onset of a depressive episode and developing some coping strategies (e.g., exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, etc.).  If you opt for medication as part of your treatment, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about.  You’re not alone. Don’t look to pills as a quick-fix – remember that they’re part of the process of getting well.

While we demand frank discussions about reproductive and sexual health, we largely ignore depression and the like because they hit too close to home.  It’s shameful that we’re perfectly comfortable discussing the anatomical features of Lady Gaga but would rather eat lead paint chips than acknowledge any kind of personal mental health issue.

Mental health is our generation’s elephant in the room.  It’s time we stop ignoring it.

If you’re like most young professionals (or soon-to-be graduates), chances are you’re not exactly rolling in the benjamins.  In spite of your limited cash flow, there are three essentials that are worthwhile investments, especially if you’re still in the throes of the job hunt.  The emphasis here is that these are investments, and as such, might set you back more than you had originally anticipated.

We’ve all been made fully aware that “first impressions matter.”  While the following will likely help you make a favorable first impression, I’m not really concerned about the reactions of other people.  What I am concerned about is you, and that which will imbue you with a sense of self-confidence and poise to set you apart from the masses.  When you’re comfortable in your own skin and proud of your appearance, other people take notice.  You walk with your chin held high, shoulders back, unafraid to make eye contact with others and flash a smile because you look (and feel) great.  The term “power suit” wasn’t coined for nothing.

1. A tailored blazer/suit jacket.

Women:  I detested the boxy and constricting blazers I wore during my first internship…until I realized that this is one article of clothing for which quality of construction is crucial.  I’m appalled by the ill-fitting “suiting” jackets of stores like Express and The Limited; for the money, the fit, material, and overall appearance of their garments is laughable.  Before my senior year, I purchased my first Theory tailored jacket.  Not cheap, but I can honestly say that whenever I pull it on, I feel polished and incredibly confident.  Some of their pieces are trendier than others, but if you’re looking to make a significant investment in something that is both youthful and professional at the same time, Theory is a safe bet.  I’m also consistently impressed by the blazers designed by Elizabeth and James and Rag and Bone.  If you’re still not convinced that you need such a spendy piece of clothing, consider this: research has shown that women experience improved cognitive performance and self-esteem when wearing fashionable clothes.

Men: I’m no expert when it comes to men’s suiting, but thankfully, the brilliant team over at the Art of Manliness is.  They’ve written a plethora of posts devoted to dressing correctly for your body type and curating a wardrobe. Both A Tailored Suit and Esquire do an excellent job breaking down the various styles of men’s suits and how to properly fit them.

If you’re in need of sartorial inspiration, or still feel clueless about dressing like an adult, check  out Put This On, The Sartorialist, Street Etiquette (men only) and Garance Dore (female only).

2. A timeless pair of shoes.

Women: Now’s not the time to splurge on the killer pink heels you’ve been lusting after for months.  You want a pair of heels of reasonable height (I wouldn’t go with anything more than 3″) that are black, stylish, and most importantly, comfortable.  If you’re teetering like you’ve had one too many gimlets or are likely to roll an ankle while cruising the office corridors, save the shoes for a Saturday night and go with something slightly more practical.

Men: Leave the scuffed pair of dress shoes you’ve had since high school behind. End. Of. Story.

Cole Haan designs gorgeous, classic shoes for both men and women.  Women should note that many of their their pumps incorporate Nike Air technology, making them the most comfortable pair of heels I’ve ever worn.  Simply put, they’re worth every penny.

3. A great haircut.

Whether you’re going in for an interview or starting your first day of work, an unkempt, unruly head of hair, or one with a skunk stripe where your roots have grown out won’t do you any favors.  While the $10 haircuts offered at many franchises seem like a good deal, there’s something to be said for developing a relationship with a stylist/barber who will give you a great haircut every time.  I feel slightly silly admitting that my current hair genius is one of the reasons I’m excited to be staying in Madison for my new job.  Having seen way too many women sporting wanna-be Beckham bobs in the past few years, I appreciate having someone who will honestly tell me if a haircut won’t be flattering.

If you’re in the market for a hair stylist, don’t shy away from asking someone with a great haircut where they get it done.

I doubt that women will need much convincing on this point, but men should give these pieces (both from the Art of Manliness) a read – they present a convincing case for picking and sticking with a barber.

I realize that you can find cheaper alternatives to any of these, but in my experience, you get what you pay for.  It makes more sense to spend more money on something that will give you years of use than to skimp on spending and find yourself repurchasing the same thing in a year or two.

Have you made any of these investments, or would you?  Do you think there are any other items of note that I’ve overlooked?

This post is part of my series about Generation Y around the world.  You can read my previous posts here and here.

Generation C: What the “C” stands for (Creators? Communication? Content?) depends on who you ask, but the term coined in the mid-2000s puts a positive spin on New Zealand’s Generation Y demographic. The country’s youth could use a little positivity, especially in light of the alarming statistics about the state of young Kiwis’ mental and physical health.

Individuals aged 12-24 (who make up 20% of New Zealand’s population) have the highest rates of mental illness, suicide, teen pregnancy, and have suffered more injuries than youth in other OECD nations.  The country’s suicide rate is among the highest in the world – with 19.7 deaths per 100,000 among 15-24 year olds, and 18.6 per 100,000 among 25-34 year olds.  While still troubling, these numbers follow a downward trend in suicide rates since they peaked in the late 1980s.

In the not-so-distant past, young Kiwis were viewed as entitled and out of touch with reality.  Their countless questioning (earning them the nickname Generation Why?) irritated employers, and, as we’ve seen here in the U.S., sparked a barrage of articles and research about how to manage such an unruly group.

In her November 2009 article in the New Zealand Listener, Ruth Laugesen reports that many of the country’s conceptions about Generation C are incorrect; in fact, research indicates that Generation X had the roughest time transitioning from adolescence to adulthood.

“On a whole range of measures, they [Generation X] entered adulthood brooding and fed up. They had the lowest rates of employment, the highest rates of unemployment and benefit receipt, and the highest rates of youth suicide, and left New Zealand in the largest numbers,” writes Laugesen.

Business leaders in New Zealand seem to slowly be recognizing the value of the demographic of employees they once so casually wrote off as being “impatient, demanding, and adamant that they will change the world.“  At a round table summit held in November of 2009, participating CFOs described 20-something employees as being “creative agents of change.”

Paul Chambers, CFO of Meridian Energy, says “I see these people have converted from a drain into a resource…they pick up enough of the business to work more effectively.”

What Gen C been doing all along is now seen as something valuable, as it becomes more and more obvious that maintaining the status quo will do little to help the global economy recover.  “They ask questions about why – why do we do it this way?” noted one CFO.  Amazingly, when the questions of young employees are actually taken into consideration, they often “lead to different and more efficient ways of doing things.”

The organizations pointed out that as worst of the recession moves behind us and hiring picks up, young workers are likely to lose their sense of loyalty, and become job-jumpers again (their previous tendency to switch positions often was one of executives’ primary complaints about Generation C).  Perhaps this could be avoided if upper management continued to heed the suggestions of the youngest members of the work force – valuing their contributions and encouraging them to question and offer innovative ideas – even when external factors do not require it.

One thing I find to be interesting about the choice of words describing New Zealand’s Generation “C” is that they’re not age-specific.  Anyone, at any time, can decide to become a creator, a communicator, or to contribute content instead of merely consuming it.  Furthermore, the attributes that Generation C longs for in an employer (e.g., feedback, mentorship, advancement opportunities) are hardly limited to benefiting only their age cohort if applied to the entire workplace.

While not all that fundamentally different from “Gen Y” in the United States, Generation C has essentially rebranded as a “group of communicators and creators” – a move that could go a long way in correcting the negative stereotypes that continue to plague our generation.  Perhaps “Generation C” could come to be the global term to describe the group of tech-savvy, ambitious and highly-connected individuals whose flexibility and openness to change will usher in a new era of growth.

If you’ve tuned into the news lately, you’ve probably heard something about Greece and their looming deficit (estimated at about 13% of their GDP – four times the amount permitted by Euro Zone members).  Just last week, 20,000 Greek workers went on strike to protest some of the government’s proposed initiatives to curb the growing debt, and France and Germany are considering a financial bail-out to keep Greece from defaulting on debt payments due in the coming months.

Greece has been no stranger to unrest over the past few years; the police shooting of a 15-year old sparked youth riots across the nation in December 2008. One of the rioters, Michalis Sarantis, explains, “The murder…was the straw that broke the camel’s back, because we all face huge problems trying to survive on a daily basis. We can’t manage, and rage, anger and anxiety build up inside. And this totally illogical incident, the killing of a 15-year old by a policeman who should be protecting the public, it’s broken something inside us, it’s broken down our resistance.”

At 27, Sarantis is one of the members of Generation 700: Greece’s disenchanted 25-35 year olds, who, after graduating from college, can expect to make a monthly salary of 700 euros (around $930 USD).  67% of Greeks in this income bracket are between the ages of 18 and 34; two-thirds are women.  What’s more, Greece has the highest cost of living of any country in Europe -  66% higher than in Germany and Holland.

Only since the beginning of the U.S. recession have we been hearing titles like “the boomerang generation,” but the phenomenon is nothing new in Greece: around half of men and women under 30 still live with their parents.  Half of the country’s college graduates report finding work upon graduation, and nearly a quarter of those 29 and under are unemployed and rely on their parents’ financial assistance to make ends meet.  Rather than an education leading to greater job opportunities and a higher position on the economic ladder, degree-holders actually face fewer employment prospects than their less educated peers.

For those lucky enough to make €700 a month, their salary rarely comes from a full-time employer.  More and more young Greeks are free-lancing or taking short-term contract positions, which, if they’re lucky, provide some benefits.  Their meager wages have postponed adulthood against their will – as one engineer who is working 12 hours a week as a teacher put it, “How am I supposed to survive or establish a family on that?”

Greece has the highest graduate unemployment rate of any European nation, and while its industries clamor for business or technology graduates, the university system continues to focus on providing a liberal arts education.  Sociologist Stratos Georgoulas from the Aegean University on Lesbos explains that Greece’s political and economic systems are “tailored to the needs of established and older individuals…and young people are suffering from this.”  Young activists place little hope of change in the hands of the current goverment – Transparency International reported that 13% of Greeks gave bribes to “grease the wheels of the system” in 2008.  On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being very corrupt, the country’s political parties had an average score of 4.4.

Shortly after the riots, Guardian columnist Helena Smith wrote, “For many these are a lost generation, raised in an education system that is undeniably shambolic and hit by whopping levels of unemployment (70 percent among the 18-25s) in a country where joblessness this month jumped to 7.4 percent….Often polyglot PhD holders will be serving tourists at tables in resorts.”

My idyllic, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants-inspired perception of Greece went flying out the window after digging a bit deeper into the issues faced by our generation in Greece. The country’s pension system stands to collapse in 15 years (a likely precursor to what will happen with our own social security program), and the smaller G700 will be faced with the burden of providing for an aging population that far outnumbers them.  The G700 isn’t alone in their situation: Spain’s “mileuristas,” Germany’s Generation Praktikum and France’s Generation Stagiaire face similarly daunting wage & employment prospects. 

If you’ve traveled or lived abroad in Europe, what’s your perspective on the employment prospects for young workers?  Is there marked tension between the youth and the established work force?  Could you see a similar situation becoming true for the U.S. in years to come?

Unless the above question was coupled with a mandatory relocation to No-Mans-Land, Idaho, I can’t think of a single one of my peers who would say no to a promotion.  While I like to think I surround myself with a group of motivated and career-oriented friends, I truly believe that most Generation Y professionals bear little resemblance to the slackers in Office Space.  Though we may have seen the movie a thousand times (and dreamed of carrying out our own DIY cubicle improvements), when given the opportunity to advance in the workplace, we relish it.

Although I largely disagree with the majority of criticisms the rest of the world levels against the United States, one I do agree with is our relative ignorance of current events in other cultures.  In our writing, many Gen Y bloggers (myself included) often make sweeping generalizations about our entire generation.  While many of these hold true, this article in the Wall Street Journal was a wake-up call to me.  We are a global generation, more connected than ever before, yet how much do we really know about our fellow twenty-somethings in China? India? Japan?

The Japanese have built a reputation as being a nation of incredibly driven, high-achieving work-a-holics.  We hear stories of “salarymen” who work 20 hour days and see their families only on weekends, but that legacy could stand to change with Generation Y.  Salarymen, step aside: enter the hodo-hodo zoku, or “so-so folks.”  The WSJ’s Hiroko Tabuchi proclaims that Japan’s newest phenomenon is “many young workers…shunning choice promotions – even forgoing raises – in favor of humdrum jobs with minimal responsibilities.”

Boku, Otaryman

Twenty-somethings have so embraced the hodo-hodo mentality that Boku, Otaryman, one of the most popular mangas in Japan, chronicles the unhappyday-to-day existence of its author.  The title stems from a combination of “salaryman” and “otaku,” a word “often used to describe a socially inept young man obsessed with comics, computers, or anime.” Yoshitani,  the manga’s author and a systems engineer salaryman, began the comic on his webpage.   “There are more and more people who want to do things hodo-hodo,” he says. “I actually don’t know anyone who wants to be promoted.”

Thirty years ago, nearly 40% of the employees at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government took exams to advance to higher-level management positions.  The prestigious employer now reports that only 14% of eligible employees take the exam.  The lackadaisical work ethic of Japan’s 20 and 30-somethings has opened a window of opportunity for clerical workers – mostly women in their 40s – to step into management positions.

In conducting a global work force survey of 18 countries, consulting firm Towers Perrin found that only 3% of Japanese workers “were willing to do extra work to add value to their companies.”  The global average?  21%.  It’s estimated that 620,000 young men in Japan drift in and out of employment, and are often far more devoted to their personal interests and endeavors than those of their employer.  They’ve been given their own own classification as NEETs: Not in Education, Employment, or Training.

Chiaki Arai points to Japan’s decade long economic slump as the source of the hodo-hodo, saying “young Japanese saw the dreams of the older generations vaporize amid job cuts and corporate reorganizations.  They became skeptical about the value of hard work.”

Given our current economic climate, do you think America’s tweens will take a similar attitude when they enter the workforce in 10-15 years?  Have you ever turned down a promotion?

Over the next month, I’ll be writing a series of posts about Generation Y around the globe.  If you have any insights you’d like to share, I’ve love to hear from you!

When asked about the majority of the successes in your life, which statement are you more likely to agree with?

-       I just got lucky – right place, right time.
-       My success is the result of my hard work and the decisions I’ve made.

When I took Management & Human Resources, one topic in the course that piqued my interest was locus of control.  In the 1960s, Julian Rotter investigated the implications of our tendency to attribute successes and failure to internal forces (those we have control over), or to external forces (those outside of our influence).  We fall into one of two camps – Internals “do things” and Externals “have things happen to them.”

I took Rotter’s test, and (big shocker here) I have a strong internal locus of control.  While this might serve me well in the long run, it’s been hard for me to accept that certain things really are out of my control.  I can’t tell you how much time I spent wondering what more I could do or what I should have done differently during the job hunt last year.  Other students had no problem blaming their their lack of job prospects on the economy; I, on the other hand, lost sleep, was generally unhappy, and an anxiety level that probably rivaled Christian Siriano’s on the final episode of Project Runway.

The economic environment of the past few years has put a damper on the moods of many in Generation Y.  However, you might be surprised to find that even during the tech boom of the 1990s, young people weren’t as happy as their parents had been at their age.  In fact, the happiness of young people has been declining since the 1950s, while our levels of depression and anxiety have been on the uptick.

So, what does all of this happiness stuff have to do with our locus of control?

After analyzing the results of studies using Rotter’s Scale with young people,  Jean Twenge of San Diego State University found that from 1960 to 2002, “average scores shifted dramatically…for college students–away from the Internal toward the External end of the scale. In fact, the shift was so great that the average young person in 2002 was more External than were 80% of young people in the 1960s. The rise in Externality on Rotter’s scale over the 42-year period showed the same linear trend as did the rise in depression and anxiety.”

A shift toward an external locus of control means that many of us believe we no longer have control over our destinies.  In spite of the abundance of educational opportunities, a level of global interconnectedness never before seen, and the power to share our ideas with the world with the click of a button, Twenge’s research shows that we feel our fate is “out of our hands.”  If we truly believe that the events of our lives are often completely out of our control, it’s easy to see why we feel anxious and unhappy.  While having an external locus of control isn’t all bad, “internals” are more likely to succeed, strive to achieve, and take advantage of opportunities to develop their abilities and skills.

Twenge surmises that the change in our locus of control is correlated to the changing nature of the goals we set out to achieve.  Intrinsic goals relate to personal growth and development; extrinsic goals often include money, power, status, or image. She notes that for many young people, success means being financially well-off or attractive.  After reading her study, I realize that the goals I was striving for were nearly all external, while I remained stubbornly rooted in my internal locus.  I wanted the prestige of launching a career with one of Fortune’s top companies, a great studio apartment in some big city,  and a nice paycheck. Learning to cede some degree of control to outside forces is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but it’s allowed me to live a life that doesn’t involve “what-ifing” myself into misery. I’ve realized that succeeding in opportunities I find personally fulfilling is much more satisfying than accumulating “stuff.”

If Twenge is right, and our Generation has adopted the view that our fate is out of our hands…well, being able to roll with the punches is great, but at some point, we have to punch back.  We’re not floating helplessly through the universe, subject to the mercy of the tides and the arrangements of the stars.  We have control over our destinies.  If the outside world isn’t presenting the right opportunities, we can take the initiative to create opportunities for ourselves. We can stop focusing on the American ideal of success and define success on our own terms.

Let’s not wait for life to happen to us.

Where do you fall on Rotter’s Locus of Control?  Do you think it impacts your motivation to tackle challenging situations in your life?

This is the third of a four part series on fashion marketing and ethics.  You can read my previous posts here and here.

I’d really like to know who decided to rebrand Extra Gum as a “snack substitute and weight-loss tool.”  Or who gave the green light to publish the book authored by Bethenny Frankel (of The Real Housewives of New York fame) entitled Naturally Thin: Unleash Your Skinny Girl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting that reads as a guide for developing and rationalizing anorexia.   Frankel champions numerous eating disordered behaviors; ordering dessert and eating only one spoonful; eating half a bagel, but after removing the bulk of the bread so what remains is essentially the crust.  If you follow her recommended “diet,” you’ll end up eating fewer than 1,000 calories a day.

It’s been a long time since the media did much good for women’s body image, but when did they stop merely suggesting that women “slim down” and begin the point-blank recommendation of unhealthy behaviors that beget eating disorders?

The average woman sees 400-600 advertisements a day, and though only 9% contain messages directly pertaining to appearance, 50% of ads targeting women reference physical attractiveness.  As I previously pointed out, the average model weighs 23% less than the typical female, yet 69% of women claim that their perception of the ideal body is influenced by images of models.  We have been conditioned to idealize a body that is genetically infeasible for the overwhelming majority of us.

After the controversy caused by Ralph Lauren’s disturbing retouching of an already waif-like model, Newsweek created a photo-essay of the “decade’s biggest airbrushing scandals.” It’s interesting to see that the Hollywood beauties held in such high esteem by publications such as W and Vogue fail to meet the definition of beauty required to grace their pages.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that women’s perception of their own body was negatively affected after viewing just 30 minutes of television programming which presented an “idealized” body shape.  68% of women participating in a study at Stanford University reported feeling worse about themselves after looking through women’s magazines.  In fact, after looking at magazine ads, 49% of women “were influenced by magazine pictures to want to lose weight, while only 29% were actually overweight.”

90% of women overestimate their body size, and the same percentage report being dissatisfied with their body in some way.  How much of that dissatisfaction stems directly from our comparison to the increasingly unrealistic ideals propagated by mainstream media?

As easy as it is to acknowledge that such ideals are unhealthy and detrimental to our psyche, truly believing that statement (and not feeling inadequate while flipping through Elle) is a different animal.  When will we step back and say “enough is enough?” Or will we settle for reminding ourselves of the powers of photomanipulation, take such advertising “with a grain of salt,” and passively accept the damaging messages spoon-fed to us?

Last night, @CarleeMallard threw an interesting idea out into the Twitter-verse: “I think we were all more interesting people in college.  Why is that?”

I was taken aback at first – I cringe to think that freshman Ellen with a penchant for power hours was more interesting than the slightly more mature, slightly less naive Ellen of present.  But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that Carlee might be right.

In college we’re immersed in 4-6 completely new learning environments every September and January. Those eight semesters (or ten if you’re like me) can be entirely fresh starts – new classmates, new professors, new subject matter.  Rarely do we encounter a similar situation in the working world.

While many of us continue to seek out educational opportunities after graduation, the scope of our new learning tends be limited to those subjects in which we already have an interest.   In college, we’re often forced to explore topics that we’d never consider on our own simply for the sake of fulfilling some obscure “Communications B” requirement.

Case in point: during my sophomore year, I went out on a limb and took Genres of Asian Religious Writings (to fulfill that very requirement).  Growing up in a Catholic household in a town of less than 4,000, my knowledge of (and initial interest in) Asian religions was roughly zero.  The one thing I thought I knew about Buddhism was promptly proved incorrect during our first lecture (The Buddha is NOT a fat Chinese gentleman).  Three months later, I was enamored with Buddhism, knew a thing or two about Confucianism, and had read an abridged version of a Hindu epic.  I loved it.

Three years, I graduated with a Certificate in Religious Studies.  I took an entire class on Dante’s Divine Comedy.  When else in our lives do we have the opportunity (or the time) to do something so…obscure?

In general, I think we’re much more focused on possibilities than on actualities during our college years.  Our lives seem more…unscripted.  If we stay up until 4 in the morning discussing our life story with our new best friend, we can still roll out of bed 10 minutes before class and get where we need to be.  While we might not retain much, it’s not as though we have to worry about the professor doling out a poor performance evaluation because we’re dozing off during a meeting.

I wouldn’t completely agree that our “apex of interesting” occurs in college, but I think outside of the university, it’s easy to fall into routines and habits that limit our exposure to the new and unexpected.

Were there any classes you took in college that led to more than you’d ever expected? If you’ve already graduated, how have you continued to expose yourself to new/previously unexplored interests?

I’d never planned on staying in Madison after graduation.  After five years here, I was ready for a change; something more metropolitan, with better concerts, shopping and warmer weather.  With my closest friends in Kansas City and Des Moines, I didn’t have a lot holding me here.

While I struck out in my full-time job search, I was lucky enough to land a marketing internship at a firm in Madison, so in Madison I stayed.  As I’m not much for the bar scene, I didn’t have the easiest time connecting with other 20-somethings and meeting new people.  Or at least that’s the excuse I used.

It’s easy to feel isolated when your closest friends have moved away, and most people your age have well-established groups of friends.  But, starting the next chapter of your life in the same city isn’t as impossible as I’d thought.  If you put yourself out there, you’d be amazed to find that there are a lot of other young professionals in the same boat.

Start a book club. I love to read.  I also love to talk.  Unfortunately, when I searched for book clubs in the Madison area, all of them seemed to be “by invitation only,” or were just an excuse for soccer moms to get away from their kids and gossip under the pretense of discussing the latest Danielle Steele.  Not exactly my cup of tea.  In November, I logged onto Brazen Careerist and asked if anyone in the Madison Brazenite group would be interested in a book club.  I didn’t expect much of a response, but was pleasantly surprised.  We had our first meeting in November, and I sat nervously at Barriques, book in hand, feeling a bit like Meg Ryan in You’ve Got Mail (sans the whole romantic bit).  Long story short, we’re going into our fourth meeting, and I feel really lucky to have met the people I have.

Host a board game night. Do more than just join a professional organization to expand your network – dive in and start something new.  Take a page from the techies in Silicon Valley – suggest hosting board game nights (and offer to head up the effort).  While any board game could do, I’d go for Settlers of Catan.  A recent article in the Wall Street Journal quotes Mark Pincus, CEO of the gaming start-up behind FarmVille, as saying “Settlers is definitely the new live networking for our crowd.”  The game “closely approximates entrepreneurial strategy…and the random rolls of the dice force people to revamp their strategies for winning.”  Sounds like a winner to me.

Get a dog. When my friend got Bauer, his Boston Terrier, his number of friends on Facebook seemed to increase exponentially.  When I asked him why, he replied with two words: “Dog Park.”  It made sense – dogs are a great way to break the ice and meet new people.  If you can’t have a dog at your apartment, or don’t want the responsibility of having one, think about volunteering at your local Humane Society.  Chances are they’re in need of dog walkers, and you get some of the perks of having a pet without the downsides.

Move. It’s tempting to stay in the campus area of your city – it’s familiar, the rent is cheap, and if it’s anything like Madison, the night life is centered there.  I moved to a new neighborhood just a mile away from campus, and it’s shown me a side of Madison I completely missed as an undergraduate.  As it turns out, there’s still a lot to discover in this city.