To get a better understanding of the cohort everyone seems love to mock, we got in touch with Tanya Korobka, the woman behind the blog Lucky Attitude, through which she became the voice of Millennials in the UK.

Tanya sees Millennials as pragmatic idealists. "We want to change the world and we know it's not going to be easy, but we're going to have a plan for how to get there," she told Bored Panda. "61% of Millennials are worried about the state of the world and feel personally responsible for making a difference."

"Millennials are nomadic global citizens," the blogger added. "We are the first generation born into a globalized world offering cheaper travel. The nomad, defined as 'an individual with no fixed location who wanders in search of pasture' can represent a cultural ideal for many of our generation."

According to a 2023 Deloitte survey, the high cost of living is the top societal concern for Millennials (42%).

This shouldn't come as a surprise when you consider that 52% of them are living paycheck to paycheck and 37% have taken on a side job to make ends meet.

Economic uncertainty is causing Millennials to postpone big life decisions, for example, starting a family or buying a house, and they believe the situation won't change unless there will be systematic changes implemented.

These things are taking a toll on them, as the same survey discovered that four in ten Millennials feel stressed or anxious all or most of the time.

Because of that, 82% say mental health support and policies are important to them when considering an employer and 53% agree that their employer's focus on the subject has resulted in positive change.

(However, 31% still do not feel comfortable speaking with their manager about their mental health challenges.)

Tanya Korobka of Lucky Attitude agrees that personal finance is a pressing matter for many Millennials and believes that affordable stable housing (either rented or owned) is arguably the biggest challenge that the generation is facing today.

"It's nearly impossible for common folk to get an affordable home in a bigger city," she said. "The main reason is a steep rise in house prices since the early 2000s compared to stagnating salaries. Why are the prices so disproportionate? Because rich people can afford to buy homes as an investment, which inflates the prices for others as a result."

It's true, affordability has been a growing problem in many places across the world.

In the US, for example, in the last decade, the median home price rose roughly 30% and incomes crept up just 11% over the same time period, according to a Bankrate analysis of data from the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index.

Over 50 years, the difference is even more striking. After accounting for inflation, home prices have jumped 118% since 1965, while income has only increased by 15%.

The jokes we see in the pictures have a lot of truth in them, but plenty of myths about Millennials have been hammered into our heads by the media, too.

"The biggest misconception is that Millennials are irresponsible snowflakes who can't afford a house deposit because they spend too much money on avocado toast and flat whites," Korobka said.

"These stereotypes hide the very real structural problems facing the average young person today (inequality, recession, absurdly high home prices, unregulated markets)," Korobka added.

In other words, avocados and coffee aren't the reasons why Millennials can't afford many components of a (traditionally) happy life. But if they help folks get through all the hardship, then perhaps seemingly trivial indulgences aren't so bad?