Like the Varsity Jocks, Preps, Sexually Active Band Geeks, and the Plastics in Mean Girls, it appears society is still unable to shed its desperate need to label and group certain individuals and generations into subsections of society.

Unfortunately, for those of us aged between 13 to 35 (born between the years 1982 and 2004), we've been lumped with the titles 'Generation Y' and 'Millenials': a group synonymous with social media, selfies, Tinder and Love Island (although, we're totally fine with the latter).

However, with a generation spanning 22 years, we're not quite sure how well we fit into a group with youngsters old enough to be, well, our children.

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Think about it – the youngest segment of Generation Y will have grown up on Wizards of Waverley Place, Minecraft, Moshi Monsters and Little Mix. Meanwhile, us elders of Generation Y trudged through our formative teenage years using shockproof Walkmans, playing Snake on the latest Nokia 3310, Tamagotchis, Playstation's 'Dance Mat' and listening to Hear'Say.

As a result of such an expansive void in age and experience, many millenials are finding it hard to identify with the perceived persona most common among the younger members of our cohort.

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And, that's why we're somewhat jealous of the Xennials – a new term being used to described people born between 1977 and 1983.

Sitting midway between Generation X (beginning in 1961 and ending in 1981) and Generation Y, the Xennials have all the admirable qualities of being able to remember a time before MSN and Facebook, but equally, all the savviness when it comes to the digital world.

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Dan Woodman, Associate Professor of Sociology at The University of Melbourne, explained the term to Australian lifestyle site Mamamia, revealing: 'The idea is there's this micro or in-between generation between the Gen X group – who we think of as the depressed flannelette shirt-wearing, grunge-listening children that came after the Baby Boomers - and the Millennials – who get described as optimistic, tech savvy and maybe a little bit too sure of themselves and too confident.

Woodman added that while the majority of millennials have been born into a technological world of social media and wanting the latest iPhone, Xennials have learned, with time, how to embrace technology and enjoy it.

'It was a particularly unique experience. You have a childhood, youth and adolescence free of having to worry about social media posts and mobile phones... We learned to consume media and came of age before there was Facebook and Twitter and Snapchat and all these things where you still watch the evening news or read the newspaper,' he added.

And while we might not quite fit into the Xennial category (believe us, we wish we could), we're liking the sound of fluidity when it comes to defining a generation, as oppose to the rigid and wide-ranging ages of Generation X and Y.

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Katie O'Malley
Site Director

Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.