Cory Kennedy, once dubbed the internet’s first “It” girl, has evolved from her early-aughts indie sleaze persona to a more settled, mature lifestyle. Much like Kennedy, millennials are also embracing a new phase in life, trading their hard-partying 20s for the stability of homeownership and a more bucolic existence.

As millennials faced financial challenges like two recessions, a fluctuating job market, a student debt crisis, and a massive housing shortage, many were forced to delay major life milestones. However, recent trends show that millennials are slowly but surely crawling out of their financial struggles. This generation, born between 1981 and 1996, led the pandemic exodus from cities to more suburban, exurban, or small-town living.

Now, as millennials’ financial situations improve, they are increasingly focusing on milestones such as homeownership. A recent Redfin report found that 62% of 40-year-olds now own their homes, a figure not far off from Gen X and baby boomer homeownership rates at the same age.

According to academic Jean M. Twenge, millennials have experienced a “breathtaking financial comeback” since the mid-2010s. By 2019, millennial-headed households were earning more than those led by the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, and Generation X at the same age, after adjusting for inflation.

With their newfound stability, millennials are hitting classic markers of adulthood, shedding the stereotype of a generation stuck in dead-end jobs and avocado toast obsessions. However, their nostalgia for simpler times remains, as seen in the resurgence of ’90s and early-aughts fashion trends.

As more millennials follow in Cory Kennedy’s footsteps, embracing their “hipster Martha Stewart” phase, it’s clear that this generation is finally coming into its own, shifting from their infamous party-hard past to a more grounded, prosperous future.