When Millennials Cry “Don’t Judge Me” They’re Secretly Hoping You Will Messages about individuality have hit today’s youth nonstop from all directions. We are constantly reminded that we are perfect just the way we are, we have to be our own brand, and to never surrender our personal identity. No wonder our young workers arrive in the workplace thinking, “This is how I choose to look and the way I choose express myself. I shouldn’t have to change for the sake of a job. So hey, boss! Accept me for who and what I am!” The message: “I have to make this look uniquely mine or I’ll lose me and become you.” As millions of Gen Y’s and Z’s seek ways to prove the uniqueness, we expect the world around us to look on with an approving eye. And when we fall short of that in anyone else’s eyes, our obnoxious mantra becomes “Don’t judge me.” What we really saying, or silently shouting at the top of our lungs is, “Judge me favorably. Judge me to be a hip, cool, one-of-a-kind individual. An...