Could it be that we have new poster children for the "hipster" entry in Urban Dictionary?
Millennials were the topic du jour on many panels at the Clinton Global Initiative and Mashable Social Summit this week in New York. But we noticed that at these two gatherings, both aimed at finding solutions for critical global issues, Bill and Melinda Gates themselves actually morphed into millennials -- which yes, have become synonymous with hipsters.
We spliced together some video screenshots of Melinda Gates wearing this plaid shirt at Mashable, and Bill, who traded in his thinner frames for some oversized Warby Parker-esque glasses at CGI.
Notwithstanding effortlessly cool panelist attire, Mashable was all about Gen-Y in general, highlighting initiatives such as flash mobs that spread awareness about global health and even a video game created by Linkin Park that underscores the importance of renewable energy. And even amid a sea of suits, Clinton Global Initiative felt pretty young this year. HuffPost attended a special roundtable with Chelsea Clinton focused on millennial engagement (more on that to come).
Bill and Melinda Gates, whose foundation was a partner at Mashable, talked mostly about the usual suspects -- the power of technology in improving global health and the business sector's responsibility to reach into its deep pockets to help tackle social problems.
But after it was all over, we have to wonder if the Gates skipped the Midtown after-parties for beers in Williamsburg -- to be sure, South 'Burg, not North.