When Kim Kardashian said “it seems like nobody wants to work these days,” she didn’t take into account the popularity of office-core. The recent rise in online trends surrounding office attire and lifestyles - from corporate-core to office sirens - contradicts the popular narrative that Gen Z don’t want to work. But there’s a simple explanation for why we’re fighting corporations whilst dressing in their uniforms.
We’d argue that the popularity of corporate aesthetics on social media is an effort to glamorise office culture… because it's so sh*t. There’s plenty of evidence that the corporate world isn’t meeting the needs of younger generations, backed by the fact that in a study by Gallup 15% of us said we’re actively disengaged at work. We might come to work dressed the part, in an archival Prada button-down and tiny Gentle Monster specs, but really we hate to be there.
This is largely because younger generations in the workforce put so much more weight on a work-life balance than is standard in many industries. Whilst “hustle culture” is trickling down into the mindsets of our generation, the majority of Gen Z are putting mental health before their employers and the impact is that businesses just think we’re lazy.
Because of our growing understanding of our own mental health and the importance of looking after it, we’re learning more about how drastically corporate lifestyles can impact it for the worse. The result is that many of us would rather “quiet quit” than be pushed to work somewhere that isn’t meeting our needs. In fact, a global study carried out by Randstad at the start of 2024 found that 57% of Gen Z would leave their job if it interfered with their personal lives and emotional well-being.
Our attitudes to work are changing, and corporations don’t seem to be ready. We’re fighting against the traditional attitudes that demanding a living wage, work-life balance, and fairer opportunities is “asking for too much,” and as a result many of us are feeling disheartened and burnt out by the corporate world pretty early in our careers.
So maybe this is why we’re glamorising our office wardrobes and documenting aesthetic videos of “my 5 to 9 after my 9 to 5”s; because, although we might hate corporate life, the least we can do is look good whilst hating it.
Featured image via @zamarvelez ©
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