The daily grind or the goat grind set, or a variation of it, describes the unending hustling that every professional, especially young workers, must do to survive, put food on the table, and pay rent.
Previously, many online bragged about working ungodly hours and thought doing so proved their dedication to their work.
However, times have changed now. There is a growing anti-work movement among Gen Z, who are entering the workforce for the first time and are already tired of it all. Nowadays, the focus is on enjoying life and less on spending the entirety of one’s time working away. The Lazy Girl Job trend encompasses it all.
The phrase Lazy Girl Job has been trending on TikTok, and the hashtag has garnered more than $18 million views already. TikToker Gabrielle Judge created it in a video on May 22, discussing easy-to-do and well-paying jobs. In an uncertain economy, with rising housing prices, and a disoriented new generation that doesn’t believe that working hard will lead to financial improvement, the Lazy Girl Job is one of the ways Gen Z is fighting back.
What Is the Lazy Girl Job Trend?
On TikTok, the hashtag Lazy Girl Job has been taking off for quite some time. On the short video-making platform, this term has already garnered more than 18 million views and perplexed many more about the meaning of the term.
TikToker Gabrielle Judge coined the term in a video made on May 22. The “lazy girl job” means a job that’s easy to do, has low-stress levels and pays well. Since this hashtag gained popularity, women and men have come forward to share their jobs, which allows them to earn a good living while enjoying a stress-free work status.
This allows them to achieve the ultimate work-life balance, something that Gen Z and even many millennials have long wanted. It’s a counter-culture movement contrary to the hustle culture that’s often promoted and leaves people chained to their jobs without time for their families or relationships.
To make matters worse, many workers feel unappreciated at the workplace and think they are easily replaceable. The anti-work subreddit is inundated with people complaining about being denied promotions, getting paid less than new hires, not getting a little increase even after years of hard work, etc.
So working hard isn’t giving people the life they imagined, and what worked for the older generation isn’t working for the newer one. This, coupled with rising housing prices and an uncertain economy, has propelled a rising apathy toward the corporate culture that forces people to have a work-or-die lifestyle.
In an interview with CBS, NYU’s Stern School of Business professor Suzy Welch said:
“[T]hey’re not convinced that buying into the system is going to get them anywhere. They’re saying, ‘I’m not going to wait for my work-life balance and postpone my joy. I don’t know that if I play by the rules, I’m going to win the game.'”
Apart from the Lazy Girl Job, other terms like quiet quitting have been gaining popularity. People have also advocated for a four-day workweek, although companies don’t seem too keen on that for now.
Also, post the Covid pandemic, most of the workforce shifted to a work-from-home model. Now there is tremendous reluctance to return to the office because people have realized how effective and efficient working from the comfort of the home is.
The Great Resignation was partly due to companies forcing employees to return to the office. But ultimately, how many Lazy Girl Jobs are there? It looks like only people in middle management or administrative positions enjoy having relatively stress-free jobs.
The Lazy Girl Job movement is still limited only to TikTok, and in the real world, most have to willingly or unwillingly become a part of the corporate or hustle culture to make ends meet.
What are your thoughts about TikTok’s Lazy Girl Job trend? Is it a positive approach that Gen Z is taking toward work-life balance? Or is it going too extreme in the other direction?
Let us know in the comments below.
Source: CBS News
