Chinese Gen Z prefers to wear comfortable pajamas to work

Young people choose to stay away from the fierce competition of previous generations, in order to have an easier life, including office attire - Photo: Adobe

An office trend of Gen Z in the country of a billion people that many people do not understand. Traditional standards of office attire are now broken and replaced with wrinkled pajamas.

Gen Z is breaking office traditions

“I just want to wear whatever I want,” Cindy Luo, 30, an interior designer in Wuhan, Hubei province, told the New York Times , describing her new style . “I don’t think it’s worth spending money on work clothes, because I’m just sitting around.”

Luo said she often comes to work in tight-fitting pajamas. She rarely bothers to match her top and bottom.

Cindy Luo is among a growing number of Gen Z workers in China who are increasingly prioritizing comfort over high fashion — a lifestyle choice they proudly promote on social media.

On Xiaohongshu, China’s Instagram-like app, there’s now a growing topic of “gross outfits at work,” with users deliberately posting sloppy photos of themselves.

They wear slippers and socks, sweatpants , pajamas, or other outfits that make them look like they just got out of bed in the morning.

The trend of wearing pajamas to work became popular when a user named Kendou S posted a video of himself on Douyin. In the clip, which has been shared more than 1.4 million times, this anti-fashion user wears a sweater, pajama pants, cotton slippers and even a hood.

She claimed on camera that her superiors repeatedly branded her outfits "ugly", and said that work clothes should reflect positively on the "image of the company".

Chinese Gen Z is increasingly prioritizing comfort over high fashion - Photo: NYP

The trend of wearing pajamas to work became popular when a user named Kendou S posted a video on Douyin - Photo: NYP

Declaration of protest

Basically, work attire in China is very traditional. Men wear collared shirts or jackets, women wear business suits or high-collared dresses.

Why do Gen Z employees in China blatantly break the rules amid these strict regulations? This is considered an aesthetic expression of the "lying flat" trend, also known as the philosophy of serenity. In it, young people choose to stay away from the fierce competition of previous generations, in order to have an easier life.

The New York Times notes that this counterculture is a response to slowing growth and shrinking job opportunities in China. Generation Z also wants to prove that their clothing choices do not reflect their ability to work. They wear pajamas, but they do not sleep on the job.

"It's the progress of the times," said Xiao Xueping, a psychologist in Beijing, of the trend of young people wearing pajamas to work.

This isn't the first time pajamas have been seen as "fashion," though.

Pajamas have become increasingly popular among many generations during the COVID-19 pandemic, as employees have been forced to work remotely. In 2020, officials in the city of Suzhou sparked controversy and backlash after naming and shaming people who wore pajamas on the streets.

Speaking of quirky office attire, Chinese Gen Z isn’t the only group to start it. In 2022, many Americans will wear sexy, disco-like outfits to work, much to the dismay of their partners. This is one of the many ways that America’s Gen Z is defying workplace dress codes.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/gen-z-trung-quoc-chuong-mac-do-ngu-thoai-mai-den-cong-so-20240328060448003.htm