China’s Gen Z workers are going ‘gross’

Business on top and bedtime on bottom is the dress code for many employees who work from home. But now, some Gen Z workers in China are wearing pajamas on top and bottom—and wearing them to the office.

Where in the world? A Chinese Gen Z worker recently showed off her work attire on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok: slippers, pajama bottoms, and a brown sweater dress. Almost 1.4 million shares later, it sparked a viral trend among workers, the New York Times reported.

“I just don’t think it’s worth spending money to dress up for work, since I’m just sitting there,” Cindy Luo, an interior designer in Wuhan, said. The hashtag “gross outfits at work” has spread across the country, with workers (mostly women) sharing their most comfortable work outfits on Chinese social media.

The pushback against more corporate-style clothing may be the next iteration of the “lying flat” trend that started in 2021, in which millennial workers rebelled against China’s unhealthy work culture of overwork.

Dressing more casually may also be part of a quiet rebellion against the workplace, as China’s younger workers struggle with a high unemployment rate and cost of living.

Satellite view. Workers in the US have been exchanging their ties and pencil skirts for more comfortable options as well, thanks to remote work and the pandemic.

Even places known for strict dress codes, like the US Senate, have relaxed in recent years, and employers may have to accept that, according to style site Glossy.

“Modern dress codes, whether posted or tacitly understood, need to take into account the new autonomy of employees, changing understandings of gender, legal developments, and the requirements of the work itself,” Susan Scafidi, academic director of the Fashion Law Institute at Fordham University, said to the outlet.

Who knows? Maybe the Snuggie will be the new blazer.