Why the ‘lazy girl job’ trend is not as lazy as you think 

At some point in our professional lives, we’ve all been victims of hustle culture, going above and beyond our usual responsibilities (and work hours) to deliver more—all for a sense of being successful, and to feel like a ‘girl boss’. But the grind might be doing us more harm than good, with the prevalence of burnout rapidly increasing among Millenials and Gen Z. 

Amid this, an anti-work sentiment is gaining popularity among the younger generation who is tired of overworking and is retaliating against a culture that promotes it. 
The phrase ‘lazy girl job’, despite its negative connotations, is the result of this, and is about seeking a healthy balance at work through jobs that are flexible and pay well, too.  

Read on to discover more about the trend. 

Origins of the term

Like most Internet trends or viral phrases, ‘lazy girl job’ also originated on TikTok, where the hashtag #lazygirljob has more than 18 million views and counting since it started doing the rounds on the platform in mid-May. The term was coined by Gabrielle Judge, influencer and founder of an online initiative, Anti Work Girl Boss, which is all about debunking hustle culture and promoting firmer boundaries at work. When The Wall Street Journal reported about the concept in late July, it blew up. 

What exactly is a ‘lazy girl job’?

If you’re thinking that a ‘lazy girl job’ is where one doesn’t have to work, given the misleading title, you’re wrong. It’s about not over working. It’s about not having your life revolve around your job. To put it simply, it’s a job that has minimal stress and decent pay to live comfortably, but doesn’t require any emotional investment. 

There’s nothing lazy about it

As you may have realised by now, you’re not lazy for having a ‘lazy girl job’. After all, there is nothing lazy about wanting to have a good work-life balance. Overworking could look differently to different people. It could be clocking in more hours of work than is required, working weekends and holidays, or being expected to be available 24/7—like answering emails late in the night. A ‘lazy girl job’ means allowing yourself to say no to these practices. More than that, it’s about rejecting the concept of always hustling in order to be successful. 

Why is it a trend now?

The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the biggest reasons for the rise of anti-work culture, as it led to a big shift in the way we worked. When most of us were isolated and working from home, we had the option of flexibility without compromising on our productivity. And now that employees around the world have got a taste of that, they are not willing to succumb to unhealthy work expectations. Take for instance, ‘quiet quitting’ a term that was trending last year and was all about doing what is expected from your role and working within the set hours without going above and beyond.