The Covid-19 pandemic helped break down the sartorial barriers between private and professional life, with the widespread rollout of remote working. Photo: AFP
Casual, everyday clothes have replaced traditional suits and ties in many companies. It's a phenomenon that is particularly gaining traction in China, where young professionals are adopting increasingly casual business attire.
And in some cases, it's a decision that's being taken to extremes.
Imagine going to work in your pyjamas. It may have been the stuff of nightmares in the past but now many employees dream of heading out the door like that – however few dare to take the plunge.
That said, in China, however, a growing number of young working people are choosing to wear their most comfortable attire to the office.
Some would go as far to call these outfits "sloppy". This craze for dressing "everyday casual" has recently gained considerable momentum on Chinese social networks, particularly Douyin.
Some of the interest in this "trend" can be linked to a video from one internet user (known as "Kendou S-"), in which she shows how she dresses for her daily work routine.
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Her work outfit is not what is conventionally thought of as office wear, consisting of a pastel pink quilted jacket, a brown sweater dress, flannel pyjama pants, faux fur slippers and a pair of red gloves.
The young woman explains in the same video that her manager repeatedly told her that her outfits were "disgusting" and that she should dress better "to safeguard the company's image".
The video quickly went viral on Douyin, where it has been shared nearly1.4 million times since it was posted in February.
It even inspired a hashtag that can be translated as "disgusting (or gross) work outfits".
This has been picked up on numerous Chinese platforms, prompting the country's internet users to share the least flattering, "ugliest' pieces of their professional wardrobe online.
Increasingly casual work attire
The "disgusting work clothes" trend is more common among young Chinese women than their male counterparts.
This can be attributed to the fact that women are required to wear more formal clothing at work. They are judged more harshly than their male counterparts if they adopt a less strict dress code and are sometimes even requested to wear "sexier" attire.
Women workers in China are increasingly calling out this unequal treatment online.
The Covid-19 pandemic and the widespread remote working that resulted were instrumental in breaking down the barriers between private and professional life.
During a series of successive lockdowns, everyone was able to dress as they pleased.
Many opted for sweatshirts, leggings and other sportswear pieces for working from their sofa, while others opted to stay in their pyjamas teamed with woolly socks.
This shift in clothing style continues to be observed even after all the pandemic restrictions have been removed.
In many business sectors, it is now acceptable to come to the office in clothes similar to those that you might wear to go shopping or to the movies.
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But that doesn't mean that office workers can just throw on any old thing to do their job in.
Although clothes are not meant to define who we are, dress codes remain an important aspect of professional image and interactions.
Showing up in appropriate attire is an important element in fostering integration and cohesion, even in environments with a reputation for more casual wear.
But young workers in China seem to be challenging this, refusing to dress up or pay particular attention to their physical appearance to go to work.
“I just want to wear whatever I want. I just don’t think it’s worth spending money to dress up for work, since I’m just sitting there,” Cindy Luo, interior designer in Wuhan told The New York Times.
In China, this state of mind is part of a broader movement of disillusionment and even mistrust towards the world of work and its conventions, particularly those of ambition.
The country's young generations aspire to a slower, more relaxed way of life, far removed from the culture of striving seen in the work practices of older generations
Some, seeing a lack of opportunity in the future, go as far as saying they are willing to "lie flat" to participate as little as possible in the capitalist system.
In such a context, it's thus not that surprising that many young Chinese workers feel less and less inclined to make an effort to dress up for work. – AFP Relaxnews
