Gen Z workers in China are picking 'gross outfits' over corporate glam because they don't get paid enough to look fly
Gen Z workers in China are picking 'gross outfits' over corporate glam because they don't get paid enough to look fly
The hashtag "gross outfits at work" has been taking over Chinese social media platforms such as Douyin and Xiaohongshu.
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For those who don't know, it's not quite new (except for the word that describes it, Ban Wei 班味). Because of the long working time, a lot of Chinese companies (especially in the tech sector) allow very casual dressing, plushies, even folding beds in the office. Sounds good but is actually horrifying.
At least read the article before commenting. They're dressing this way on purpose against the wishes of their employers.
I'm not saying that this isn't a protest, but merely providing the context for the protest. They took the relaxed dress code to an extreme and deliberately interpreted it as "anything you like". It's more of a malicious compliance protest. That's why they were scolded by the leader, instead of being fired.
Another woman said the best part of wearing her fluffy sweater to work is that she can head straight to bed once she gets home.
"It's so convenient for both work and home. I have essentially reached a state where the office and my home have become one," she said.
It is not protest for the sake of protest, but mostly "convenience".
You have completely flipped the context of the quote. It's not just comfort for comforts sake, it's also a way of protesting the 996 work culture of China.
The article is definitely stating that this is a protest, your quote is about a fringe benefit.
Social media users have joked that if you wear your favorite outfit to work, it'll be contaminated by the "Ban Wei" as the office vibe creeps into your personal life.
The remaining option: wear your gross clothes to the office.
Candise Lin who creates content on TikTok exploring cultural trends in China, broke down this viral trend in a recent video.
She used an example of one blogger who said that they only wears clothes with holes in them to work to reflect their "crappy job and shabby pay."
Clearly stated like 2 paragraphs after your quote.
It is definitely protest. But they choose these outfit to protest because they are comfortable, as oppose to vampires costume, which would also violate the dress code.
This is related to what OP is saying. These outfit already exists because of toxic work culture, they are taking it to the extreme.
Pick a position and stick with it for more than a single comment:
It is not protest for the sake of protest, but mostly "convenience".
It is a protest using existing social expectations of dress code, it's not just about comfort.
"Protest for the sake of protest" is nonsense. By definition they're doing it for the sake of something. That something is not convenience, it's the 996 work culture like the subject of the article.
It's good to see you and so many people supporting the good things the ccp have done like ban and crack down on antisocial working practices like 996
'Sounds good but everything about China always has to be presented as ontological evil so we're labeling it as spooky and naughty'
It's just people wearing comfy clothes to their 9 to 5, I also don't wear my best clothes to work where's my article about how I'm revolting against capitalism?
I'm not saying everything about China is evil, but 996 is an actual thing, actively resented by Chinese young people. I've got friends working such schedules. I'm presenting their views. I had also visited their offices and saw the folding beds.
Every instance of someone taking a company to court over 996 has resulted in them winning. Those choosing not to do so are doing exactly that, choosing not to. In my experience, it’s usually because they’re already well-paid and they get multiple hours long breaks anyway, so they end up working about 8 hours a day.
Is it possible to share your source on "Every instance of someone taking a company to court over 996 has resulted in them winning."?
Yes people all over the world sometimes work long hours, in China 996 is illegal so your friends should report their boss or maybe they are working in an illegal industry like scamming or fraud and choose to do this?
The whole reason 996 is so well know.in the west is it's part of the reason jack ma was forced out of such a powerful position, the government have actually being doing stuff to stop bad working practices.
Congratulations you support and agree with measures the ccp are taking.
And yes you might know one billionth of the Chinese population but that anecdote us not data, the fact remains fhe people in the article like the statistical majority of working people in China do 9-5 or equivalent.
Have you heard of 996.icu? I don't know where you get your statistics, but have a walk around 五道口 and you'll understand.
Also, I don't know where you see that I'm a fan of CCP. The government is largely responsible for the phenomenon by not prosecuting the companies lol.
Ha you're clutching at straws now 'ccp isn't heavy handed enough in enforcing it's legislation' OK buddy, sure.
And obviously I was joking it's clear you're emotionally set against ccp and see fhem as ontological evil so can't even imagine the possibility you and them agree about a complex social problem in China, though I am surprised you went for saying they're not authoritarian enough lol
China has traditionally had very poor labor conditions but the ccp is working to change that by opposing the very thing you hold up as a moral failing in China- is it really so hard to say you agree with them and say they're on the right in this?
And again walking around affluent bits of Beijing might be lovely on a summers evening but it's no replacement for actual statistical analysis of working conditions, it's probably less informative than your friend's out of context anecdote tbh.
Chinese government are turning a blind eye on companies, but not on individuals, this is the primary evidence of state-sponsored capitalism.
Right on the front page of 996.icu, Chinese government are willing to prosecute a individual for the use of VPN for work, and confiscated all their income for the duration of their use of VPN (3 years, 1058k rmb, roughly 146k USD, which is more than most people's life savings), with some additional fine.
Imaging if CCP seek to bankrupt every single company that disobey the law in the same manner, then 996 would never ever exists.
Maybe you can educate me on this, is there any prosecution that fine a company the entirety of its revenue during the 996 policy period?
I'm pretty sure they're working a lot more than 9 to 5
I have friends doing 996 (which is illegal, but not everyone wants to go through the trouble of taking their company to court when they’re already well paid), and they get about 4 hours of breaks a day. They’re doing about 8 hours of work, with a long morning break, a long lunch, and a long dinner break. Their lunch breaks are longer than my paid and unpaid breaks combined.
In some carers people do, but the people in the article say they're doing 9 to 5 which is the most common by far working hours in China due to strict overtime laws.
China has a different work culture to Korea and Japan, 9 to 5 is very common in China. China does have live in factories you've probably heard of but most of these are 9 to 5 work day also with many people studying after work at the combined college.
China is a lot more banal and boring than most people want to paint it.