Let’s envy and not make fun of Gen Z’s #LazyGirlJobs trend

livemint.com:

TikTok fad seems to involve combining ‘girl’ with a host of other words to communicate a concept or movement. There’s #GirlMath aka the justifications women use to spend on non-essentials. There’s #GirlDinner, which is dinner for one that looks like a chaotic plate of what you want or leftovers or essentially riffing on a charcuterie board.

Then we have the recent #GirlHammer trend in which TikTokers complete a handyman task without the use of a hammer, such as using a rolling pin to bang a nail into a wall. Some of these trends are silly. Some are helpful.

But the one facing the most backlash is the #LazyGirlJob. It’s a term that’s united elder millennials, Gen X and boomers against Gen Z because what does an early twenty-something know about burn out and struggling with work-life balance? Maybe we should take a cue from Gen Z on this one. A ‘lazy girl job’ focuses on the holy trinity of fair pay, only working within defined hours and flexibility like remote work.

There’s an air of irreverence with the term lazy in this context. People are still doing their jobs, but they’re aiming to find jobs that suit their lifestyle aims—which means more than just fixating on a career. The elusive balance of being able to leave work at work and not be pinged by your boss after-hours or get an urgent call while on vacation.

As a woman who started my career during the era of #GirlBoss and #HustleHarder, this is a refreshing change of pace and probably much better for our collective mental health. Of course, the word ‘lazy’ makes it sound like the aim is to find a job with no career trajectory. Clock in, do what’s required, clock out, and go live your best life.