The backlash from young Chinese

A video of a young woman dressed in gray checkered pajama-like pants, a loose brown dress, a pink top, brown UGG boots, red gloves, and a black mask covering her face was posted on Chinese social media website Douyin. It was far from a stylish and cool look.

The woman explained in the video that her boss at work commented on her attire, saying that it was revolting, and instructed her to pay attention to how she dressed. She received many comments from followers, who sided with her and argued how she could care about her clothing when given so much work. The video was shared more than 1.4 million times.

The New York Times published an article on Sunday describing the culture of wearing ‘gross outfits’ to work among young Chinese. The more inappropriate the attire, the more likes the posting receives, such as fluorescent, thick puffer jackets, knee-length socks, or pajamas.

This reflects the self-deprecation of the younger Chinese generation to express their dissatisfaction with low wages and frequent overtime work. They are resisting the compulsion to thrive as they face diminishing opportunities from slowing growth.


김보라 기자 purple@donga.com