The office siren phenomenon online is sparking debates about why Gen Z doesn’t understand why some clothes are inappropriate for the office. This conversation has to do with a lot of things: media literacy, modelling, boundaries and more.
The content that Gen Z is consuming is fed through the lens of social media where no topic is off limits and anyone can be anything they want. Online, no one can say no, but in real life, there are consequences to every action and popularity doesn’t equate to lack of rules or consequences.
Popular fashion brands like Fashion Nova and Shein are household names even outside of social media, but they rose to popularity thanks to Instagram and other social media sites. On these sites, what’s popular is what’s acceptable. Normal internet rhetoric is that something is okay just because a lot of people do it.
This can be applied to fashion as well, as trends that aren’t appropriate for every situation explode in popularity and can be seen everywhere. The office siren is one of these trends, and sites that garner all their popularity from social media follow them religiously. Sites like Fashion Nova, Shein, Pretty Little Thing and more offer clothes that are “office appropriate” in name, but not in practice.
In these sections, clothes that show midriff, cleavage and ride up the thighs are highlighted. Anyone who has worked in an office knows that these items are unacceptable, but Gen Z is the generation coming into the workforce and they either have no idea or they don’t care. Online, these office siren outfits are cute and garner a lot of positive attention, and that’s where Gen Z is making friends and finding their place. The real world matters less and less as people gain positive attention from internet friends. This is a problem because once the phone is turned off and it’s time to step into the office, young workers aren’t met with the same positive attitude that they receive online.
For some, that online attention means more than the people around them in-person, because online is where they’re getting positive attention. Who wouldn’t want to matter to those who make them feel good about themselves? The more space there is for younger people to be themselves and feel accepted offline, the better socialized younger people will be when interacting with people in real life.
