Photo: VCG

After the Spring Festival holidays, many young professionals decided to dig out their ugliest, worn-out and even "disgusting" outfits for work. It became a trending topic on Douyin, China's version of TikTok, with 10.18 million views and many sharing their ugliest outfits for work.

The trend can be traced back to September 2023, when a blogger shared her work look - thermal pants and plush shoes that didn't quite go with her red uniform. Her boss wasn't very happy about her "inappropriate look." She explained that because the teahouse she worked at didn't turn on the heating or air conditioning during winter, she had to dress like this to keep warm. 

For many young professionals in China, their choice of attire is more about practicality or simply wearing whatever is at hand. Some netizens said they don't even bother to wash their faces before work, just wiping their eyes with a towel or washcloth, brushing their teeth, and then heading out. Others mentioned they couldn't be bothered with finding a matching bag and simply use a milk tea package or a takeaway bag to carry chargers and other necessities to and from work. As for clothes, some joked that after they started working, they divided their clothes into two categories: the nice clothes not worn to work, and the ugly and worn out clothes for work. 

Speculation has it that this is the young generation's way to make a statement and show their indifference or even dissatisfaction toward their workplace. Yet analysts suggest that long commutes are one of the reasons that many young people are reluctant or lack the time and energy to dress up for work. 

The "2023 Annual Commuting Monitoring Report" released by the China Academy of Urban Planning and Design shows that the average one-way commute in major Chinese cities is 36 minutes. Beijing has an average one-way commute of 47 minutes, still the longest among cities. Shanghai, Chongqing and Qingdao have one-way commutes of more than 40 minutes. 

Meanwhile, for those who aren't bothered by time-consuming long commutes, they explained that their work doesn't have a dress code, so they might as well just wear something comfy to maintain efficiency and productivity. 

Others claimed that they feel embarrassed and uneasy when dressing up and attracting unwanted attention at the workplace. In June, Li Ruru, a social media influencer who has more than 22.83 million followers on Douyin, posted a short satirical video addressing this topic, stirring heated discussion and resonance among young netizens. The video has garnered more than 2.17 million likes and 108,000 comments. 

In her sketch comedy short video, the usually sloppily dressed Li decides to dress up one day. Besides getting unfriendly comments from some of her colleagues, she is scolded by her boss. "You come in the office, not to do a good job, but just to wait to leave work for a date, right?"   

In the video, Li thinks to herself, "My capabilities at work don't deserve such a great outfit." 

Many netizens agree with the sentiment. A top-rated comment wrote, "I feel really ashamed when I dress beautifully yet get scolded by my boss." 

While Li's video was considered by many as a reference to the stressful and even somehow unhealthy work environment at some companies in China, Zhang Yiwu, a professor of Chinese language and literature from Peking University, told the Global Times there was no need to make a big deal about this ugly outfit trend. 

"Some of the young generation are not dressing in a particular way to offend anyone on purpose. The ugly outfit for work challenge on social media is more like self-deprecating humor. It's more about their unpretentiousness and advocacy toward individuality unbounded by traditional rules at work," Zhang said. 

In the end of her video, Li encouraged her viewers to dress up or down, whatever they want for work. Don't be too self-conscious. "Don't care too much about others. Just be yourself," she said.