@zoewynnsmusic/Instagram
- Gen Zers have been complaining about the 9-to-5 grind on social media.
- Their honesty has earned them a negative reputation for being lazy.
- One Gen Z musician is urging people to listen to her music so she doesn't have to work a corporate job.
As the conversation around young people's attitude to work continues spark debate online, one Gen Zer is leaning into the stereotype around her generation, and using it to her advantage.
Zoe Wynns, a musician who is 20 years old, according to a November 2023 interview on the e-books website Smashwords, shared a video on Instagram in October where she said she "cannot do a 9-to-5."
"I know this is going to sound spoiled. I know this is going to sound like some artsy creative who just doesn't want to put in the hard work and hours but I physically do not think I can do it," she said in the clip.
"I start to cry if I have like three non-creative tasks to do in a day and imagining doing eight hours a day of something that I don't really love for the rest of my life…" she continued.
Wynns then began promoting her music, seemingly viewing this career path as an avenue to avoiding the 9-to-5 schedule.
"I heard this quote in a show once and it said 'people like us can't live normal lives. If we try it kills us,' and honestly, I am throwing myself into that category, cause I think I will simply die," she said, before asking people to stream her songs.
Wynns, who is currently studying at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, according to LinkedIn, has a small following of just over 2,500 on Instagram. Her October video received a relatively high level of attention from online users in comparison to her other posts, garnering over 4,900 likes and 2,900 comments. The post was somewhat controversial, drawing in comments calling her "spoiled" for complaining about work.
While workers across the generational spectrum have certainly had their concerns and struggles with eight-hour work day, discontent with traditional working life is a particularly popular sentiment among Gen Zers on the internet at the moment. As a result, Gen Z is often labeled lazy and is gaining a negative online reputation.
In October, a TikToker named Brielle Asero sparked a mega-viral discussion about Gen Zers in the workplace when she complained in a video about not having the time or energy to do everyday tasks like cooking and working out after arriving home from her commute.
After her post went viral and was covered by various news outlets, she told Business Insider that while she was grateful to have a job, she thought the current standard work week left many employees unable to access other elements of life due to a lack of free time.
In a later interview with Rolling Stone, she expressed concern with her comments being reposted by some conservatives to criticize her generation, something Wynns' post seems to have sparked too.
In early December, Wynns' post went viral on X, after it was reshared by an account with 1.9 million followers called "End Wokeness," which often shares provocative right-wing talking points.
"Get ready. This is our new workforce," read part of the caption on the account's post, which received 2.1 million views.
Though Wynn did not go into detail in her video about why she thinks she might struggle with 9-to-5 life, X users were quick to criticize her comments, and some began to speculate and share their thoughts on the generation and their attitude towards work.
"My take is that most of this new generation (not all) lack that hard work ethic we were raised by bc they grew up in the instant gratification era. They don't take pride in hard work. They only do "enough" or the bare minimum bc they think they should be paid more to do more," wrote one user.
"Life is going to be hard for her generation," another user wrote.
Still, some viewers were also on her side, and other suggested that a dislike for the traditional 9-to-5 routine isn't a new trend but has been a common sentiment among many people, it's just now gaining viral traction.
Zoe Wynns did not immediately respond to BI's request for comment.