Considering the amount of time that I spend on TikTok, you would think that I would be in on the trends all the time, but between the cottage cheese craze, the Daily DOSE Challenge, the three-word method, and the millions more that go viral daily, I find myself ignoring most of them until I see which ones actually stick around for longer than a week. I’d be lying if I said that there weren’t some that intrigued me (looking at you, quiet life) but for the most part, I find that so many of them get blown out of proportion and easily misconstrued, especially the recent hype over “Lazy Girl Jobs”.
If the idea of a lazy girl job hasn’t graced and confused your FYP yet, allow me to break it down for you: Gabrielle Judge, who introduced the term, says that a lazy girl job is a safe, equitable, easy job that is extremely flexible. These jobs, which are typically remote, allow you to “truly exercise work-life balance” and take the pressure off of “working paycheck to paycheck” says Gabrielle. There are thousands of users in the comments asking “How do I get a job this like?!”, “Where are you finding them and applying?”, and saying things like “This is literally my dream!”.
@gabrielle_judge Career advice for women who don’t know what remote job to apply to. You can bay your bills at not feel tired at the end of the day. Women are here to collect those pay checks and move on from the work day. We have so much more fun stuff happeneing in our 5-9 that is way more important than a boss that you hate. #corporatejobs #jobsearchhacks #remoteworking #antihustleculture #9to5
But here’s the thing: while I understand where she is coming from when she expresses that we should all have jobs that give us these “luxuries”, I think this concept is totally misleading. Things like work-life balance and reasonable pay shouldn’t be considered luxuries. We all deserve jobs that give us access to the benefits, flexibility, and salary that we need to live a fulfilled life—and having or wanting a job that allows us all of those things does not make us lazy. Bonnie Dilber, a tech recruiter, posted a video on TikTok to chime in on this concept and add that in all reality, “No one in a “lazy girl job” is actually lazy because the companies who do take care of their employees have really high standards for hiring, so no one is at these companies actually slacking off”. To that, I say amen, Bonnie.
@bonniedilber Theres nothing lazy about wanting a lazy girl job! We all deserve it! #lazygirljobs #workculture #remotework
In addition to that, working hard doesn’t always equal burnout. If you have a job that makes you feel exhausted, overworked, frustrated, uninspired, and unmotivated, you should look for a new one, but not one that is so “easy” that it is categorized as truly lazy. It is possible to love your job, kick ass in your role, make a difference in your company, hit your career goals, and go home at a normal hour. It is not one or the other; it is not burnout or laziness.
So, while I do see where this concept stems from, if you are looking for a new job, I challenge you to not fall prey to the idea of landing lazy girl jobs. Instead, think about what you’re passionate about and what you want your career to look like long-term, and in doing that, look for a role that excites you, and comes with the benefits, flexibility, and salary that allows you to live the life you deserve.
