everybody's obsessed with the retro corporate aesthetic
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- Опубликовано: 29 апр 2024
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➤ SOURCES
Dressing for Success: The Re-Suiting of Corporate America in the 1970s by Patricia A. Cunningham in Twentieth-Century American Fashion (2005)
The Women’s Dress for Success Book by John Molloy (1977)
“The Clothes I Wear Help Me to Know My Own Power”: The Politics of Gender Presentation in the Era of Women's Liberation by Betty Luther Hillman (2013)
Dress for Success in the Popular Press by Jennifer Paff Ogle and Mary Lynn Damhorst in Appearance and Power (1999)
Uniforming the Corporate Body in the City of London by Samira Guerra in Uniform: Clothing and Discipline in the Modern World (2019)
Introduction: Fashion, Agency, and Empowerment by Annette Lynch Katalin Medvedev in Fashion, Agency, and Empowerment (2019)
Cubed: A Secret History of the Workplace by Nikil Saval (2014)
www.bbc.com/worklife/article/...
time.com/92989/monica-lewinsk...
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dirt.fyi/article/2024/03/corp...
www.byrdie.com/80s-corporate-...
www.byrdie.com/why-is-every-h...
nypost.com/2000/04/10/psycho-...
fromtailorswithlove.co.uk/ame...
superwatchman.com/christian-b...
bamfstyle.com/2016/10/26/amer...
www.ft.com/content/d83d4c11-9...
wwd.com/runway/fall-2023/new-...
ashadedviewonfashion.com/2022...
• The SKIMS Ultimate Nip...
www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion...
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www.lacma.org/sites/default/f...
www.chicagotribune.com/1992/0...
www.nbcnews.com/business/lazy...
www.wsj.com/lifestyle/workpla...
dirt.fyi/article/2023/09/corp...
www.cartoonshateher.com/p/are...
screenrant.com/american-psych...
• Why All Movies From 19...
www.nytimes.com/2013/03/16/bus...
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0:00 - intro
3:32 - what is corpcore?
12:22 - the history of officewear
19:44 - how did we get here?
26:35 - the reality of office life 
Развлечения
At 18:17 - there's a misattribution; Samira Guerra conducted the study and her work is included in Uniform: Clothing and Discipline in the Modern World (2019), which was edited by Jane Tynan & Lisa Godson.
Mercury retrograde babe
"corporate-core" in the height of a recession makes sense - people are romanticizing a stable income from a 'comfortable' desk job because it's become so hard for new grads/gen z to find a job! finance bros and day-in-the-life of a corporate girlies have been trending for a while plus growing up in the age of 'Ugly Betty', '13 Going On 30' and 'The Devil Wears Prada' had me DREAMING of working as a fashion corporate girlie running with coffee in one hand and a phone balanced on shoulder.
This is such a great point. I think Broey Deschanel mentioned something to that effect in her video on RomComs - part of the formula that makes them so appealing is the financial stability 😂
You saw the same thing in the late 2000s with the Great Recession, corporate fashion was also a big thing then. I remember all my 14 year old classmates wearing blazers and pencil skirts and stuff which is hilarious in hindsight
Yep, I’m trying to get out of the service job industry and into a corporate job because I want that cushy office chair, I don’t give a damn
The entire cultural response to the Devil Wears Prada is strange to me. It was a satire of the fashion world. Andie's job wasn't something to strive for, and the famous cerulean speech highlights how meaningless and wasteful the fashion industry is. Clothes are supposed to be a mode of self-expression, but if the industry dictates what looks good, and you get judged for deviating from that norm, that's the opposite of self-expression. That's just reckless consumerism.
But a lot of fashion-minded people saw that movie and... were dazzled by the Dior and Chanel and whatever that the characters wore, instead of giving any thought to the critique.
Hahaha, me too! I was around 15 when Devil Wears Prada came out. In 2010 I got my first office job and it was NOT anything close to Devil Wears Prada or as fun as The Office. Lmao!!! 😂😂😂😂 I did have someone who was an asshole boss who wasn't anywhere near as chic and smart as Miranda though, it was definitely a lose, lose for me. 😂
Guess we've gotta bring back the office coke-snorting bathroom breaks then
Whatever it takes to get people back in the office, right
Lets make it happen
🫡
that's more of a white house thing nowadays
As someone who doesn’t use tik tok, all of these aesthetics and your videos in general are always surprising and new info to me. It further confirms why I don’t want to use that platform.
Oh I relate to this so hard, I have no idea what's going on but I love it lmao
Glad that Mina keeps me up to date with her videos because I'd never use TikTok or any other social but RUclips.
right?! i read the title of the video and had never heard of this before. trends move so fast on tiktok its crazy
its funny
I don't have Tik-Tok either, but those trends come up with RUclips recommendations, mostly with shorts.
i wonder if its a way for people to glamorize the 9-5 office occupation? most of the newer generation doesnt want to work 9-5 so maybe making it more aesthetic or romanticized helps.
yess one thing i really dont like sbout my job rn is i have to wear a uniform
tbh i was wondering if it was somewhat the opposite. that is - despite complaints that "no one wants to work" a lot of young millenials and older gen z have been graduating college only to find a shortage of jobs (granted, i can only speak for the tech industry). as the post-pandemic economy continues to re-adjust, many of the largest companies have been seeing hiring freezes and even layoffs, and a lot of workers with more tenure in their industry that were displaced due to the pandemic are being prioritized in hiring, even for lower-ranking job titles that would normally go to new college grads. a good chunk of the remaining job openings are straight-up exploitative in regard to their labor demands compared to the offered pay. as a result, a lot of the younger generation are being gatekept from adulthood, from financial independence and stability, from the ability to amass wealth to any degree. even as they continue to mature mentally and in terms of skill, they are unable to claim the normal milestones of growing up. i wonder if this leaves young adults grasping at more qualitative than quantitative markers of adulthood to feel like they haven't entirely missed what has long been perhaps THE biggest transitional period of growing up in american culture (to be clear, that's not the younger gens' faults). especially if "clothes make the man," dressing in ways that come off as grown-up may just be a way for them actually be able to feel as grown-up, competent, and on top of things as they feel they ought to be at their age.
maybe it's a reaction to all that athleisure of the early 20's.
Its literally that!!!
Don't fall for it people
The cubicles, the dirty carpets, the boss watching your notebook behind you, the endless gossip, the 10 different ways of harassment, the traffic, the early morning showers/neat dressing/hair/makeup/nails, the painful high heels 10 hours straight, the same restaurant near work, the nap on the toilet, actually the hidden cry in the bathroom. Nope, I won´t miss it. Home office is a blessing.
Exactly. Anyone who actually experienced it--especially the sexism and harassment--is NOT falling for this "trend."
@@floofymuffin so true! I actually used John Molloy's Dress for Success. My first jobs out of undergrad were working for Wall Street firms and wearing those "man suits" with skirts from the store "Corporate Woman" made me feel like I was dying. My only saving grace was to wear incredible lingerie underneath. Lacy bras, panties, and garter belts were the only great thing about having to endure dressing like that! Not even going to go there on the CRIMINAL personal violations, harassment, and discrimination..
omg all of this is so accurate
@@tinkrls3r yuuuup, this is the image burned into my memory as well. Long live the telecommute!
💗
i feel like “coastal grandma” was essentially retirement core LMAO
Retirement core is the mic drop I didn't know I needed
Same
YES! Cause as an older millennial I'm certainly leaning into my old lady catcore era!
i find it funny that all these 'cores' are made probably by ppl who have never been in that role (like the cottage core, now the office core) because most of us girls working in offices don't find this romantic at all LOL. Also, i feel like the fashion industry loves to glamourize poor ppl/working ppl clothes/lifestyles, since their most millinonaire clients eat that shit up
i agree, romanticization always happens from the outside and its so weird how it feels from the inside. its also so intriguing and revealing and confusing how oppression is cool now? being marginalized has become some form of currency?? what the hell is going on?
Yep. It's always the privileged people who don't get to experience the actual life style they're romanticizing who also come up with these "-core" trends and propel their popularity. 🙄
I really like it and always have and work for a finance company. I think it probably just depends on the person. Every at my workplace is allowed to dress however, but I enjoy it.
I honestly couldn’t wear this fashion in my office ☠️ like a button up and a push up bra with noticeable cleavage? Dress coded immediately 😂
I find it funny that every influencer thinks that adding a blazer to an outfit makes it "office", there are so many nuances to what is and isn't office appropriate depending on your industry. For example, if I showed up with a blazer on, my boss would think I was applying for another job or suing the company!
Before i watch, i just want to say i find it interesting - almost insidious - how the romanticization of office wear is happening after a pandemic, when capitalists have a vested interest in having people go back to the office even after it has been made clear working for home can be more efficient, safe, and mentally healthy. I’m curious to see if this observation comes up in this video!
Being along the whole day at home just cause it could be safer isn't healthier at all
@@carlaschantl2858 hey, i’m not saying every soul should work from home. Some people don’t have that ability, some prefer commuting and human interaction with their coworkers. BUT as mina says in the video, the pandemic made it clear that is it easily doable for companies to provide work-from-home accommodations to those who prefer it without there being a drop in productivity. Even so, a lot of companies don’t seem to care about that, they only care to keep their workers subservient and ever-watched. I’m just pondering whether this phenomenon has led people to romanticizing one of the few things about office culture they can control( clothes) as to not lose their fucking mind over at the office. Personally the only joy i got from my office job was choosing a fun outfit every morning, everything else was hell. Working from home is the best thing that ever happened to me, but that’s just one perspective.
It's grotesque and ableist to have people go back in so the overlords have more control over the worker bees. Teams meetings are all the interaction I need.
As opposed to who? Communists, the ones that gave you a bag of grains for back-breaking labour and prosecuted those without a job? You are hilarious
“The capitalists” are all in your head, sweetie.
is this like Gen z's "millennial girl boss era" repackaged??
totally!!!
yes
I like it because I haven't bought clothes since 2016. Maybe something I wear will be in with the youth.
I don’t think there was a super-coherent fashion aesthetic attached to the whole “girl boss” era.
I think there more of a sense of irony now. People aren’t as serious about being in charge like the millennial girl boss types were. There’s a recognition that it’s all fake and pointless with the title “fake email job”. Idk it just feels a lot more ironic this time around.
i know we all hate 9-5s now, but I think the rise of this aesthetic is also related to the fact that at least in the 80s and 90s office work, while dreadful at its nature, came with certain benefits, job stability and retirement possibilities, whereas now it's just an endless stream of gig work, low pay, instability, and nonexistent benefits. We're basically stuck in this arrested development state where we can't plan for our lives because everything is so unstable. I work in Marketing and I know it's really difficult for most of my colleagues to keep a steady job for more than a year or two. So I think part of the officecore aesthetic is the nostalgia for these more stable times.
Yes. A job that can provide a comfortable life n good retirement
Why do people hate 9-5 jobs? Is this only an american thing or what? Do all americans want to be entrepreneurs or some garbage like that?
@@Mariah-525 In America, there's a huge emphasis on your job being your whole identity, your fulfillment, your worth/value, how you find meaning/purpose...The first thing strangers ask you (after your name) is "So what do you do (for work)?" Since childhood, everyone stresses the importance of finding your "dream job." Whereas I'm guessing in other countries, people get their fulfillment in other ways like family, hobbies, etc. maybe?
@@floofymuffin it's not necessarily about this. Why do people demonize office jobs when office jobs can be very prestigious and very high paying? Lawyers, finance workers, high-level accountants, managers, programmers are many times corporate workers and they get very high wages. Why should they be sad because they have a 9-5?
Oh. That’s my other thing. I have been unable to keep a job for long because of disability and other circumstances so I am trying desperately to get better and better so I can stay in my current position long enough to break my 2-year record of time.
The tik tok of the girl strutting and filming her cute office core outfit and her tiny purse cracked me up because my version of office core is that I’ve been stuck in traffic for 2 hours and I’m using my bulky ass work backpack to carry my life inside. I chugged a protein shake at the toll booth-
My work bag gets bigger and bigger to account for every eventuality. We have to hotdesk with no personal storage and take public transport which is frequently late or breaks down!
I think it's less about the representation of the environment rather it's the dream of having such a comforting experience working as a fantasy opoosed to the *horrors* of working irl
Same! I'm doing my makeup in the car and looking absolutely crazy doing it at stoplights. None of this is romantic or aesthetic. Try being absolutely depressed and nihilistic during traffic jams on the way to work at a job you hate but can't quit. Bell Jar core but no one actually wants to make that a trend.
Yall keep forgetting that cores and aesthetics are just literally just that: aesthetics. People are allowed to like how a certain look is. Let them vibe
Even as a kid in high school, I thought the media was way too hard on Monica. Especially her looks. It was ridiculous to 16 year old me and it’s horrific to 41 year old me.
I thought she was pretty
@@jessicavictoriacarrillo7254 that’s the thing. She is very conventionally pretty. But she wasn’t a size 0. And in the 90s, it was extremely offensive to be famous and not be a size 0.
Huh, imagine being 13, in Eastern Europe and learning the words "oral sex" from Sunday's newspaper that your dad would read with his morning coffee, and you'd snatch mostly for the last pages with crossword... Clinton was also the first USA president that I continuously remember knowing, I know I should have known Bush Sr and even probably Reagan, but, well, they kept trousers on.
I was born in 90 so only grasped part of it, but they should have focused on Clinton, he was the one cheating, not Monica lol
It was terrible. They called her fat. They called her a homewrecker. Bill Clinton didn't have the same bad press. Now he's named in the Jeffrey Epstein unsealed documents as liking young girls. I can't believe everyone blamed Monica. Everyone does stupid stuff in their early 20s, but she wasn't the predator.
I think there’s a connection here with recession and this influx of office wear but i just can’t quite put my finger on it.
i def agree! like i’ve seen a lot of people joking about how in the later 2000’s and early 2010’s people were in the club wearing blazers and pencil skirts, coincides with the 2008 recession as well
Seriously someone go get Jay Leno
I think it's partially us gaslighting ourselves into believing that if we just try hard enough, things will work out. If we just dress better, fit the aesthetic, enjoy it, that we'll be successful and safe even in a recession
@@akscherrermy memory of dressing in the '08 recession was that you couldn't have many clothes so any new pieces had to have multiple uses. Work/office wear was strict so that's where the money went and then we just wore those clothes everywhere because that was pretty much all we had. I could definitely see that being a thing again with the cost of living crisis
recessions make us more dependent on working than when not in recessions, because we need the money even more than before because of rising costs of living and inflation. so ppl tend to "work harder" to get promoted and make more, to work more hours, and our thoughts become even more consumed with the workday. therefore office attire becomes more important as dressing ur best fulfills the criteria that bosses in office spaces have-- a puritan and traditional criteria that "looking the part" makes the business look better to clients, which in turn makes more revenue. and more revenue means that potentially more money can be allocated to employees. especially if u get a raise because of a number of things: ur privileges, ur identity, ur "work ethic," ur ability to submit to the company, and how u present urself (how u dress and act). romanticizing ur fashion choices at work is almost like a coping mechanism when ur so stressed about money. to relieve the stress u focus on fun fashion and creative expression to take the load off.
When your workplace is nice, the office environment is pretty pleasant. I work at a library and everyone there collaborates and helps each other out a lot, the vibe is pretty relaxed too. But if tour workplace is toxic there is no greater hell than walking into the office space.
Truly an ideal work place
I also work at a library, but more non-public work and I love my job so much. I'm surrounded by older women who are always guiding me and full of warmth, and younger people who genuinely enjoy what they do. My office environment is so comfortable and welcoming. Everyone dresses however they want. So one day I can be in a Pokemon tshirt and jeans and the next day I could be corporate chic and no one ever bats an eye. I love seeing how the public facing staff dress b/c they're all so unique in their fashion styles. Especially the children's librarians. We all love going around complimenting each other on the outfits.
@@matcha_ I love that so much! I’ve always wanted to work at a library. Luckily, my office is like that with clothes too since we work in a basement.
I won't lie, early 80's are some tight women's office clothing (well made stuff), because it's before shoulder pads and it's got a hint of disco still in it's blood.
Padded shoulders hide shrugs of uncertainty in all situations, thus convey omnipotence and boss strength. .
@@marygem they stole the neck, emphasized shoulder movement, and became a joke by the early 90's.
I bought vintage coats b/c I couldn't buy a proper coat without them.
this is the truth and you are right to say it.
That robert downey jr tirade is legendary lmao
As someone who does actually have an 8-5, let me tell you it's absolutely miserable most of the time. The working conditions are worsening by the day. HR serves the company not the people working there and every single person is dispensable. You are going to get punished for your bad days and barely get rewards for all the good ones. The only people dressing this fancy are maybe the higher ups.
also commuting sucks when you could just as easily work at home and not have to waste 2 or more hours every day either sitting on public transit or in traffic 😭
@@sierranicholes6712 Yes!! A 9 hour job becomes a 12 hour job. I leave at 7 AM and get back home at 6:45. The fatigue from commuting is the worst.
I could definitely see something like "retirement core" happening, with trends like "coastal grandma" and "eclectic grandpa" popping up and all that
That and Grandmillennial
its time to listen to one of my favorite yappers again!!!
as a commuter commutercore is hilarious to me.
Wait stop is that real
My guess is that this aesthetic is popular now because it's reminiscent of a time when you could actually afford things from working a corporate job, so maybe this aesthetic provides some sort of a feeling of safety?
Thought the same thing. Who doesn't dream of being able to fucking afford things lmfao
my friend and I are both uni students working minimum wage jobs, and we both love this aesthetic because it brings forth ideas of wealth, comfort and security, something neither of us have. plus some of the outfits are really cute
there's a guy in my building who dresses like Patrick Bateman all the time, even with the headphones and walkman, when i first noticed him it was halloween and i thought it was a costume but he's just like that
Scary!
Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully from the X-Files is a major influence (for me at least) of power suits and corporate dressing (especially because female corporate workwear examples are rare on TV). There was also the “scully” effect where many women entered stem careers because of her X-Files character being a positive influence.
Enjoyed the video ❤
So many girls went to STEM because of Scully!
She is my inspiration for a lifetime.
I also like how they reframed from having the two stars get together and had the show keep them strictly platonic for most of the series. Also she was pretty bland looking, not choosing an actress who was attractive for no reason. Believe it or not their first choice was Pamela Anderson 🤢
wait, no "hello my beautiful doves"? now i feel like i'm just a rat with wings 😔
She hasn't said that for a couple videos now 🥺🥺😭😭
my 9-5 essentially nuked the dress code at the pandemic onset. HR was having issues because so many of the younger employees flat out refused to follow dress code and began throwing the policies back into the higher ups faces. turns out laxing the dress code is easier than constant write ups, meetings, and having to rehire before someone is even through training.
One of the few “trends” I actually really like. I remember growing up and being obsessed by different office wear that people like Julia Roberts wore in the 90s on different shows/movies. Including the whole shoulder pad looking jackets. Such a clean style in my opinion and can easily be switched from dressy to something more casual.
It's one of my favorite Aesthetics too
I really like it as well because I feel like it can represent multiple things. For me, taking a fairly rigid and boring style (at least compared to 80's 90's) and subverting it in different ways, from making it a little sexy or taking something tailored and fitting and wearing it more oversized (like Julia Roberts in the 90's actually!), etc, or even just changing the fit/cut of typical pieces or accessories from the typical business attire and styling them differently is super cool.
Girls 👏 want 👏 spinny 👏 chairs!!
Until your spinny chair breaks and admin won’t give you a new one bc budget cuts except your boss got a sizable bonus 🤨 corporate is kinda like public school but without anyone to cook you dinner afterwards 😅
lol because of my back issue I literally got a shower chair that is stable to the ground. I missed spinning around with my hand on my chin like I’m thinking about something but I just like spinning around.
no doubt similar to the post 9/11 army print trend in pop culture/fashion... the office siren/corporate business aesthetic rise perhaps represents ills surrounding the pandemic, the economy crash, and the desire/aspiration for wealth... what's going on culturally does have an impact on style/fashion trends. Channels like this helped me realize that.
now this is a parallel!!!
Good point! Damn!
As someone who does kinda “romanticize” office jobs, it’s because I’ve spent almost 20 years working in the service industry and I’m tired lol. Sitting at a cubicle, typing on a computer, making copies of bs paperwork 😅 sounds way better then being on my feet for 10 hours, getting cussed out by customers, and being robbed (happened to me more than a handful of times at my service jobs) lol. I know a lot of people who work office type jobs who complain their biggest issue is boredom.. boredom! lol. Meanwhile, people in service industry jobs are literally risking their lives (has everyone forgot the service people who still worked through a literal pandemic?) and dying to make sure people get their mcchickens. I’ll take a “boring” office job over death by boomer with Covid sneezing on me in the drive thru any day 😅😅😅
Yeah it is literally people who have it better and don’t know it with time on their hands who hate their boring office job. I swear people complain about everything. At least with office jobs, you also have upward mobility etc.
I think what you may be looking for is a “lazy girl office job”. There is a whole genre on TikTok for this if you’re curious of how to transition out of service jobs. Remote work and data analytics / data entry are some of these that don’t require a degree or require quick training. These are technically “unskilled” jobs so I could see those being boring from time to time.
@@user-zh5lj1ec4k yeah these office job girlies complaining in the comments have clearly never worked retail or food service lol
genuinely love this aesthetic to be honest, don't know how to explain it and i surely do know that work life is not all sunshine and rainbows, of course it's more hard and complicated, but it simply looks classy and makes me personally feel like... confident, like an Actual Real Adult, like i've got things under control in my life and smth like that haha
Totally - Confidence. My out of office fashion is very different from my professional client facing dress. At the end of the day it’s my uniform , no different than private school or military. Gets me into the mindset for my work. I think most of my coworkers would not recognize me outside of work - and I like it that way.
I like having that boundary. The separation of both of my “worlds”. However , If I worked in a super creative industry I would definitely wear my “me” clothes. Either way it is fun to curate and get into my professional costume or “disguise”.
Same. When I saw the title I was thinking this the aesthetic I truly want to embody 😞
Same. I don’t love my job but getting dressed in actual clothes and leaving my house for work looking and feeling pulled together each day is girl boss enough for me.
Having worked in office jobs with vintage design, and modern coorporate cheugy design you describe, I far prefer the vintage one, because I have had better work experiences there.
Cheugy style is soul-crushing. There is this feeling of sterility, that lack of connection with other coworkers, seeing the same faces everyday and not knowing any of them, and worse, the forced “have fun” messages everywhere. Not just actual inspirational messages, but also the implication that they are doing everything to make a fun work environment, it’s your fault if you don’t feel this is fun.
There is sincerity in that vintage style, like saying “we know work sucks, we will not pretend this is a fun place” and it is actually exhilarating, like the office is affirming my feelings, saying I have every right to feel the way I do
As a vintage loving zoomer that doesnt use tiktok, it always surprises me the "trends" or "aesthetics" tiktok comes up with because they are not real trends or aesthetic since they just cycle old styles (styles that have never been old to me). I went from being told that I dress like a grandma (one of me exes actually called me a sexy grandma lmao) to being told that I have amazing fashion style. I was doing the black lipliner and red lipstick lip combo 4 years before the "black cherry" trend came about earlier this year. It is making me think that most ppl nowadays are uninspired af and have no creativity left.
Yup. As a young millennial, I wore leggings to school once and got bullied for it because my “butt was showing” apparently. A few years later, all the girls started wearing leggings to school. I’ve just learned that it’s good to stay true to yourself ❤
Me too but it makes me appreciate these trends cuz i love 2000s and late 90s fashion history and that means i have more access to these silhouettes and i love the open historical reproduction and reenactment lol based in concepts like 90s and 2000s office worker but a romanticised version, or like a grunge way, but i like it as alternative style not mainstream because it ultimately goes to die when it starts getting everywhere and not just in creative direction and alternative fashion. Also in the 2020s theres actual fashion fashion and alt fashions but rn online trends are just "normified" alternative conceptual and historical dressing instead of actual mainstreamed trends.
i must be chronically offline because ive never heard of this "core" lmao theres too many cores
offlinecore
Salted caramel core
@@the__void__spaghetti__girlLMAAOAOA
i'm so happy for you, this is like my dream relationship to the internet. grasstouchingcore
infopilled corecel
I'm so keen for Retirement core 😂 picture me sitting in a garden (that's mine), with a straw hat, crocks and a summer dress watching the sunset after a hard day planting tulips 😎 that's the core I'm after!
I think there was the "coastal grandma" aesthetic last year. Google it..
Around 20:00 you mention the work life balance. But also, I think about the type of work we're doing in office jobs is so different than what office jobs were in every decade. I feel like if my whole job was just typing memos or putting binders together, and sending them to the right place and still afford a house i'd be so into that.
Yes exactly! There is no work-life balance anymore, because a regular full time job still requires you to work at least one side hustle just to pay rent.
I definitely think this is an evolution of quiet-luxury and academia aesthetic. I think for younger generations, we are also seeing a nostalgia or glamorization of a time when people went to the office, did their job, and went home. They also got steady raises and were able to go home to their families and not have to check email. And also, younger generations having the aspiration to work, but not be consumed by the "we-work/meta/google"-toxic elements that facilitate workaholism and hyper-productivity. I didn't know that there was a name for these trends (wide leg pants, feminine powersuits, big handbags), but I've certainly noticed and even adopted some of them unknowingly, as they allow more flexibility in what I wear to the "office" vs casual or weekend attire. It's just easier and more cost-effective to get a really nice blazer that can be dressed up or down, or a nice-fitting pair of wide leg pants vs. various washes/cuts of jeans.
I wish "corporate fetish" was a thing so that I could wear all leather and vinyl and harnesses to work. I mean. Not that I would ever secretly want to dress that way oops
I love the IDEA but absolutely *NONE* of my coworkers deserve to see me looking that good 😂
@@amberevol tbh i couldn't pull it off and it would make me sad to try and still just look awkward and nerdy
I work at a university in the UK. The dress code is extremely liberal and I am a little bit shocked at some of the things that are worn! You could probably get away with this in the office where I work...
You might be interested in Corp Goth fashion! It's a real subgenre of goth/alternative fashion that's inspired by elevating that aesthetic into a work-friendly environment. Or incorporating alternative accessories with the business silhouette.
@@Ali-te2ylGotta love that university life!
I just can’t wait to see girls at the club in two or three years in 2010 business casual 😭. Get that chunky necklace and sock bun on girl!
Havent watched the vid yet but my body is still recovering from 3 month of MODERN corporate culture in 2023, so i cant even imagine ppl romanticizing vintage corporate 😭
HONESTLY FELT that!!! I have been doing a mind numbing corporate job doing 10 hour days for 9 months now and it’s been terrible for my health in every way except keeping me off the streets. it’s nice security, but not worth. So happy I got a remote job recently. I used to romanticize corporate life too 😅 while it’s got its perks for sure and I’m here for the long run, I definitely think my expectations are always too high for this type of position.
My mother was a secretary for 30 years, and one thing she always kept was the early 1960’s Secretary’s Handbook she found in her desk (she started around the early 90’s). It is laughably sexist-outlining not only clothing to wear, but what gifts to get for your boss’s wife when he doesn’t have the time! I just think the development of office culture is so fascinating, and how much had changed for women even from the time of that handbook to the mid 1970’s to the time my mother was working at the office. She always gets a kick out of that book!
mina, i adore how well-researched and in-depth your videos are. i truly learn so much from your channel and i love the way you dive deep into topics that might seem surface level but actually have so many layers to them!!!! i feel like I'm watching a mini docu series on the modern trends lol
I've never worked in a company with a strict dress code, especially in the IT business. If you are not wearing a hoodie and sweatpants, you're already 'formal'.
That is the unspoken dress code though. You might not get a note from HR, but you stand out because you're wearing the "wrong" thing (my husband works in tech btw and has worn jeans and T-shirts his entire career).
@@meganrogers3571 That is the thing. I stand out because I wear business/business-casual when most everyone dresses in casual or sport casual.
@@allachemerys6864 Same. At my office, most of my peers don't even wear a suit and if you wear one, people think you're trying to be better than everyone else. young executives first joining usually stand out because they're dressed up in the full corporate suit but after a year, they ditch the coat and tie because everyone is teasing them.
This is why I love working in tech. I can wear literally the same exact outfit every day, and instead of it being seen as weird, guys go, “Oh! Like Steve Jobs. Very smart and efficient!” It’s wild
The 👏POWER👏POINTS👏 the office computer transitions OMG I appreciated those very much thank you lol
i think a lot of this is also related to the increasing wealth gap/decreasing access to “career” jobs. most people i know are stuck working retail, food service, or being delivery drivers (on-your-feet-jobs with zero benefits, very little security, and “unaesthetic”/ non-respectable uniforms) and they often dream of having a job where they can just sit in an office. people might turn to something like this as a sort of escapism. if you dress like you have a stable, well paying, “fake email job,” then you might someday have one. idk lol
im from eastern europe and working in an office is often percieved as a dream job for many
I'm not dressed like patrick bateman.. i'm dressed like whoopie goldberg circa 1989
Lol good for you!
@@haleymist09 Sucks that my tone didn't translate ... was joking around but ok
I used to love watching The Dick Van Dyke show on Nick At Nite with my mom as a kid. I remember her telling me that Laura Petrie (Mary Tylrr Moore's character) got quite a bit of flack back in the show's hey day for putting her in "hot pants" because women were expected to wear skirts and dresses. I think it was made in the early 60s and those ideals were starting to be challenged. Then I also thought of Annie Hall (Diane Keaton) popularizing the pants suit for women in the 70s. I'm so glad I grew up and live in a time where anything goes
With remote working being so popular at the moment, it’s no surprise that people are romanticising office life. Like, hello?… We want spinny chairs and human interaction!!!
Spinny chairs, in my experience, spend waaaaayyy too much time trying to spin you to one side while you're trying to face forwards, attempting to avoid human interaction
Get some friends and/or family lmao. What a pathetic mentality to wanna go back to the office gee
Interesting how so many fashion trends over the last few years have had vague, conservative underpinnings.
This is so funny because I just landed my first grown up job which requires working in an office most days
and I secretly love wearing my goodwill 80s office clothes and doing errands after work and knowing I’m slaying.
Probably bc I have been so used to dressing casual my whole life. Most jobs I’ve had viewed uniform culture as unnecessary so actually having to look nice is novel and fun
maybe i'm an outlier amongst our generation but about a year ago i had the opportunity to work for a 9-5 style office job and after years of working retail & fast food it was like a fresh start; it was honestly the best job i ever had, and maybe it's just my personality and skillset but a fast-paced office work environment, answering phone calls and responding to emails, team meetings and clear goals, was perfect for me and i loved the responsibility and maturity of it all...and also i found the open-air concept and boomer minion memes plastered on the walls charming 😅
edit: grammar
Loved your video as always Mina. As a Gen Z/Millenial who works from home I can see the “appeal” of the corporate core, it’s like putting on a “costume” that only seems appropriate for that setting. You’re not gonna go for brunch wearing a gray suit on a Sunday morning, but when you picture going to work in an office that’s what you imagine. When I travel for work and have to dress up like that, it is in fact like playing dress up, but if I had to dress like that every day I’m sure I’d end up being tired or at least frustrated that I’m late for work because I forgot to iron my shirt the night before. So I’d say cool for a day or two but long live working wearing comfortable clothes and flip flops
Exactly - it feels more like a "grown-up professional" costume than a uniform when it's only worn occasionally.
I’ve always worked in hospitality and will probably never experience the luxury of an office job. Sitting down all day in your own space doing tasks alone truly does sound like a dream
i used to be stuck in hospitality but i found a skillset to get out. You can do it!
The sitting down aspect of office jobs it not healthy at all, a lot of office job people have a hard time staying fit and avoiding back pain because of this, but yeah I def feel you. I'm studying bioingeneering so hopefully I can get a job in a lab or factory which is often partly walking/standing, partly sitting😅 If you feel stuck in hospitality and want to get out, I believe in you!! I worked a student job in hospitality and saw some colleagues do it
okay, probably not the take i should've gotten from this video... but now i want to read American physco for the outfits? I love ouftit mentions they're so underrated
same 😂
"I love Hot Topic and I buy all my clothes from there. For example today I was wearing a black corset with matching lace around it and a black leather miniskirt, pink fishnets and black combat boots. I was wearing black lipstick, white foundation, black eyeliner and red eye shadow."
American psycho is a SPECTACULAR beauty and fashion commentary. Better than the pages of vogue. For real.
@@clarkwhite998 Not my immortal lmao
@@clarkwhite998💀
There’s a glut of neckties that are still available for cheap secondhand and it’s such a fun and practical way to add a splash of color to a drab outfit. I love it when people wear them. I think the Silicon Valley coolification returned to the necktie to the average joe.
Honestly, the Silicon Valley types presented themselves as being cooler than the old Wall Street crowd, but they’re honestly worse.
I pretty much spent all of my twenties working jobs with low barriers of entry while I finished college-fast food places, grocery stores, warehouses, and factories. I always either had to wear a uniform or clothes I didn't care about that would get dirty or otherwise ruined. I never felt like I could wear my own clothes and dress up. Wearing office clothes lets me wear something closer to my own style and feel like an actual adult. I think also that even though office environments can be toxic, the idea they represent is stability that isn't found in those other types of jobs. The same hours, the same days every week. Working in an office just makes me feel more stable and together, even if I don't necessarily love the job and my manager is toxic af.
with the multiple recessions and inflation and many companies laying off employees. gen Z affected the past few years i’m not surprised the corporate aesthetics came in. people are wishing to have the “typical” office to offer stability and money. this a new unattainable lifestyle we are experiencing :(
I’m a younger Millennial who remembers the girl boss era and unfortunately I fell for it back then. I use to go to the office dressed up in a white collar shirt, a nice black blazer or sweater, a black skirt, tights, and flats. Sometimes I would wear a dress with a blazer and tights underneath. I couldn’t wear my natural hair out since it was considered “ unprofessional “ then so I would wear it in a bun or wear a wig. When I use to work in the office, I dealt with racism, bullying, harassment, gaslighting, etc. I was overworked and underpaid. Every single day, I would get cursed out by customers and dealt with a lot of racism by customers. I would literally cry every single day and I ended up in the hospital TWICE due to the chest pains from the stress of my previous job. My previous job made us work overtime but wouldn’t pay us. Eventually I quit and shortly after I found out that they were sued and I received a check in the mail. Also they HATE introverted people in the office especially introverted black women. If you do your work and go home, all of a sudden you have an “ attitude “ and you aren’t the “ right fit “ for not gossiping with your coworkers and having drinks with them after work. I also hated my schedule and I hated dealing with traffic every single day. It would take over an hour just to get to the office with traffic. I don’t miss those days at all. I work from home now and I can dress however I want now. I’ll wear a black sweater during meetings when I have to be on camera but that’s it. I also work a non phones job so no rude customers and I have a great team. I’m actually paid when I work overtime and I’m finally rewarded with bonuses and a raise for being a top performer. I didn’t receive any bonuses or raises when I use to work in the office at my previous job. They use to threaten us to perform well and my previous manager would tell me that meeting expectations was not good enough. If I can meet it, I can exceed it. Yes, office clothes are cute but the reality of working in the office isn’t a cute aesthetic.
why does everything i like become a trend a year or two after i started liking it, am i a prophet?!
nah the same happens to me. If you liked it, that means it was worth liking right? And things become trends because lots of people like them. Which means ahead of every trend you’re going to find a group of people who have been doing it for years or months already. Those are the people that get others curious about it, and then when those people like it, they tell their friends, who try it and like it too, and so on and so forth. It can be really annoying because you find something that feels so “you” only to have it become a huge trend not long after, and that thing that felt so “you” is now something that is unrecognizable between you and other people. The trend cycle speeding up since the pandemic has forced me to become a lot more secure in who I am as a person and what I like. It still irks me sometimes though, which means I gotta keep working on that.
@annabelledrake2027 lol it doesn't bother me just makes me feel weirdly in tune with the future or something
Yes, tell us what's next??!! 😂
not everyone starts liking it the moment it becomes popular. it gradually gains momentum with people liking it and as it becomes more visible more and more until its suddenly a trend. every trend has people who liked it earlier on before it was fully viral. I also don't know if we can call liking tailored suit silhouettes a trend really since it has been popular for just about over a century, this is about specific office sirencore etc on tiktok which has specific references
it happens to me too! 2-3 years before it comes up as a trend
Dare I suggest that this video has perfect timing for The Tortured Poets Department release this week which is soooo corporate office vibes
I used to romanticize corporate jobs and its fantastical aesthetics , mostly of those of the 80s. Think you go drinking after your job with your company with some vaporwave in the background. I thought that until I shadowed someone for a work-student event and it was so boring. It was very grey… and stressful.
I work in Tech and basically once I got my first real internship and job it was a bit of challenge figuring out what would work:
Guys seem to be able to wear jeans or pants, plain/plaid collared shirts, basic nike/athletic sneakers, or other nice sneakers or boots.
In the summer I wore casual nice tops, jeggings, and usually converse sneakers or reeboks
Now in the spring, I worry about looking too much like a student: certain sweaters have had me mistaken as one. I often times have to have a cardigan or hoodie with pockets just to hold my things. I still wear jeans, not khakis. I wouldn't wear a blazer or nice shoes because I am on the move a lot and do a lot of bending in IT (I fix laptops). But with the return of warmer weather, I can wear my nice tops again along with a light flannel if it gets cold.
TL;DR: There really isn't an overall uniform for us women in IT, but usually a nice plain sweater or shirt, a cardigan depending on the weather, clean pants, and comfortable, casual streetwear shoes will do. Besides that I always wear my apple watch. I also don't paint my nails often as they chip a lot in this field of work o_O
This aesthetic seems like just a super desperate attempt to get people to desire working 9-5 (which is actually 8-7) 😅
Is that a bad thing? Who the hell wants to work 45+ hours every week?
20 minutes in and still no Ally McBeal reference?! Or did I miss it because I was trying to walk my dogs in my pencil skirt and peplum blazer during my corporate lunch break? 😅😭😭
LOL Ally shows up briefly at 26:29
I don't think corpcore is at all romanticizing office or work culture. It is, I believe, a direct reflection of what we've been seeing on the runways recently (boxy and exaggerated suit jackets reminiscent of the 80s/90s). What's on the runways trickles down to the youths/popular culture/tiktok eventually and then we have "corpcore," a fun interpretation of 80s/90s/00s "office fashion". Also, whoever re-watched The Devil Wears Prada and remembered how hot Giselle looked in her officewear/rectangle glasses + posted it helped move this trend along too.
American Psycho 🤝American Gigolo
Giorgio Armani
Getting a Mina video after a long day is my little sweet treat
oh I like it more than I thought I would. I hated that business casual era of the 2010s bc it was so straightforward, but I really like that the aesthetic has an edge this time around, an angle
Retirement core exists as coastal grandma
As someone who is 25 working an office 9-5, I've always grown up very career-driven, my parents went through a lot during the 2008 recession, so it was DRILLED into me that I had to find a way to provide. I dreamed of working in an office because it's what I saw my parents do and it's what was sold to me as "making it". I've always enjoyed the office look aesthetically, and it felt like I would fit in nicely, though, being someone who dresses alternatively, I tend to lean into corporate goth. It's nice to be on trend for once haha! I've always been told I have "bayonetta vibes" and people have always told me I "look like a librarian" so it's cool that the trends are leaning in my favor now.
Have you ever heard of the youtuber Luxeria? She calls her style corporate goth lol!
@haleymist09 I have not! But corporate goth is a whooooole subgenre of the goth subculture! I love goth music and on the weekends I usually do casual goth, but since I have to work a 9-5 I have to tone it down into Corporate Goth so that I can still express myself on the daily!
@@sydney9011 sounds cool! I'd like to work in the cubicle next to you lol
I TRIED to read american psycho as my beach read last year. Its VERY good in the first half, before the gore starts, because it displays what a blank canvas patrick bateman IS, as a psychopath and how much of his surroundings he absorbs and reflects
the editing in this video was so much fun. i really love how your videos have evolved!
As someone working in finance I can kind of understand it.
Formal-ish wear was mandatory in 2019, we all worked from home in 2020 and came back in Tshirts into the office afterwards. Formal wear is theoretically corporate policy but nobody cared from one office day to another.
I did notice that "professional distance" did vanish as well and I suspect the clothing was subconsciously the reason. I like my coworkers and bosses but we‘re not buddys. And I hate that this is the expectation now. In 2019 you wouldn’t have asked me how my relationship was going because it’s none of your business. But now I have to answer to not be unfriendly. The worst are performance/salary negotiations. I want to negotiate with my boss, not with someone who calls me "dude".
Pls bring back corporatecore wear like it was in 2019. please.
Felt that on the relationship info thing. Why do I know abt everyone’s in laws and hinge situationships when I really only know these people through shared spreadsheets
I’m old enough to remember changing into high heels for the office.
My mom went to junior high/high school in the late 60s/early 70s in California and it’s interesting to hear her talk about getting dressed for school. She couldn’t wear pants to school until, like, her junior year of high school (she’s about 16/17) and even then, it was still discouraged.
It’s weird to think about the things we don’t have to think about. Like, nobody looks at you twice for wearing a pants suit as opposed to not getting hired if you’re wearing one.
It feels kinda illegal to be this early😭
For a sense of the mundane, imprisonment of office life watch… The Office (the first couple seasons, at least). Part of what made that show so good was the second-hand dreariness and embarrassment you felt watching people trapped in that senseless job with a ridiculous boss.
Didn't all of them have pretty spacious places to live and could afford cars etc tho 🙃🙃
30:42 it is astounding how often you can ask yourself, "why does this suck?" and how in less than four degrees it comes back to Regan and his administration.
mina is about to send bombs into the fashion scene with this one
She obviously didn’t invent the trend, but on my fyp Bayonetta became really popular then all of a sudden bayonetta glasses (and the glasses alone) became popular and eventually it evolved into the whole office siren aesthetic. Obviously the 20 year cycle (and the shitty job market probably) is at fault for the rise of the aesthetic, but i find it so interesting how many people have never played or seen a bayonetta game, yet she seems to be so important to the aesthetic. Wish her creators would bank on this opportunity and put her in a Miu Miu campaign or something
IM HERE IM HERE
When you cant shake free of them, bedazzle your chains
For me? It's drag. Performance art. With costuming to match. I dress up as my lil officesona with a blazer and mauve lipstick and LARP as a boring office worker for 8 hours.
I was like 8 when the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal happened, remember the jokes lasted for years, mostly on her and her stained dress. Since then I’ve wondered why and how the Clintons moved on like if nothing happened, then his links to Epstein came out and still they (with the help of corporate media) try to pretend everything is ok. Even Ghislaine Maxwell was invited to one of their daughters wedding.
Hilary was a huge role model for many women with corporate and political aspirations (in contrast with Monica). Turned out she is just as corrupt as other male politicians and permissive like any other submissive housewive.
Ties have always confused me, even if they let the world know that you’re a manager. It always just feels like a weird test that separates the managers from the dyslexic, and all it manages to do is look like a weird bib.
Oh yay! I love the little snippet of Withnail and I you snuck in there 💗💗💗
Was hoping you would include the corporate goth trend. Definitely a way of incorporating individuality in the corporate workplace, whereas before it wasn’t as common to be alternative in such cookie cutter type jobs.
Not me immediately attempting to memorize that Robert Downey Jr. quote.
I’ve never been so early, excited to watch. ❤
i feel like everyone just yearns for the stability of an office job and the ability to disconnect in the gig economy modern age. like i’ve (gen z) never wanted an office job in my life but now im graduating college and the stability is a DREAM
This is one of those trends that just makes me chuckle. I am a 40 year old woman who spent her early twienties in corporate jobs. It was sheer hell. I've wasted days of my youth in sterile beige interiors while being all itchy in those "smart", but uncomfortable clothes. I can still recall the pervasive buzz of fluorescent lights, the meaningless exchanges in the company kitchen and my facial muscles being contracted from smiling politely for hours on end (while being surrounded by people that you don't feel like smiling at). And my paper-pushing job had no meaning whatsoever. The show "Severance" touches upon a deep truth about what it's like to work in an office.
Very interesting. We all know damn well none of the newer generation wants to live this lifestyle and most are fighting against it. Is this their way of romanticizing it? I mean some people have to live this way (not by choice but by survival mode) because it’s their way out of living an unstable life.
I would also add one of the outfits that Margot Robbie wore that was inspired by one of the Barbies that was a business woman with a suit and the cellphone for Vogue magazine.
As someone who would spend time at my mom’s job at a big office in the 90s, my main memory of it is sticky, dusty, beige computers and drawers filled with bits of plastic and wire, and endless hallways. In fact when people talk about liminal spaces I usually think about that. For me, it would be like making an aesthetic out of the small, gross break room in your large chain store job.
My mom had to commute up to 8 hours round trip every day sometimes depending on the year. Definitely not something I’ll ever want to emulate.
She always talks about something I have been thinking - or noticing - but cannot put into words.
Thank you, Mina.
retirement core when?
1980s Colourful Power were really quite something. Puffy sleeves, crisp tweeds and big belts.
something i didn't see brought up in the videos or in the comments (apologies if i missed it), is that in addition to the economic forces that may be causing this trend (glamorization of the "stable" office job), is that i think this is also a response to a decade of dominance of casual wear. the silicon valley open plan office uniform of "hoodie and f*ck-you flip flops", the dominance of athleisure, normcore, streetwear, the pandemic era blouse-and-sweatpants zoom attire, etc - the pendulum swung too far towards casual, and office clothing was always a more accessible way people could add formality to their wardrobe. people become disconnected from an entire category of clothing and are now rediscovering that there is enjoyment in a structured, tailored jack and non-stretch trousers, lol.
This video was amazing mina! Thank you!