😂WTF😂 ‘The kitten heels without the cubicles’: The 'office siren’ microtrend and Gen Z’s new vision for the workplace

[Pr3sch00l]

For a generation entering the adult workforce in a post-pandemic world, the world of in-person office work can feel like a thing of the past. Remote work is at an all-time high, and for many members of Gen Z, the thought of going into an office five days a week—let alone suiting up in business professional attire to do so, sounds as impossible as owning a home. But, a microtrend known as the "office siren" aesthetic reveals that the idea or at least the look of office work lives in our heads "rent-free."

The trend grew to prominence in late 2023, primarily on TikTok, with creators sharing their best impressions of it and the tag #o#officesirenmassing tens of millions of views. In some ways, it's an offshoot of the recent trending "Y2K" aesthetic, which captured Gen Z's imagination with bedazzled flip phones, butterfly clips, and low-rise jeans. However, while "Y2K" is all about youth culture, the "office siren" imagines a more grown-up ideal.