For years, hustle culture has been forced down our throats. Success was packaged as waking up at dawn, powering through a HIIT workout, downing coffee, and grinding through a 12-hour workday (a Devil Wears Prada fever dream where femininity was an afterthought).
We were told that to be taken seriously, we had to reject softness, shelve girlhood, and adopt hyper-masculine energy to prove we belonged at the table.
But now? More and more of us are choosing peace over burnout. A real power move, if you ask me.
Gen Z is leading the charge and its rejection of hustle culture reflects a deeper shift in how we approach work, leadership, and success. According to a study by LutherOne on the “Unbossing Movement”, Gen Z is moving away from traditional hierarchies and ‘boss’ figures, instead valuing autonomy, flexibility, and purpose-driven careers over corporate ladder-climbing. Reminding us that ambition isn’t just about being busy; it’s about being happy. It’s about taking up space in a way that feels good, not just productive.
This shift is everywhere; just open TikTok or Instagram. The rise of slow living, self-care, and the trad wife aesthetic (shout out to Nara Smith) shows that embracing femininity isn’t a regression, it’s a reclamation.
Some are leaning into domesticity, while others are redefining success through coquette clothes, ballet flats, and the clean girl look. Either way, the message is clear: femininity is no longer dismissed as frivolous, and girlhood is well and truly back in the spotlight.
For the longest time, I felt I had to hide parts of myself, too. Balancing both worlds of career girl by day, homemaker by night. I love the rush of meeting deadlines, being proud of my achievements and the drive to achieve. But I also love coming home and cooking dinner for my husband and making our space feel warm and beautiful. And for a while, I felt ashamed to admit that.
There’s a stigma around women who embrace homemaking, as if choosing softness somehow cancels out ambition. But here’s the truth: you can be both. You can chase dreams and still romanticise life. Choosing to nurture, create, and embrace femininity doesn’t make you any less powerful. In fact, softness takes a different kind of strength – the kind that doesn’t need to shout to be heard.
This hyper-feminine wave isn’t just a trend; it’s a cultural reset. Success can look like journaling over eggs Benedict in a café, arranging fresh flowers at home, or winding down with a guided meditation, not just back-to-back meetings and an endless to-do list.
Women don’t just want to work hard, they want to live beautifully. So, wear the bows. Put on the pink lipgloss. Take yourself on that solo date. Try that new recipe. Romanticise every moment. Because girlhood is all about playfulness, dreaming, and knowing that softness is strength, which doesn’t have to be left in your younger years.
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