Social:Office siren
The office siren, also known as "corp-core" or "girlboss 2.0," is an aesthetic centered around eighties, nineties, and Y2K feminine corporate style, involving pieces like pencil skirts, blazers, heels, and "Bayonetta" glasses which "balance looking stylish while still being corporate-appropriate."[1][2] It was popularized on TikTok by Generation Z starting in late 2023.[3][4]
Definition
The office siren aesthetic revolves around women's corporate workwear specifically meant for an office environment—usually older looks from the eighties, nineties, and two-thousands—and combines it with a sense of high fashion and a sensual, sultry edge.[5][6][4]
Examples of those wearing the aesthetic include Bella Hadid, Michelle Obama, Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber, and Gisele Bündchen's character, Serena, in The Devil Wears Prada. Brands which the aesthetic looks toward for inspiration include Ralph Lauren, Miu Miu, and Calvin Klein.[7][8][3]
Impact
Shortly after the trend began, certain brands, such as Sandy Liang and Shushu/Tong, began releasing office siren–inspired pieces for their 2024 collections.[9][6][10]
Controversy
Appropriateness
Some people online questioned the appropriateness of certain office siren looks in an actual corporate environment. A few of those practicing the aesthetic reported to TikTok that they had been fired for it.[11]
Others, in response, claimed that criticizing the professionalism of women was rooted in misogyny and that allowing women to dress confidently and ambitiously in the workplace, within reason, was liberating.[7] Phoebe Gavin, a career and leadership coach, told USA Today that "Women are judged much more harshly for dressing in a way that is suggestive or that attracts attention in a more sexualized way; that's unfair and discriminatory, but it is the world we live in."[12]
Objectification
Some people online, speaking from a feminist angle, questioned whether the office siren trend was objectifying women in the workplace.[7][13]
Hannah Jackson, writing for Vogue, stated, "it would be naïve to believe that the office siren is exempt from falling victim to patriarchy. The trend’s over-sexed ethos may aim to empower the people (mainly young women) who wear it, but the idea of employing sexuality in a workplace is not exactly the act of authority that many young people think it is."[14]
Romanticization
Fashion journalists questioned whether the office environment should be glamorized.[15]
Alaina Demopoulos, writing for The Guardian, stated that "Only someone who has never truly experienced the existential dread that comes with holding down a soulless 9-to-5 would ever romanticize corporate life. And yet, this time last year, fashion influencers were doing just that."[15]
References
- ↑ "How to Master the Office Siren Aesthetic" (in en-US). 2025-02-28. https://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/fashion/a63894617/office-siren-outfits/.
- ↑ "Office Siren Status: The Best Work Outfits for Corporate Girlies That Are Actually Chic (& Start at $10)". 2025-09-15. https://www.eonline.com/news/1422561/how-to-nail-the-office-siren-look-chic-work-outfits-from-just-s10.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Michelle Obama Puts an Unexpected Twist on the Office Siren Trend in a Gem Bedazzled Skirt Suit" (in en). https://www.instyle.com/michelle-obama-office-siren-gem-bedazzled-skirt-suit-11879148.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Getahun, Hannah. "Gen Z is bringing the 'office siren' aesthetic to corporate settings, but some say the trend isn't practical for work" (in en-US). https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-office-siren-fashion-aesthetic-trend-2024-2.
- ↑ "The Office Siren Trend Is Business Casual for Hot Girls" (in en). https://www.byrdie.com/office-siren-tiktok-trend-8425862.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lee, Vivien. "We're Entering Our Office Siren Era — Here's How To Style The Viral Trend" (in en). https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/office-siren-fashion-outfits-how-to-style.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "The ‘Office Siren’: Professionalism in Practice or Corporate Cosplay?" (in en-US). https://www.34st.com/article/2025/11/office-siren-trend-2025-explained-y2k-corporate-fashion-gen-z-workplace-politics-workwear-dress-code.
- ↑ "Kendall Jenner Won the Office Siren Trend This Weekend" (in en-US). 2025-09-15. https://lifestyle.si.com/fashion-beauty/kendall-jenner-won-office-siren-trend.
- ↑ Gaskins, Ty (2024-11-22). "What Is the Office Siren Trend? Explaining the Sensual ’80s Office-inspired Style Making Waves Outside the Workplace" (in en-US). https://wwd.com/pop-culture/celebrity-news/feature/office-siren-trend-1236707392/.
- ↑ Lai, Gladys (2024-05-30). "’90s redux: 5 ways to style the new "office siren" corporate chic". Vogue Australia. https://www.vogue.com.au/fashion/trends/office-siren-aesthetic/image-gallery/86baee7101d3b68a9b9b18fb242374c1.
- ↑ "The Office Siren Outfit Lore On TikTok About Someone Being Fired Is Going Viral" (in en-US). 2025-03-18. https://www.hercampus.com/style/office-siren-outfit-fired-job/.
- ↑ Hull, Alyshia. "The ‘office siren’ aesthetic: Fashion empowerment or career risk?" (in en-US). https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/08/28/office-siren-trend-career-risk/85666362007/.
- ↑ Redmond, Nora. "The 'office siren' aesthetic is taking off on social media, but one expert warns it's rooted in sexism" (in en-US). https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-tiktok-office-siren-trend-rooted-in-sexism-expert-2024-8.
- ↑ Jackson, Hannah (2024-03-26). "When It Comes to the Office Siren Trend, Are Women In on the Joke?" (in en-US). https://www.vogue.com/article/office-siren-girlhood-trend-patriarchy.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Demopoulos, Alaina (2025-04-02). "The ‘office siren’ is over: why gen Z are succumbing to dull workwear" (in en-GB). The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2025/apr/02/gen-z-work-outfits-uniforms.
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