Meet Margaret Hyde, a former victim of America’s capitalistic and consumeristic-obsessed hustle culture who has transformed into “Snail Girl.”
As her PR career took off, her mental health deteriorated. After almost a decade of constant pressure at work, long hours, and being expected to be available 24/7, she nearly had a psychological breakdown.
“Pairing this tension with below-average media pay in America, you’ll find a girl on the verge of a mental crisis,” Hyde told Fortune. “As a ‘yes’ employee, I was eager to grow in my career, but this approach quickly led to unexpected burnout.”
“I realized that working at an agency or for a corporation meant I lost my rights. Self-sovereignty was completely stripped away,” Hyde added. Three months ago, she walked away from her corporate career to become a “Snail Girl,” taking control of her time and protecting herself from burnout.
The term “Snail Girl,” which means to work at a snail’s pace, has become a social media phenomenon as more women reject the pressure to hustle under the glamour of the “girlboss” image.
“I had a moment where I asked myself, ‘When will this girlbossing end? When can I enjoy the life that all this hard work, hustle, and sacrifice have brought me?'” recalls Lucy Hall, who transitioned from an advertising manager to an entrepreneur last spring.
“I was constantly working, being at everyone’s beck and call, and it was taking a toll on my mental health. I decided that enough was enough.”
‘Lazy girl jobs’ aren’t lazy
Research has shown that women are leaving corporate careers to become “Snail Girls” or transition to “lazy girl jobs” with minimal stress and good pay, but they are far from lazy. Like Hyde and Hall, these women are actually trying to escape burnout from roles they’re not suited for.
Recent Gallup research found that 33% of women are almost always burned out, compared to just a quarter of men who feel the same. The burnout gap between men and women has widened as workers return to pre-pandemic norms, making work-life balance a priority for women in their next roles.
“We live in a society built by men for men, but women are smart,” says Jools Aspinall, founder of the consultancy firm Simply Jools. “Lazy girl jobs are not about being lazy but about being selective and prioritizing self-care. Running a successful business involves hard work that aligns with my values and doesn’t lead to burnout.”
For Aspinall, embracing the “Snail Girl” lifestyle has brought improvements to her mental and physical health, increased creativity, and productivity. “A Snail Girl is not always a lazy girl,” Hyde adds. “I’ve cut my workload in half, but I still put in 30-40 hours a week and am earning more money than ever with a fraction of the stress.”
Almost all the women that Fortune interviewed claim to now be earning more money while working less. Hall, for example, has found ways to make money while she sleeps by selling digital products and courses online through her two businesses.
But not everyone can be a ‘Snail Girl’
Kat Lapelosa, a freelance digital content manager, relocated to Europe during the pandemic. Now a self-proclaimed ‘Snail Girl,’ she works a few hours a day and has the freedom to travel and explore her new home.
“My salary is about half of what I made before, but it was a deliberate choice,” Lapelosa explains to Fortune. “I live like I’m retired, which is what everyone is working so hard to do anyway, right?”
However, Lapelosa acknowledges that she couldn’t sustain her lifestyle in New York with a lower salary, nor could she be a digital nomad with children.
Ultimately, millions of TikTokers popularizing these anti-work trends will face a reality check: It typically takes years of experience to command high pay for minimal hours of work.
“I can be a ‘lazy girl’ because I worked and hustled for years, honing my skills and building an audience,” advises Hall. “Gen Z might be in for a shock if they think they can get a lazy girl job straight out of school with no experience or qualifications.”
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
