What happened to the Gen Z boss and a mini women after the video?
The women from the viral “Gen Z boss and a mini” video, employees of Australian skincare startup TBH Skincare, faced intense online backlash but ultimately converted the negative attention into a tangible business opportunity. Founder Rachael Wilde publicly credited the viral moment for a new partnership deal, proving the commercial value of the controversy. The team turned a wave of sexist abuse and “cringe” accusations into brand visibility that reached millions of viewers.
Table of Contents
- Who are the women in the “Gen Z boss and a mini” video?
- Why did the “Gen Z boss and a mini” video attract so much criticism?
- How did the TBH Skincare team respond to the online hate?
- What business benefits did TBH Skincare gain from the viral moment?
- How did the “boots and a slicked back bun” trend influence the original video?
- What does the “Gen Z boss and a mini” backlash say about workplace culture?
- How many views did the original “Gen Z boss and a mini” video receive?
- Key Takeaways
- References
Who are the women in the “Gen Z boss and a mini” video?
The women in the video are employees of TBH Skincare, an Australian startup founded by Rachael Wilde, according to Glamour. The company sells products including acne dots, cleansers, and serums, and uses the tagline “Hey spotty hotties!” to connect with its younger customer base.
The video shows the group chanting in a circle, taking turns to describe their characteristics. Their chants included “Gen Z boss and a mini [skirt],” “itty-bitty titties and a bob,” “five foot three and a attitude,” “secret product and a trench [coat],” “new Frank Green and a sneaky link,” and “fake tan hands and a hoop,” as detailed by Glamour.
The chant format was not original to TBH Skincare. It was inspired by the “boots and a slicked back bun” meme that had recently spread on TikTok, originally posted by @maisieisobel_ on June 29, according to Forbes. That earlier video showed three women dancing and chanting while describing their outfits.
Why did the “Gen Z boss and a mini” video attract so much criticism?
The video attracted immediate negative commentary that labelled it “cringe” and “corporate,” according to Forbes. Online commentators used the video to satirise the forced “fun activities” that often take place at workplace events, framing the team’s participation as an awkward corporate appropriation of a grassroots trend.
The criticism escalated significantly when the video captured the attention of self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate. According to news.com.au, Tate’s remarks directed a wave of sexist vitriol at the women. Some people ran with his comments, claiming the women should be at home rather than at work.
Other commentators declared that the corporate take on a popular trend represented “the decline of Gen Z,” according to news.com.au. The backlash became a flashpoint for debates about authenticity, workplace culture, and the treatment of young women online.
How did the TBH Skincare team respond to the online hate?
The TBH Skincare team responded with a parody video posted on TikTok by @thebreakouthack that incorporated the insults flung their way into a new song and dance, according to Glamour. The response video included the phrase “women should go back to the kitchen” and used props to mock the criticism.
The response video performed strongly on TikTok, receiving 356.6K likes, 957 comments, and 8,204 shares, as reported by Glamour. Rachael Wilde described her approach as turning “hate into hype,” according to news.com.au.
The response reframed the narrative from victimhood to control. By laughing along with the criticism and reclaiming the insults, the team demonstrated a PR strategy that prioritised resilience over silence.
What business benefits did TBH Skincare gain from the viral moment?
Rachael Wilde announced a new partnership deal that she claims would not have happened without the viral video, according to news.com.au. The specific details of the partnership deal have not been publicly disclosed, but Wilde has been clear that the viral attention created the commercial opportunity.
The original video attracted millions of views across platforms, raising the brand’s profile significantly, as reported by news.com.au. The YouTube upload alone has accumulated 541,635 views, according to YouTube.
The outcome serves as a case study in managing a PR crisis for commercial gain. TBH Skincare transformed a moment of widespread mockery into brand awareness and a tangible business deal.
How did the “boots and a slicked back bun” trend influence the original video?
The chant used by the TBH Skincare team traces back to the “boots and a slicked back bun” meme posted by @maisieisobel_ on June 29, according to Forbes. The original trend video features three women dancing and chanting while describing their outfits in a playful, rhythmic format.
TBH Skincare adapted the trend for a corporate team-building context, with employees taking turns to describe their own characteristics in the same chant style. The adaptation kept the structure of the original meme but replaced the outfit descriptions with workplace and personal identifiers.
The reception of the original trend differed sharply from the corporate adaptation. The original video was seen as authentic and fun, while the TBH Skincare version was widely derided as forced and “cringe,” according to Forbes. The contrast highlights how context shapes the perception of the same creative format.
What does the “Gen Z boss and a mini” backlash say about workplace culture?
The backlash sparked a debate about Gen Z becoming “cringe” in professional settings, according to Forbes. Critics argued that the video represented a decline in workplace professionalism, while supporters saw it as harmless team bonding that was unfairly scrutinised.
The video also ignited a broader discourse regarding women in the workplace. The sexist vitriol directed at the women, including claims they should be at home rather than at work, exposed the double standards faced by young women expressing themselves in corporate environments, as reported by news.com.au.
The video became a symbol for debates about authenticity versus corporate branding. The tension between grassroots internet culture and its commercial adoption remains a recurring theme in digital discourse, and the TBH Skincare video sits at the centre of that conversation, according to Glamour.
How many views did the original “Gen Z boss and a mini” video receive?
The YouTube upload of the original video from July 2024 has accumulated 541,635 views, according to YouTube. The same upload has received 2,133 likes, indicating a mixed reception on that platform.
The YouTube figure represents only one platform. The video attracted millions of views across Instagram and TikTok, where it was originally posted by TBH Skincare, as reported by news.com.au.
The exact total view count across all platforms has not been officially confirmed. The available figures demonstrate that the video reached a substantial audience, which contributed to the brand visibility that later translated into a partnership deal.
Key Takeaways
- The “Gen Z boss and a mini” video was created by employees of TBH Skincare, an Australian beauty startup.
- The chant was adapted from the “boots and a slicked back bun” trend posted by @maisieisobel_.
- Andrew Tate’s comments directed a wave of sexist abuse toward the women in the video.
- The team responded with a parody video that incorporated the insults, which received over 356,000 likes on TikTok.
- Founder Rachael Wilde announced a new partnership deal as a direct result of the viral attention.
- The original video has over 541,000 views on YouTube alone, with millions more across other platforms.
- The backlash sparked a wider debate about Gen Z behaviour and women in the workplace.
References
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