The #SoftLife Era
By Ethel Barnes
By this time, most of us have been exposed to one of the most popular eras of 2022 trending all over social media platforms. An era depicted by lavish vacations and fine dining, as well as freshly manicured nails and expensive shopping sprees. That is, the “soft life”, a term coined as an expression for living a life of luxury and comfort.
What makes this trend alluring is the imagination of what life could feel like in contrast to the hustle culture which inadvertently reinforces a lifestyle of toxic productivity and burnout.
Especially in the realities of hardship among most Black women and women of colour, priority is set on living a life of peace and intentional happiness. The soft life is characterized by simplicity and self-care while rejecting any type of distress.
While many have embraced this lifestyle, others have reservations on whether a soft life can lead to success. Some claim that this trend is changing how people work causing a shift from the traditional 9-5 routine. For example, in a recent podcast, Youtuber Lamidè Elizabeth stated that a life of ease promotes low productivity and further expressed that many people expect success without putting in the hard work.
Those not in favour of the soft life era also criticize the materialist ideologies and consumerism to actively participate in the trend. The heavy emphasis on shoes, clothes, vacations, and expensive restaurants is a lifestyle that many people cannot afford.
The pressure to participate in this movement conversely creates a dichotomy between the “haves” and the “have-nots”. Thus, an era that was created to rebrand work-life balance has now become political.
Whether the trend of soft living continues, the essence behind the movement should persist rather as an interpretation. Similarly, the epitome of the “woman of leisure” should be a relative concept. A life of luxury can hold different meanings for different people in whichever way that works for them.