A video of a woman complaining about her job has gone viral on social media, dividing the internet. Brielle Asero first posted the clip on TikTok and it later appeared on other platforms. According to Mashable, she has 125,000 followers on TikTok and she told them about the lack of time she has left for herself after commuting home. Ms Asero called the 9-5 schedule "crazy". Her video has received 2.3 million views on TikTok and more than 200,000 likes.
Watch the video:
"I get on the train at 7:30 am, and I don't get home until 6:15 pm at the earliest. I don't have time to do anything," she said in the video.
Ms Asero then poses two questions for her followers online: "How do you have friends? How do you have time to meet a guy?"
Her video generated huge interest among social media users, with some of them criticising her and others posting in her defence.
"The 40 hour work week is beyond outdated and your feelings are totally valid," said one of the most-liked comments. The clip appeared on X (formerly Twitter) with #4HL, in reference to the four-hour life - the idea that you have four hours left over for yourself after work each day.
There were some disapproving responses from users.
"Gen Z girl finds out what a real job is like," said one user. "Omg, poor baby has her first job. Like..she has to commute?? Like...she has to cook dinner?? Like...no time or energy to work out?? Like..she's working in person not remote??? Like...She. Has. To. Work. 9. To. 5 ??? What????" said another.
Others were quick to defend her for the video.
"Why are people cooking her for pointing out that the 9-5 work structure is broken ?? she's literally right ??" one user posted on X. Another pointed out, "People dragging her as if she didn't just say what karl marx said about capitalism 2 centuries ago LET HER SPEAK."
Speaking to Rolling Stone about her video, Ms Asero said her video is being taken out of context and used by some users to bash Generation Z.
"Most people who are mad at me are just taking out the anger they feel over the time they've lost working long hours. I just wanted to bring people together who feel this way to possibly incite a change," Ms Asero said.
"I don't even understand how this has turned into a political argument when all I was trying to do was open a conversation and be respectful towards people that work even longer hours than I do," she told Rolling Stone. "Different news stations picked up my video and painted post-grads as entitled and lazy which is far from the case."
The outlet said that the 21-year-old graduated from the University of South Carolina in May 2023, a year earlier than the rest of her class, in an effort to cut down the cost of tuition.
