What is Hustle Culture

When you think of the term ‘Hussle Culture’, what comes to mind? Is it Influencers, Self-employment, Adventure capitalism, inspirational Instagram posts, or that guy Elon Musk who said, “No one changed the world in 40 hours a week?

If you are unfamiliar with the term according to Urban Dictionary Hussle culture can be defined as:

‘The glorification of working very long hours in hope of reaching one's professional goals while having a disregard for their health, and relationships with loved ones’

To put it simply Hustle culture is romanticised Toxic Productivity. Which has become increasingly popularised through content across various pockets of social media and online advertisement.

Hussle culture pretty much promotes the idea that if you If you work hard enough, you will become successful. There are many well-known promoters of this grind culture, including business owners who credit their hustle for their success, Instagram influencers, and motivational speakers. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and Tony Robins are all huge supporters of the philosophy.

The huge success of these figures has left younger generations aspiring to reach the same levels of success through pushing themselves to optimum productivity levels While in theory this is somewhat positive as many young people are pushing themselves to achieve the best they can.

The trend of Hussle Culture is typically more damaging than it is a signpost of success. While many people in the UK and globally work over 40 hours a week. Hustle culture encourage people to start ‘side hustles’, promoting the notion of over work which is detrimental to our physical and mental health.

The constant pressure to be productive at all days of the week beyond our 9-5 jobs is simply unsustainable. Social media also enables those who subscribe and promote productivity content and hustling to portray an unrealistic, edited version of their lifestyle

Productivity content and a rise in Hussle Culture was seen in the height of the pandemic when many of us were placed under strict lockdown rules and worked remotely.

Generally, we had more time on our hands and thus more time to be productive. Whether that be cleaning the house, working out or journaling. These kind of activities in particular were a huge part of the ‘It Girl’ and ‘Girl Boss” trends. These trends can be seen on platforms like YouTube and Tiktok and usually part of content titles which involve flawless early morning routes. The ‘That Girl’ trend is simply Hussle culture presented in a more feminine form.

Many critics of Hustle or grind culture point to the fact as that such high levels of productivity can actually lead to burnout and is very counterproductive in terms of reaching sustainable long-term goals.

But it seems as though, people are waking up to the unrealistic lifestyle that Hussle Culture promotes. Structural inequalities mean that being able to use spare hours to invest into business ventures and passive income is a luxury available to a select few. Often those with more financial stability and work flexibility

Love Island star and business owner Molly-Mae was called out for an interview the star did in 2021. The star faced backlash for supposedly promoting unrealistic, unhealthy work orientated messages such as ‘We all have the same 24 hours in a day’ which was critiqued as being out of touch.

But although many young people are waking up to the flaws of Hustle Culture, the idea that working harder will lead to more success is an idea which is so engrained in capitalism and the values our society promotes, it is unlikely, we will see the trend disappear anytime soon.