Who Says That?!

If you look at life from a perspective closer to ours, you would agree that any extension of your being can translate to style–language included. Not unlike the wardrobe you curate or the moments you share on Instagram, how you converse follows the same rules. Your vocabulary has to be sharp and updated. Nothing is worse than trying to sound younger–we’d all agree that trying to pass Gen-Z slang in a group chat with your younger cousin is bound to earn some eyerolls. But before trying to make sense of the language of the future, here are some outdated words and phrases to unlearn instantly.

Who says that?

Authentic

Declaring something is authentic is a tell-tale sign of trying too hard to prove the authenticity of a product. Even if said authenticity is guaranteed, something about screaming it from the rooftops is an instant turn off. If what you’re trying to communicate is authentic enough, you wouldn’t have to say it is so in the first place.

Transparency

Right on the heels of authentic is transparent. Again an oversell, transparency makes you sound like you are trying very desperately to cover-up for something shady. Whether used in a formal workspace, or at the back of a product label, transparency is little minefield of a word to use. If you don’t have the receipts to show, its going to land you in trouble.

Quiet Quitting

While quiet quitting isn’t as often used as many others on the list, its the essence of this phrase we are after. Why are you in a space that warrants you to quiet quit in the first place? You’re not doing yourself or your workplace any favours by way of half-assing your job. Either you need to set boundaries and realistic expectations or simply set yourself free. Quiet quitting is no longer a brag to be proud of so please stop.

Who says that?

Girlboss

The image of the all-achieving, husting, girlboss has been degraded since on several counts, girlbosses turned out to be terrible employers. Girlbosses were also the kind of people running on fumes, expecting their assistants to run around at their whims. Labelled under “convenient incrementalism”, the ethos of this phenomenon is now looked down upon. Its time to call quits with the girlboss.

Net-net

Just typing out net-net is enough to creep this writer out. Loaded with boardroom passive aggression, the person using net-net is usually the person trying to act like a saviour and explain the obvious to his exhausted colleagues. No one wants the definition of a problem, they just need a solution.

Credit where credit is due

If someone tells you they believe in giving credit where credit is due, mathematical deduction will land you with the sense that they also choose not to give credit when they don’t think it is due. It’s 2023, credit is a must and anyone who says otherwise is a human shaped red flag.