Gen-Z edit: Why being 'delulu' is actually the 'solulu'

In the 2008 movie Picture This Ashley Tisdalersquos friends tell her ldquoMandy your rampaging hormones are making you delusional Be reasonablerdquo The context is the bookish protagonist creating an elaborate plan to mislead her father about where she really isOnce an insult today lsquodelulursquo INet slang for delusional is now a GenZ hype term Originally used to call out lsquosasaengsrsquo obsessed Kpop fans today being delulu means choosing to be optimistic in the face of a disappointing realityThe trend originated on TikTok with delulu raking in over 13 billion views and then spread via screenshots and reels to Twitter and InstagramPriyal Pandey a law student from Navi Mumbai first caught delulu on Twitter ldquoIt was against the backdrop of the Venus retrograde where celebrities such as Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande broke up with their partnersrdquo says the 22yearold ldquoNetizens especially young women began feeling disillusioned about romance and love and started creating fantastical imaginary expectations of love which transmuted into being lsquodelulursquordquoAyush Guha and Shradha SaxenaOne aspect of delulu is young women describing their ideal partner who exists only in their mind or twisting the reality of their relationship An Instagram post reads ldquoMy red flags are heartshaped lt3rdquo Thatrsquos delulu in an emoticonIs this problematic as a coping mechanism glossing over red flags and real issues in a relationship Pandey doesnrsquot think so ldquoItrsquos funny to be delusional and exaggerate situations in your life Thatrsquos all it isrdquoComedian Mohammed Hussain also finds being positively delusional about onersquos life hilarious To him delulu is just an extension of the ldquogrindset mindsetrdquo which has been around for as long as pretentious ldquoprofessional hustlersrdquo ldquoItrsquos just a new label for lsquofake it till you make itrsquordquo says the Jogeshwari resident ldquoYou have to be delusional to quit your job and become a standup comic for example You have to be delusional to think yoursquore important enough to make it Delusion breeds confidencerdquoTherersquos a deeper take as well Lead strategist Shradha Saxena who studies GenZ behaviour and attitudes says they tend to use such terms to amuse themselves but also to make a point in an absurd way ldquoGen Z romanticises everything about their liferdquo says the Delhi professional ldquoThey will romanticise being broke or laughing about the trauma of being in a toxic relationshiphellip itrsquos all about living life even though everything around you is on firerdquo This according to Saxena is their newest form of selfcare ldquoNothing makes sense anymore in their worldrdquo says the 29yearold ldquoThatrsquos why they want to dream or indulge a little everyday to glam up their daily routines All the good things happen in our heads all the bad things happen in our lives Finding meaning in nothing is something Gen Z does really well There is a very strong desire in them to stand out and be authentic as opposed to millennials who were told to fit inrdquoThese aspirations amplify and project through their social media personality according to Ayush Guha However manifestations are one thing putting in the actual work is another ldquoPosting it on social media wonrsquot change anythingrdquo says Guha who is the business head for HYPP a talent management and influencer marketing agency ldquoThat said the scene is different from what it was a decade ago Many career roles are undefined professions arenrsquot as structured as they used to berdquoGen Z is making the most of this hazy landscape he says experimenting online to test the waters and push the limits of this virtual world which they have more control and agency overPandey applies the delulu mindset to life The law industry has been affected by a slew of layoffs and recession but shersquos forged ahead in spite of anxiety applying for the jobs with a vengeance While itrsquos easy to get internships she says law firms and companies are sceptical about hiring newbies right now and therersquos a lot of competition for the top spots ldquoI was like forget it Irsquoll apply anyway Irsquoll be delusional about itmdashkya hi ho jayegardquo she says ldquoAnd it actually helped I have a few important interviews lined up nowrdquoSo is being delulu the solulu GenZ for lsquothe only solutionrsquo to the majority of our problems Hussain whorsquos been a comedian for five years says it is ldquoFor the longest time I was waiting for the right kind of joke or getting enough material If I hadnrsquot believed I was limited by these barriers maybe I would be more established than I am now You have to be delusional and take that leap of faithrdquo