Weibo Meme ‘This Is Not a Pendant, It’s Their Essence’ Becomes Symbol of Gen Z’s Irony‑Fueled ‘Adulting’ Culture

The hashtag first appeared in a short video posted by a user called “五行属二的微博视频” in early 2024. The clip, set to a jaunty pop track, featured a montage of young adults fumbling through the rituals of “adulting” – from half‑hearted attempts at cooking to the endless scroll of job‑search apps. Overlaid text read: “#这不是挂件是他们的本体#大家都在努力假装大人生活，这不是挂件，是他们的‘本体’#我的幽默灵感片场##人间值得有欢喜##作品二创.” In plain English, the caption declared that the little trinkets we cling to – be they a favorite mug, a phone case, or a gaming figurine – are not mere add‑ons; they are the very thing that keeps us grounded as we pretend to be fully fledged adults.

What makes the meme stick, however, is its flexibility. Within a week of the video’s upload, users began attaching the same phrase to a wide variety of posts, each time using the “pendant” metaphor to highlight a different kind of irony. In the gaming community, for example, fans posted screenshots of character models whose main designs were deliberately simplistic, while the accompanying “挂件” – elaborate weapon skins, flashy emotes, or eye‑catching accessories – stole the spotlight. One user joked, “本体设计敷衍完成度低，就例如芋丑花言，芋圆几乎没穿衣服，丑花言灵批块破布，这种本体精度不够挂件设计来凑的风格我只感觉抽的是挂件本体是添头 不明觉厉,” essentially noting that the “core” of the character was so under‑developed that the accessories felt like the real main attraction.

Anime and manga fans have taken the meme in a similar direction. The term “谷子,” a transliteration of the English word “goods,” refers to the ever‑growing market of official merchandise – plushies, keychains, and limited‑edition figures. A post that paired a photo of a sleek, minimalist figure with a glittering, over‑the‑top keychain captioned, “其实包挂才是他们的本体#挂件#成年人#小大人,” summed up the sentiment: the “bag charm” (the pendant) is, humorously, the true essence of the product line, eclipsing the original design.

Beyond fandom, the phrase has found a home in everyday self‑expression. A popular “life‑hack” video that showed a college student using a tiny, hand‑crafted notebook to keep track of meals, bills, and mental health notes was tagged with the meme, underscoring that the humble notebook – a seemingly trivial object – had become the user’s lifeline, the “本体” of their adulting routine.

What ties all these strands together is a shared feeling of irony and a little self‑deprecation. The original Weibo post’s reference to “pretending to live like adults” captures a generational mood: many young Chinese, like their counterparts worldwide, are navigating a world where the markers of adulthood – stable jobs, home ownership, financial independence – feel out of reach. In that liminal space, the small, often whimsical items that give them comfort or a sense of identity become, by necessity, the “real body” of their daily existence.

The meme’s rapid spread – from a single video to thousands of reposts, comment threads, and derivative jokes – illustrates how quickly a simple linguistic twist can capture a cultural moment. While the phrase itself is not tied to any historic figure or political event, its popularity underscores the power of social media to turn a playful metaphor into a shared shorthand for a generation’s lived experience.

In short, “这不是挂件是他们的本体” is more than a quirky translation. It is a reminder that, in the age of endless accessories and endless scrolling, the things we cling to most tightly are often the ones that define us, whether they’re a beloved figurine, a favorite notebook, or the very act of laughing at the absurdities of “adulting.” As the meme continues to ripple through Weibo’s feeds, it offers a light‑hearted lens on the deeper question: what truly makes us who we are?