Defining the Girlboss

To unpack girlboss culture, one must examine a plethora of issues.

Through looking into the origins of first-wave feminism, girlboss representation and stereotypes within the media, as well as culture and race related issues, we can see how this term came to light.

More importantly, we can recognise the girlboss' fall from grace and understand how damaging this representation of feminism can be.

Pictured are two influential, successful women. Whilst Kylie Jenner has built her career off the exploitation of others and the promotion of an unattainable and unsustainable form of capitalism, Malala Yousafzai has built her life as an activist in such a way as to empower marginalised women around the world, based on her lived experience. Thus, Jenner would be considered a girlboss while Yousafzai would not.

The girlboss: going back in time

Girlboss feminism can trace its roots back to second wave feminism, within which workplace equality was a significant issue, but it was the dawn of neoliberalism which truly set off the phenomenon.

Neoliberal reforms of the 1980's saw previously state-owned enterprises privatised, and the growing ideology of meritocracy - the idea that the only thing holding you back is yourself - triggered austerity measures with longstanding consequences.

Neoliberalism could be argued to have created two feminisms. One takes into account the victims of austerity, drawing on concepts of intersectionality and structural inequality.

The other seeks to feminise success within neoliberalism - success accessible to only a select few. This second form has evolved into what we now call girlboss feminism.

How did the girlboss gain her name?

The term girlboss rose to public attention in 2014 when American entrepreneur Sophia Amoruso used it with a hashtag prefix as the title of her best-selling ‘pop-feminist’ business memoir.

Early usage of the term was bound up with notions of empowerment and the belief that by ascending the corporate ladder women could generate a push towards change at a structural level. For many years, Amoruso’s vision of female corporate supremacy was celebrated. However, in 2019 the virtue of the movement began to be reassessed.

Gradually, the term girlboss became synonymous with hollow female empowerment. This shift in public opinion was prompted by a series of accusations of sinister labor practices being committed by companies led by esteemed girlbosses, including Amoruso herself. It became apparent that in their rise to the top, many girlbosses, who were typically pedigreed and white, had adopted the callousness of their male counterparts.

Race relations and the girlboss

The image of the girlboss has largely been seen as one who celebrates female empowerment and women’s rights. At face value, the term seems inclusive of all females who want to thrive as ‘boss’ on top.

However, in the last year, the reign of the girlboss has quickly fallen after numerous studies into leading female-run businesses like ‘Lululemon’, ‘Ivy Park’ and ‘Away’. These companies built their brands and their success on an image of feminism and inclusivity for females of all races. The problem is, the girlboss leader only accounts for white women, and doesn’t leave room for any female of any other race.

Social class and its effect on who the girlboss can be

Kathleen L McGinn and Eunsil Oh discuss how lower class women tend to be characterised as being “group-minded” and “reliant on others”, compared to their middle and upper class counterparts, who are viewed as being in control of their own destinies - strong, empowered.

Differences in behaviour and beliefs in the workplace differ hugely between levels of social class. The archetype of the girlboss and who relates to her lacks discussion around the tendency for “success to be built upon the oppression of others”.

Again, this has strong linkage to the reinforcement of power structures created by men, in reference to class elitism.

Representation of the girlboss in film + TV

There are countless examples in film and television that invoke the trope of the girlboss. These texts depict strong-willed women in positions of power, many of whom have built their success from the ground up, such as Erin Brockovich in the eponymous film (2000) or Jules Ostin from The Intern (2015). In many girlboss texts, such as The Devils Wears Prada (2006) the women in power are also depicted as ruthless, cynical, or cruel to their employees.

Girlboss texts speak to a key premise of the girlboss movement, that is, women must emulate the stereotypical behaviour of white, male businessmen to advance their careers. The majority of girlboss texts also seems to suggest that female corporate success comes at a cost as a recurring theme in many of these texts is the breakdown of the girlboss' romantic relationship.

Perhaps the most enlightening girlboss text is the series Girlboss (2017) which is inspired by the humble beginnings of Amoruso's fashion brand ‘Nasty Gal’. The series follows the journey of the ruthless and savvy, Sophia as she builds her fashion empire.

Sophia Amoruso spawned an entire class of girlbosses who emulated her, but the term has been used to describe a much more broad spread of powerful yet privileged women in business, media and politics. Take American politician Kyrsten Sinema as an example.

Democrat Sinema is an openly bisexual woman, relatively young at 45 (compared to the median age of 60 in Congress). Her identity was used, by herself and the Democratic Party, in the lead up to the 2020 election to attract progressive voters. However, as became apparent following her election, Sinema has regularly voted in ways that contradict the already-centrist agenda of Biden’s Democratic Government.

Case study: Ivy Park

It may have occurred to the reader that the fashion industry plays a significant part in the girlboss movement. Beyond the fact that the terms creator, Amuruoso, worked in fashion, the industry has historically been a sphere in which women can dominate, thus it lends itself to the plight of the girlboss.

Within the fashion industry, there are a plethora of examples of girlbosses who have stepped on the backs of others to secure their spot. The epitome of girlboss-ness, Beyonce, is among the accused.

In 2016, Beyonce introduced an athleisure clothing line called ‘Ivy Park’, which claimed a ‘woman-power ethos’. Not long after the clothing line went public its company heads were accused of manufacturing their products in sweatshop-like conditions. The accusations, made by the tabloid The Sun, claimed that Ivy Park utilized the services of ‘poverty-stricken seamstresses’, who were allegedly paid only 44p an hour to make clothing that sells for more than $200. The irony here is clear. A clothing line claiming an empowering feminist message and headed by so-called girlboss, Beyonce, is allegedly produced in conditions in which other women suffer. Talk about hollow female empowerment.

For a few years, the girlboss had a tight hold on contemporary feminism. As one Vox article puts it, the girlboss was meant to change the face of capitalism, centring women. However, as more and more famous successful businesswomen inadvertently revealed how out of touch with the experiences of ordinary women they were, more and more people turned sour towards the idea.

This was only made more prominent in 2020, when the Black Lives Matter movement and the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the inequalities of modern society in a way that couldn’t be ignored.

The ‘Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss' meme emerged as the girlboss came to be viewed as grossly privileged and deeply removed from the experiences of most women. It perfectly exemplifies how what was once a phrase used positively has become, in an age where intersectionality is ever-more impossible to ignore, a pejorative term.

Whilst girlboss culture was first interconnected with an image of leading female success and feminism in business, recent studies into girlboss led companies have shown the title is not as positive as it seems. The shift to realising girlboss culture is raised on the idea that women must emulate their male counterparts, and push down other women to gain success has revealed many disparities in the field.

When unpacking the image of the girlboss, we see that race and class are two very important factors influencing one’s ability to climb the corporate ladder as a female. Since the term has gained negative connotations, female leaders are distancing themselves from this toxic brand image.

Who knows what the next title of a successful female leader will be? Hopefully, something where females can thrive collectively, rather than stepping on one another to clone a successful masculine counterpart.