Once upon a time, when Pinterest boards, chevron patterns, and man buns were all the rage, something seemingly unique was born, the “GirlBoss”. Suddenly everyone needed a mug with their initials on it, decorative pens, and a blazer to show they were a businesswoman in charge and on top.  GirlBoss was a lifestyle echoing the familiar phrase, “If I can do it, so can you!”. In theory, in a different world, maybe that could’ve been true. Instead, the GirlBoss turned into another cog in the capitalistic machine known as Corporate America and an eye opener for every bright-eyed woman hoping to expand her career. 

WHAT IS IT?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not here to bash Sophia Amoruso. I think she, like the rest of us truly believed in the original message of GirlBoss; “A #GIRLBOSS is someone who’s in charge of her own life. She gets what she wants because she works for it. As a #GIRLBOSS, you take control and accept responsibility.” (#GIRLBOSS, Sophia Amoruso). The GirlBoss was supposed to be an expression of empowerment for women to help them become a better version of themselves via hard work. While the term didn’t have to inherently relate to success in a career; it could’ve taken whatever form her target audience wanted: success in education, learning a skill, quitting an addiction, improving physical health and mental health, or even practicing more self-care. However, after writing about her journey to becoming CEO of Nasty Gal, the world tied the term GirlBoss to a pedestal set exclusively in the business world. 

 WHAT’S THE BIG ISSUE?

After taking a critical look at the GirlBoss culture in companies, the term did more to expose gross and problematic behaviors and practices than empower women. It seemed like some women didn’t read the memo, “If I win, we’re all winning.” Thus in January 2021, the phrase “Gatekeep, Gaslight, Girlboss” was created on Tumblr and spread like wildfire to Twitter. Dozens of reports concerning workplace abuse and unethical practices by women in high-ranking positions began popping up left and right. Rather than uplift fellow women and employees, women in power would treat them just as badly as their male counterparts. 

In 2021, the Workplace Bullying Insititute reported, that “Women bullies were less “equitable” when choosing their targets for bullying. Women bullied women in 65% of cases. [In past WBI national Surveys, the woman-on-woman bullying percentages were similarly disproportionately high.]”. There’s no, one reason for this, however, a few have been identified: some women believe their position is being threatened, some form cliques echoing high school mean girl attitudes, and others try to emulate their male counterparts so they can be set apart from the other women in the area. Unfortunately, some women believe the only way to build their success is by knocking another woman down. The term has garnered so much hate that in a post-GirlBoss era, an evolved and wiser Amoruso has openly apologized for GIRLBOSS and asked for people to stop using the term.

There’s also been criticism on the way the term infantilizes women by calling them girls and puts too much attention on their capabilities as a woman rather than as a person regardless of gender or sex. The unnecessary habit of gendering words, reveals the dominance of an opposing gender. You don’t hear anyone refer to men as “BoyBoss” or “MaleBoss” because it’s expected (unfortunately) that men are the majority and dominant figure in the position of being…well a boss. Just as a bun is just a bun on a woman (because it’s expected), on a man it’s called a man bun.

Dr. Magdalena Zawisza-Riley, an academic psychologist and author of Advertising, Gender and Society: A psychological perspective, states, “It is very difficult to escape the deeply rooted gender stereotypes, and many such linguistic attempts backfire…”.  While there should be more diversity in the workplace in terms of gender, ethnicity, and physical ability, it can’t be achieved through trendy phrases. 

WHY DO WE KEEP BRINGING THESE TRENDS BACK TO LIFE?

 While the Girlboss continues her descent into obscurity and a passing internet joke, in her place others begin to rise, most noticeably: “That Girl”. If you've been on TikTok you’ve probably crossed her path already. She’s the girl who wakes up at the crack of dawn and shows off her perfect skincare routine followed up by an aesthetic breakfast, morning workout, and an enviable productivity station. All the while having time for work, relationships, self-care, and hobbies. She’s “That Girl”: the girl that can get it all done without breaking a sweat, the girl that lives a structured drama-free life, the girl we all want to be and will never, ever be. And yet, knowing this, #thatgirl has 5.2 billion views and #thatgirlaesthetic has 853.5 million views all over TikTok. So, why do women and young girls keep falling into the trap of trying to obtain these unobtainable lifestyle labels? I’ve scoured the internet and yet to find even one lifestyle trend for men that would be equivalent, or even comparable to That Girl or Girlboss. Perhaps the appeal of these trends is their approach to improving someone’s life. They act as motivators for women and the mass production of content focusing on becoming a better version of yourself is so idyllic. How could you not want to have your life together like the women on social media? Especially at a time when women are starting to outnumber men in higher education and corporate positions in America.

With traditional gender norms beginning to crumble, more women are becoming more self-reliant, financially independent, and goal-oriented. Whereas men are surprisingly declining in the aforementioned areas. According to the Pew Research Center, based on a survey conducted from 2010-2011, “Two-thirds (66%) of young women ages 18 to 34 rate career high on their list of life priorities, compared with 59% of young men.” With so many women following the newest lifestyle trends, it sounds easy to believe that with enough hard work you can have their life too. 

WHO DOES THE GIRLBOSS LOOK LIKE AND WHO’S GETTING LEFT OUT?

When you think of a GirlBoss, what’s the first image that comes to mind? Let me guess, a sleek-haired white woman in a tailored suit, in charge and calling the shots in some important executive office. Despite sounding like a call to action to all women, GirlBoss wasn’t as progressive as we hoped it be. 

While cisgender white women were navigating their GirlBoss dream, it came at the expense of other women, especially  BIPOC and queer women. In truth, whether it was intended to be or not, GirlBoss was another form of white feminism. It didn’t address any of the barriers or issues for women who were BIPOC, queer, or in any other minority, in the work environment. In addition, it turned a blind eye to workplace abuse, and unethical treatment of employees, and despite being exposed for their wrongdoings they still retain the public awe and attention. We’ve seen this time and time again with figures like Elizabeth Holmes, Rachel Hollis, and Steph Korey. 

 WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

The GirlBoss dying was perhaps the best thing to happen for women in the corporate world. It revealed the hypocrisy and toxicity that needs to be addressed in the workforce. In addition, it also gave way to more people, consumers, and employees, alike to vet companies and make sure they’re genuine in their mission statements. More and more BIPOC businesses are being noticed and an overhaul of business practices is being reexamined, whether they want to or not. Social media, especially Twitter, have exposed many corporations (not just women-owned) concerning their unethical business practices.  

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GirlBoss wasn’t the beginning of women finally getting into the big leagues of their careers, and it certainly will not be the end of it either. While we lay this controversial trend to rest, let’s strive to be better than it ever was. Let’s be the working women we see ourselves as, rather than what social media may advertise to us. Change comes in waves and we have to do our part in keeping those waves coming. If we want to see a better future for women in business, we have to listen and do our part in creating and sustaining uplifting and resourceful work environments that help women grow. We also need to be willing to call out injustices and abuse in those very spaces. We need to be the change we want to see in the world.