Girl Boss Feminism: What it is & Why it May Be Toxic

By Aria Sline

As March is Women’s History Month, it is important that we gain a better understanding of terms that are seemingly innocuous, but may be degrading or demeaning. 

Popularized by Sophia Amoruso, founder of the company Nasty Gal, a “girl boss” is a “woman who pursues her own instead of working for others or otherwise in life.” Despite the name, a girl boss does not necessarily have her own business (thefreedictionary.com). A “girl boss” can also be characterized as a woman “with a particular talent or skill-set but eager to gain a lot of Instagram followers, money, and/or fame.” She is “often clueless that calling herself a ‘girl boss’ is degrading to female professionals” (urbandictionary.com). 

We see that there are polarized definitions of the term “girl boss,” but why?

The term "girl boss" is particularly divisive because of the covert and racism often associated with the term. In many cases the term "girl boss" is used harmlessly and can be defined by the first definition. However, in some cases the term is used in a patronizing way that degrades  women and  disregards BIPOC. 

So now that we know what the two definitions of the term “girl boss” are and why there are different perceptions of the term, we must begin to understand the intricacies of why girl boss feminism may be toxic. 

The term Girlboss is often used by white, cis-gendered, heterosexual women to disregard their inherent privileges that may have aided them in their success. For example a girl boss may say things like "I am a girl and I succeeded so you can too!" without addressing what may have allowed her to hold the position she does such as white privilege, ableist privilege, and not being a member of the LGBTO+ community. Furthermore, corporations often use a token white, cis-gendered, heterosexual woman in a feigned attempt to show diversity and inclusion. They will use this term in a patronizing way to mimic inclusivity in their corporation. In reality these corporations have no real diversity and inclusion not only in the surface of who appears to work at their corporation, but in the structural framework of the management of their corporation and who the target audience of their products are.

So, as we continue to educate ourselves about intersectional feminism, it is important to understand that many terms we may consider to be harmless can very well be demeaning and patronizing. 

Before you call a woman a “girl boss”, consider asking her if she is offended by the term!

SOURCES:

https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/2020/01/9044921/girlboss-culture-women-work

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SS3tZxf1160

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=girlboss 

https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/girl+boss