Being your own boss seems more possible than ever in our modern world where personal income can be shaped by being an Instagram entrepreneur or brand ambassador, and a college education isn’t always needed for success.
Sophia Amoruso, the founder of Nasty Gal and CEO of the company Girlboss Media, coined the term “girl boss” in 2014, creating a new era meant to inspire women in how to be most successful in business and on their own terms. This era has reached its end, however, brought on by the financial burdens of COVID-19.
Amoruso has stepped down from Girlboss, turning the page on this particular corporate vision for women that many have criticized over the past several years. In a recent lengthy Instagram post, Amoruso writes:
“As you know, the effects of COVID on our business has been devastating. The pandemic has wreaked havoc upon countless experiential and ad-supported businesses, and sadly, we are not exempt.”
Amoruso’s autobiography #Girlboss thrived upon its release, discussing the successes and blunders of men-fueled ambition for women in corporate settings. Amoruso gives much advice throughout the book, including on the book’s back cover, “Don’t ever grow up. Don’t become a bore. Don’t ever let the Man get to you.” Netflix adapted a series based on the book, but it was not renewed after season one.
While this empowered some, it also sparked question in others on whether Amoruso’s ideals actively practiced feminism or rather were just ways to play the capitalist game the same as “the Man” does. Alongside this, many pointed out the trend of praised girlboss types in media at the time were primarily white women, further noting the lack of attention given to issues faced by women of color and other minorities in the workplace.
Writer Leigh Stein noted of the white girlboss in her “End of the Girlboss” essay, “She saw gender inequity everywhere she looked; this gave her something to wage war against. Racial inequity was never really on her radar. That was someone else’s problem to solve.”
While the notion of the girlboss was re-enforced with positive sentiments of never shying away from what you want to achieve despite living in a male-dominated society, its backbone was missing key feminist elements that could develop a new social space and workplace for all women. This new space could actively progress from the current flawed the system such that women of any color or background would not have to force themselves to fit into the “man’s world” and could instead create their own.
With this new decade of 2020, only a mere century after United States women were granted the right to vote, the time and place for a new era of the Girlboss has every reason to begin. Some things for the new Girlboss may fight for:
- The gender pay gap: As of 2020, women get paid 81 cents to every man’s dollar, regardless of it being an equal job type.
- Racial equality amongst all women in the workplace. Having a different race and ethnicity should never limit opportunity.
- Inclusivity for transgender women in the workplace.
- Better access to childcare so women do not have to choose between their work and their children.
- Sexual harassment/assault against women in the workplace, though illegal by law, is still extremely common and often times not reported for fear of losing a job or progression in a job. Working to create a more comfortable and safe environment for women to share their stories continues to be a priority.
Feminism doesn’t have to be a niche characteristic, and the re-emergence of another Girlboss-type platform or movement may include Amoruso, who may better understand this during her hiatus. “I’m not sure what’s next for me, but what I am sure of is that I’ll always be a champion for Girlboss,” Amoruso wrote in the post. “I’ll always be ‘the’ Girlboss. And I’ll keep harvesting my learnings for all of you as much as I can, wherever I can.”
Lessons
New Decade, New Girl Boss?
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Being your own boss seems more possible than ever in our modern world where personal income can be shaped by being an Instagram entrepreneur or brand ambassador, and a college education isn’t always needed for success.
Sophia Amoruso, the founder of Nasty Gal and CEO of the company Girlboss Media, coined the term “girl boss” in 2014, creating a new era meant to inspire women in how to be most successful in business and on their own terms. This era has reached its end, however, brought on by the financial burdens of COVID-19.
Amoruso has stepped down from Girlboss, turning the page on this particular corporate vision for women that many have criticized over the past several years. In a recent lengthy Instagram post, Amoruso writes:
“As you know, the effects of COVID on our business has been devastating. The pandemic has wreaked havoc upon countless experiential and ad-supported businesses, and sadly, we are not exempt.”
Amoruso’s autobiography #Girlboss thrived upon its release, discussing the successes and blunders of men-fueled ambition for women in corporate settings. Amoruso gives much advice throughout the book, including on the book’s back cover, “Don’t ever grow up. Don’t become a bore. Don’t ever let the Man get to you.” Netflix adapted a series based on the book, but it was not renewed after season one.
While this empowered some, it also sparked question in others on whether Amoruso’s ideals actively practiced feminism or rather were just ways to play the capitalist game the same as “the Man” does. Alongside this, many pointed out the trend of praised girlboss types in media at the time were primarily white women, further noting the lack of attention given to issues faced by women of color and other minorities in the workplace.
Writer Leigh Stein noted of the white girlboss in her “End of the Girlboss” essay, “She saw gender inequity everywhere she looked; this gave her something to wage war against. Racial inequity was never really on her radar. That was someone else’s problem to solve.”
While the notion of the girlboss was re-enforced with positive sentiments of never shying away from what you want to achieve despite living in a male-dominated society, its backbone was missing key feminist elements that could develop a new social space and workplace for all women. This new space could actively progress from the current flawed the system such that women of any color or background would not have to force themselves to fit into the “man’s world” and could instead create their own.
With this new decade of 2020, only a mere century after United States women were granted the right to vote, the time and place for a new era of the Girlboss has every reason to begin. Some things for the new Girlboss may fight for:
Feminism doesn’t have to be a niche characteristic, and the re-emergence of another Girlboss-type platform or movement may include Amoruso, who may better understand this during her hiatus. “I’m not sure what’s next for me, but what I am sure of is that I’ll always be a champion for Girlboss,” Amoruso wrote in the post. “I’ll always be ‘the’ Girlboss. And I’ll keep harvesting my learnings for all of you as much as I can, wherever I can.”