![]() ![]() Some figures who have been ‘girlbossfied’ include Catherine the Great in the Hulu show “The Great,” and the wives of Henry VIII in the musical “Six.” Movements such as this and “herstory” (a play on history) do bring women’s stories to life however, they often sensationalize the stories, the sexual prowess and the accomplishments without acknowledging the real societal hurdles these women had to endure to earn their historical notoriety. ![]() Girlbossification refers to the framing of historical figures into contemporary heroines and attributing modern values to them. In December 2021, the term “girlbossification” appeared in The New York Times for the first time. In what has evolved into multi-level marketing, people, primarily women, are exploited under the guise of #Girlboss success and financial empowerment when in reality, they are stuck in an almost inescapable, cyclic dependency.įrom the mid-2010s until now, the girlboss archetype has appeared in pop culture through shows, movies, musicals and books, becoming little more than another stereotype. As described in author and professor Kim Todd’s “Sensational,” during the Gilded Age, women would be tricked into buying supplies to create homemade goods, but the quota was made impossible to reach, ultimately resulting in no paycheck. That was someone else’s problem to solve.” Although many Millennial, third-wave feminists have retorted the ideas of previous generations, the girlboss movement confirms that the gatekeeping culture remains.Īs for gaslighting, the guise of female empowerment, especially financially, has been used for centuries to ensnare women into exploitative positions. Racial inequity was never really on her radar. Leigh Stein, an author who frequently writes about the fall of the “girlboss,” wrote, “She saw gender inequity everywhere she looked this gave her something to wage war against. Alison Winch said in her study published in the Anglaki Journal of the Theoretical Humanities, “Second-wave feminism is located in a distinctly different and more fortunate era and is being produced and performed in the spaces of elite universities.” This “second-wave” feminism of the 1960s and 70s focused on white, middle class, cis-gender women’s suppression within the patriarchy, often discussed within academic spaces, but not as much on Black women’s issues and other intersectional topics.Įven the word feminism can be eschewed because of its binary assumption and historically radical, white connotations. “Gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss” certainly hits the nail on the head in terms of pegging flagrant issues with previous and contemporary feminist movements. What was initially meant to be an empowering term, however, experienced a rapid proliferation and subsequent downfall, riddled with scandals. ![]() The publishing of “#Girlboss” by Sophia Amoruso in 2014 kickstarted the popular catchphrase, which was primarily used to describe Millennial, white entrepreneurs and businesswomen who appeared to balance corporate rigor with feminist ideals. The term girlboss originated in the mid-2010s, but the archetype of a feminist, corporate powerhouse was already established by the likes of Sheryl Sandberg, the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook. ![]() The phrase seems perfect for ironic stickers featured on planners or embroidered (in cursive, of course) on a decorative throw pillow but in reality, it is a manifestation of the downfall of the girlboss archetype within media and corporate structures.Īs the world, and particularly members of Generation Z, move toward an increased focus on intersectionality and equity, the satirical “gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss” catchphrase identifies woes of the various feminist movements in decades past and within modern equity advocacy. The assertive catchphrase “gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss” started circulating social media in early 2021. ![]()
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