The term “girlboss” sounds pretty cool, referring to any self-made woman who starts a successful business.Where does the term come from? It was popularized by American businessperson Sophia Amoruso in her 2015 book #Girlboss. The term even became the name of a Netflix show based on Amoruso’s life.
In 2023, Amoruso was said to have unveiled a VC firm called Trust Fund to support promising startups. And now, what does Amoruso think about the girlboss narrative that she crafted? Turns out she’s getting exhausted by it.
She was said to have remarked that she’s willing to ride on a man’s coattails, though, she might mean that in a non-serious manner. Amoruso was also said to be refusing to double down on her disadvantage. So, that might signal a shift in her approach and she might be moving away from gender-specific terms and metrics.
And way back in 2016, Australian entrepreneur Franziska Iseli was said to have taken a stand against the term #girlboss. According to Iseli, the term oversimplifies the challenges faced by female entrepreneurs and creates an unrealistic image of leadership. Iseli was said to have voiced her discomfort with gendered adjectives in the workplace. She was said to have argued that there’s no need to qualify achievements with such terms, the way people don’t say “girl employee” or “girl teacher”. Iseli had opined that it was important to celebrate women, but also celebrate the ups and downs and admit they make mistakes.
There have been other times when gendered adjectives have been criticized. Many have dubbed Serena Williams as the “greatest female athlete ever”. And Williams was said to have promoted removing the word “female” to imply that accomplishments ought to be celebrated without unnecessary gender qualifiers. The girlboss narrative might have emerged as a source of empowerment and inspiration for many women. It might have snowballed to highlight the success of female entrepreneurs, their achievements, resilience and breaking through traditional gender barriers. And it might have even encouraged an entrepreneurial mindset among women to emphasize qualities like self-confidence, ambition and independence.
But, one has to make sure that nothing dilutes its original message of empowerment and that it shouldn’t be reduced to a marketing term.
So, how should success be looked at? Sure, there’s a need to dismantle gender barriers. But, should where a person comes from and what challenges they face be celebrated? Or should recognition be determined purely by merit and innovation? Or should the intersectionality of one’s identity be explored?
And is it possible that in entrepreneurial storytelling, there might be a culture created where personal struggles are commodified for public consumption?
How should your identity be used to market your brand?
