Girlboss
(noun)

Factsheet

Etymology

The term “girlboss” emerged in the mid-1990s and gained prominence with the 2014 publication of #Girlboss by Sophie Amoruso, which chronicled her entrepreneurial journey as the founder of Nasty Gal. Initially a term of empowerment, celebrating ambitious and independent women, it later evolved into a term often used with skepticism or critique, especially in discussions of capitalism and feminism.

Meaning & Use

1. Primary Meaning:
   An entrepreneurial, ambitious woman, particularly one who leads a business or embodies leadership qualities.

• Example:
  As the girlboss of her startup, she worked tirelessly to grow her brand.

1. Modifier:
   Often used to describe a feminist ethos centered around empowerment through work and ambition.

• Example:
  Girlboss feminism often promotes “leaning in” without addressing systemic barriers.

1. Critique:
   In more recent use, the term has been critiqued for prioritizing individual success over collective empowerment and for lacking inclusivity.

• Example:
  Critics argue that the girlboss movement overlooks the struggles of marginalized groups.

Pronunciation

Girl-boss ( /ˈɡɜːrlˌbɔːs/ or /ɡɜːrlˌbɑːs/ )

• Rhyming Words:
• Cross
• Gloss
• Loss

Examples in Literature & Media

• 1994:
  “This could have been a deadly boring and fruitless exercise, but Tuttle, girl boss, loaded the staff onto a bus…and visited company branches that nobody had seen.”
  — Hartford Courant
• 2014:
  “As a #GIRLBOSS is ambitious by nature, I’m going to assume that once you get a job, you want to do it well and eventually move up.”
  — Sophie Amoruso, #Girlboss
• 2016:
  “We’ve heard it all before: women need to…lean in, be bold, practice self-care, battle our imposter syndrome and be a #girlboss.”
  — The Guardian
• 2020:
  “Girlboss rhetoric encourages women to ‘lean in’ without addressing underlying disadvantages that make that project difficult.”
  — Business Mirror (Philippines)
• 2023:
  “Girlboss feminism became annoying for the way it centered capitalism, lacked empathy for other women, and ignored women of color.”
  — @dontblameklara on Twitter

Synonyms

• Entrepreneurial woman
• Businesswoman
• Trailblazer
• Leader

Antonyms

• Follower
• Employee (in the sense of lacking leadership roles)
• Non-ambitious

Historical Thesaurus
While initially a positive term, “girlboss” has undergone semantic drift, reflecting broader societal conversations about feminism, inclusivity, and capitalism. Its journey from empowerment slogan to a term of critique highlights the evolving nature of language and cultural priorities.

The term “girlboss” encapsulates both the aspiration of individual success and the critique of systemic barriers, making it a fascinating and multi-layered addition to contemporary vocabulary.