Why can’t women just be the boss? Why do we have to be Lady Boss or Girl Boss?
Let me get one thing perfectly clear, I am all for female empowerment. I support my sisters in their pursuit in whatever role they want in life, be it as an employee, an entrepreneur, a stay at home mom or anything in between. What I do not support however, is this Girl Boss/Lady Boss obsession I have seen take over social media lately.
I’ve been seeing these terms (and subsequent off-shoots) everywhere... #GirlBoss #BossBabe #EntrepreneHER, #momtrepreneur, #She-EO. Women of every age and background picked up the moniker and ran with it. And it makes my blood boil.
So what is my issue with the whole Boss Babe idea. Well, the way I look at it, it’s degrading, While it claims to be empowering women the phrase 'Girl Boss' and all its derivatives, only perpetuates the stereotype that a regular boss is by default a man and a woman in power is therefore a lady boss. It’s like saying a woman doctor, woman prime minister, or a lady pilot and lady lawyer instead of just doctor, prime minister, pilot, lawyer. It’s ridiculous!
To qualify the term boss by adding girl or babe or honey or pink or whatever other ridiculous, antiquated-gender role assignment the media thinks is cute this month, is at the least disrespectful and at the worst, damaging to the way young women view themselves and our fight for equality in the business world. And the worst part is? Women lean into this and think that it’s cute and empowering. It is not.
It actually stops female leaders being taken seriously I think. Girl boss, momtrepreneur, lady boss, any term they can come up with like that infantilises grown ass woman. It’s damn right offensive, not cute or motivational. You are not a girl, you are a grown ass woman.
You are a boss, period. Not a lady boss or girl boss. You are an entrepreneur who happens to be a parent, not a momtrepreneur. You’d never call a man who starts a business as a dad-preneur, it’s absurd. And it’s not just me who feels that way. Not so long ago a Girl boss advert got banned for stereotyping after a number of people complained.
