The Toxicity Of Girlboss Feminism And The Parallels To Hook-Up Culture
By Sarah O’Connell
The modern concept of a ‘girlboss’ has become a popular term in recent years. A girlboss is defined as a strong, powerful female in male-dominated industries. While one may assume the term is empowering, highlighting the triumphs of women in the world of business, the reality is extremely different.
The effects of capitalism on the world we live in are no secret. From the devastating environmental effects of large corporations to the human rights stripped from labourers, it is shockingly an accepted feature of society today. It is important to understand that capitalism and patriarchy cannot exist without the other. Capitalism has evolved in a patriarchal society for its entire existence. It is inherently a male-dominated, controlled system that works with the patriarchy in its oppression of women.
“Helen McEntee is the first cabinet minister in the State to be pregnant while being in government. This, of course, is not due to the lack of women becoming pregnant, but the historical lack of women involved in politics. ”
A recent example of how patriarchy and capitalism combine to oppress women is the lack of maternity leave for government ministers. Helen McEntee, minister for justice, was in the news this year for declaring she will take maternity leave despite the lack of provision for it in her role. Here we see the area of politics, which has traditionally been male-dominated, lacking a necessary provision for its female workers. Helen McEntee is the first cabinet minister in the State to be pregnant while being in government. This, of course, is not due to the lack of women becoming pregnant, but the historical lack of women involved in politics. Thankfully more women are involved in politics today, but Ms. McEntee being the first pregnant minister in office shows a clear link to the patriarchy with the exclusion of women employed in politics. There is also a clear link to capitalism, as with the lack of maternity leave policy, more importance is placed on the job of a person, rather than the person’s personal life, another common narrative in a capitalist society.
So why is the term girlboss so problematic? For a myriad of reasons. The first being that terms like girlboss, She-EO, and momtrepreneur are patronising and downplay the work the person has achieved in their career. Why call them a She-EO when she is in fact a CEO. Highlighting the gender as if there should be a level of amazement at a woman being in that high-powered role. This is perpetuating the idea that women don’t belong in these roles, at least as much as men do.
“terms like girl-boss, She-EO, and momtrepreneur are patronising and downplay the work the person has achieved in their career. Why call them a She-EO when she is in fact a CEO. Highlighting the gender as if there should be a level of amazement at a woman being in that high-powered role.”
Being a ‘girlboss’ also does not excuse the immoral practices of huge corporations. Take a female CEO, whose company is engaging in immoral practices, not paying workers a fair wage, or causing great environmental impact through the production of their goods. Should the focus be on the damage this corporation causes or the fact she is a woman who is admired merely for being a woman in her high-powered position? It is due to narratives like this that girlboss feminism is upholding the toxic effects of a capitalist society. Feminism is about women feeling liberated and having equality and freedom. These features cannot exist in the world of girlboss feminism where workers, often female garment workers in particular, are being exploited for their labour with little reward, as is the capitalist way. This is the opposite of liberating women and the mere fact a high-powered businesswoman is a woman should not excuse the immoral practices that occur in her business as a result of capitalism.
Something that can be compared to girlboss feminism is the rise of toxic ‘hook-up culture’ narratives. An example of where this is seen is in the popular podcast ‘Call Her Daddy’. With shocking titles like ‘You’re Just a Hole’, ‘Call Her Daddy’ perpetuates the idea that men are going to treat women badly anyway so you may as well treat men badly back. ‘Call Her Daddy’ discusses dating life and modern hook-up culture, often encouraging the most toxic features of modern-day dating. What stands out in ‘Call Her Daddy’ is the overpowering sense that we as women should always filter ourselves through the male gaze, constantly objectified, since men are going to do it anyway. In my opinion, this message is extremely damaging.
This toxic narrative encourages the idea that women must match up to the toxic behaviour of some men, engaging in tactics such as gaslighting whilst navigating hook-up culture and dating life.
“Being a ‘Girlboss’ also does not excuse the immoral practices of huge corporations. Take a female CEO, whose company is engaging in immoral practices, not paying workers a fair wage, or causing great environmental impact through the production of their goods. Should the focus be on the damage this corporation causes or the fact she is a woman who is admired merely for being a woman in her high-powered position?”
This patriarchal idea that men are somehow superior to women is encapsulated in the title of the podcast, ‘Call Her Daddy’. Why should we have to call her daddy to feel liberated and empowered? Women should be able to feel empowered in the world of dating without altering their behaviour to match up to that of men.
‘Call Her Daddy’ markets itself as a sexually empowering podcast, while what it really does is encourage toxic behaviour. In one episode, it is said that women should be less emotional to gain power in the relationship. This is incredibly misogynistic, appearing to condemn stereotypical feminine-type behaviour like being emotional. This is telling women that they must act more like men if they want to have control or be respected. In another episode, the hosts discussed what women should have on their dating profiles to cater to men’s physical preference. This perpetuates the male gaze in our society, making women believe they must alter themselves to cater to what men like to see. What could be less liberating than this? The male gaze is a serious problem in our society with women being objectified and sexualised in every aspect of their lives. After all, according to the words of ‘Call Her Daddy’, “you're just a hole”.
What this has in common with girlboss feminism is the concept that women must match up to the actions, often toxic actions, of some men to gain respect and be viewed as valuable as men are. Women, and all people, should be judged on the merit of their achievements and the quality of their character, not on how well they have matched the achievements of men in their industry. Similarly, women should not feel they have to match up to the toxic dating behaviours of some men, as they feel it is the only way to protect themselves or gain some respect.
Girlboss feminism is upholding the toxic values of capitalism. The ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast is upholding the toxic values of hook-up culture. What both are perpetuating is the patriarchy and the devastating effects of the oppression of women. We must allow women to feel empowered in our own right, without being filtered through the male gaze, without being compared to our male counterparts.
