Why BossBabe is More Harmful Than Helpful
If you’re anything like me, I loved using terms like #BossBabe and #GirlBoss. Like many others, it made me feel like I was part of a community - a force of women entering a typically male dominated field. I felt good being a part of it because I thought it highlighted the realities that women face and contributed positively to the future of feminism. Like many others, I used it with good intentions while not realising how damaging it really is.
To begin, these terms use “girl” or “babe” to refer to grown women, while never actually using the term “woman.” If you’re anything like me, I'll never refer to myself with the term woman, and often use girl instead out of habit. This is problematic because generally using the term girl refers to being young, weak, and delicate. What I didn’t realize is that referring to myself as “girl” actually rejects my growth and everything I've gone through to improve as an individual. Why are we using the term girl to describe intelligent, grown women typically pursuing a career?
Additionally, when women associate themselves with being a boss, they add a qualifier to something that they are equally as deserving to be. We don’t see men labeling themselves with names that include their gender in it - like bossboys. It seems so silly to call somebody a bossboy, but the reality is that women are essentially doing that to classify themselves as being a boss. Realistically the responsibilities of a boss wouldn’t be any different if the role was primarily performed by women. As Sofya Polyakov says, “By using terms like girlboss we’re inadvertently doing more damage by perpetuating the idea that to be a leader in the corporate world you need to be male. If we want leaders to be judged by their ability to lead, we need to leave gender out of it.”
To be more specific, the harm with women adding a qualifier to the term boss, is that it allows men to keep the gendered term of boss. When you read CEO or Boss, you will continue to think of men. If a woman cannot see herself in these positions, which stems from seeing men as bosses and not women, then women will be less likely to strive for these positions. Hence why it is incredibly important to call a woman a boss, so they can see themselves in those positions as well.
The other reason that #BossBabe and related terms are harmful is because of the inherent sexualization of the word babe. Although the term rolls off of the tongue due to alliteration, the moment this phrase is uttered, you can’t help but think about gorgeous women like Elle Woods in their pink powersuits and streamlined pony tails. I agree that there should be a space in business for individuals to liberate themselves and live their Elle Woods fantasy, but there should also be a space for individuals to not do that. The use of the term #BossBabe now creates a second cookie cutter idea of how women need to look in business to be successful - an image that is both hard to achieve and potentially ingenuine for a lot of people.
It’s more important now than ever to leave #BossBabe and #GirlBoss in the past. Women are working harder than ever for success and equality, alongside many male counterparts, and that shouldn’t be disrupted by hashtags that create no real movement. Not only are female support groups that encourage and empower their fellow women becoming more popular, but women are also creating history in many different aspects of life. The success and equality of women should come from work and actions, not hashtags and marketing trends. So please, call a woman what she is: a boss.
References
Fox, Farrah. “Perpetuating a Problem: Let's Talk #GIRLBOSS #BOSSBABE and #LADYBOSS.” Maven Made, Maven Made, 14 May 2020, https://www.mavenmaderva.com/journal/girlboss
Jalbert, Joelle. “Don’t call me a girl boss.” The Link, 5 Feb. 2021, https://thelinknewspaper.ca/article/dont-call-me-a-girl-boss
Polyakov, Sofya. “Don't Call Me a Girlboss.” Medium, Medium, 8 Jan. 2019, https://sofyapolyakov.medium.com/dont-call-me-a-girlboss-def8d81d652a
“Why #Girlboss & #Bossbabe Have Got to Go.” It's Simply Lindsay, 29 July 2016, https://itssimplylindsay.com/girlboss-bossbabe-got-go/