The new Barbie is what some might call a girlboss. Making her a pediatrician or salon owner or athlete won’t cover up the fact that her “progress” feels a little, well, fake. And somewhere beneath it all, even with the countless impressive careers she’s had over the years, Barbie is what she always has been: superficial. Even if Barbie is no longer always white, blonde, blue-eyed and stick-thin (which she still is the majority of the time), her main appeal continues to lie in dressing her up and playing with her hair. That’s a really noble, and important, message.ĭespite all of the aspirational messaging, she’s still a plastic, stylishly-dressed, perfectly-coiffed standard we’re telling girls to live up to. At the same time, Barbie is offering them education on what some of those options can be. This toy, a staple that many girls have looked up to for generations, is telling them that they can have any career they aspire to. In some ways, the breadth of her career choices is empowering. And these days, that list is even longer Barbie’s become a writer, an astronaut, a small business owner and president, among other things. What should we do instead? We should be careful with not only our choice of words, but our intentions behind them.We had myriad options to choose from: Hairdresser Barbie, Fashion Designer Barbie, Sports Barbie, Makeup Artist Barbie, Doctor Barbie, Salesgirl Barbie, Lifeguard Barbie, Schoolgirl Barbie - the list went on. My problem with the term “girlboss” is that it also undermines growth because the term “woman” exists and “girl” is infantilizing.Īssociating ourselves with those words can damage our characters.
For example, people will use phrases like “female doctors” or “female accountants.” Why can’t people simply call them doctors or accountants? They achieved their career goals because of education and motivation, not gender. Not only does this aggressively dismiss men, but it also puts gender above achievements. For example, the company fired pregnant employees for “getting pregnant.” This article further confirms my disagreement with the motto. Netflix canceled the show after one season.īefore I read her memoir, I thought it was supposed to be about a young woman who establishes her own fashion business and route for female empowerment.Īccording to Vanity Fair, it turns out that Nasty Gal had a “toxic” work culture. It was subsequently adapted into a Netflix series, which I watched. Sophia Amoruso, founder of Nasty Gal and self-made billionaire, originated the term “Girlboss.” It was the title of her memoir, which told the story of how she founded her business. Gatekeeping involves discouraging others and limits people from learning and taking opportunities to advance themselves. However, there comes to a point where gatekeeping does not work for everyone. In a work setting, it could be good that someone is gatekeeping access because the gatekeeper is doing his or her job and ensuring that nothing bad happens. My problem with “Gatekeep”Īccording to Lexico, “gatekeeping” is the “activity of controlling” and “limiting access” to certain things. There is nothing wrong with taking an opportunity to improve oneself, but there is a huge issue with manipulating people. This action causes someone to doubt their own self-belief when the gaslighter is really the bad guy. It’s a dangerous action for someone to take in order to get what they want from someone. “You did this to me” or “It’s all in your head” are examples of gaslighting someone. “Gaslighting” is linked to mental health issues and it’s a dangerous form of manipulation. The Ingrid Bergman’s movie “Gaslight” inspired the term. “Gaslight” has never been a positive phrase. You can still empower someone without this motto.
Yes, feminism is important, but do we need to be aggressive about it? Do we have to use aggressive words like these? Later, I researched the motto and discovered that it is short for “gaslight every moment, gatekeep every day, and girlboss beyond words.” Are you familiar with the “live, laugh, love” motto? The other day, I learned from a friend that Tumblr coined the term.
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