You and I probably each know someone in our lives that embodies the Boss Bitch. We all know one of those, a shimmering capitalist chimera who allegedly “has it all” and reminds the rest of us plebs that we, too, could rise and grind our way into the annals of hashtag empowerment. But that dream can only be achieved if we drink enough green juice and stop sleeping like peasants!

Back in the 2010’s, when I was neck-deep in content marketing (like regular marketing, but with fewer ethics and more Canva), I encountered several of these aspirational monsters in the wild. She’s the type who rises at 5 a.m., does tantric breathwork between emails, and signs multi-million dollar contracts while wearing a silk robe and hydrating with unicorn tears. Her entire existence is a TED Talk in stilettos.

For a time, Society loved babes like her. She was celebrated as the peak of feminist success. Except, she isn’t, really. Underneath that power pose and her heavily curated social media profiles lies a truth we’ve all tried to ignore: the Boss Bitch is just patriarchy rebranded in rose gold. Somehow, the next step for feminism became a clever remix of hustle culture and feminism that replaced community with competition, swapped liberation for ladder-climbing, and called it progress.

How Late-Stage Capitalism Cosplays as Feminism

The original intent of feminism was liberation from a male-dominated culture and equality for both sexes. It should never involve being mansplained to death by someone named Bryce in a blazer. Then came the 2010s, and with them, a tsunami of faux empowerment merch. Suddenly, success meant being better, faster, stronger, while still looking good enough for a sponsored vegan skincare product reel.

Capitalism took one look at feminism and said, “Oh, honey, let me help you brand that.” Enter the Boss Bitch, equal parts ambition and aesthetic. She told us we could smash the patriarchy by behaving exactly like its most insufferable participants. It’s the old cliché, if you can’t beat them, join them, in high heels and Snapchat filters.

So, many of us highly aspirational females traded one set of shackles for another, this time bedazzled and bearing inspirational quotes. Instead of being told to be quiet and compliant, we were told to be loud and relentless. Empowerment now came with a calorie count, a quarterly revenue goal, and a reminder to hydrate.

The Problem with #GirlBoss Energy

Let me be clear: ambition isn’t the enemy. But this particular flavor of ambition, with its emphasis on self-optimization and personal branding, is exhausting to the point of absurdity. We didn’t smash the glass ceiling; instead ,we got promoted to cleaning staff and handed Windex. Oh, Heaven help the woman who doesn’t want the corner office, 80-hour workweeks, and a uterus that doubles as a productivity chamber!

Even science has chimed in, confirming what most of us already know intuitively: this lifestyle leads to burnout, anxiety, and imposter syndrome.

Meanwhile, the Boss Bitch archetype does little for the female collective. Her feminism is selective—tailored to the white, able-bodied, class-advantaged few who can afford to play the game. For everyone else, there’s a self-help book and a vision board workshop in a coworking space that smells like desperation and diffused lavender. All of it costs far more than it should, but so many of us are desperate.

The Critics of Boss Bitch Culture (Who Also Often Miss the Point)

Predictably, the rise of the Boss Bitch birthed a backlash. Enter the gender critics, YouTube philosophers, and that guy from your high school who thinks right-wing conservative influencers double as prophets. They bemoan the death of traditional values, cry foul on emasculation, and pen essays about the “crisis of masculinity” while entirely missing the fact that everyone is drowning in capitalist backwash.

These critics think the Boss Bitch wants to reverse patriarchy and make men wear pearls and feel their feelings. In reality, she’s just trying to survive in the same capitalist meat grinder men are—only in heels. This also seems to be going poorly, if the burnout rates are any indication.

Ironically, both the Boss Bitch and her critics operate under the same delusion: that success means domination, hierarchy, and public-facing productivity. They somehow both believe that self-worth is measured by the size of your bank account, or your follower count, or how many interns cry in your presence.

Let’s Try Something Revolutionary: Not That!

The good news? There’s an escape hatch. We can stop chasing the Boss Bitch illusion like it’s the Holy Grail and instead embrace something wildly unmarketable: joy. Rest. Community. The radical idea that you are enough even if your only meeting today is with a cup of tea and a soft blanket.

If feminism means anything, it has to mean freedom. Not just the freedom to succeed, but the freedom to define success for ourselves. And spoiler: that definition doesn’t have to include burnout, Botox, and bullet journaling at 2 a.m.

Here are some recommendations to live as a true blue feminist not under the guise of capitalist fever dreams we keep being sold:

For You and I:

• Take a nap. It’s feminist.
• Quit your side hustle (unless it brings you joy, in which case, carry on).
• Stop measuring your worth in unread emails and unpaid invoices.

For Organizations:

• Ditch performative flexibility. Actually, support your employees.
• Stop promoting martyrs. Start rewarding humans.
• Replace toxic productivity with humane policies (and maybe real healthcare?)

For Feminism as a Movement:

• Let’s not confuse access with equity.
• Stop idolizing women who “made it” by mimicking toxic masculinity.
• Build systems that support rest, collaboration, and care.

For the Boss Bitches Who Made It:

• Congratulations! Now use your platform to dismantle the gatekeeping nonsense.
• Be a mentor, not a mascot.
• And for the love of Simone de Beauvoir, stop selling self-promoting hustler mugs!

Some Final Thoughts

Feminism deserves better than this sad cosplay of corporate success. We deserve better. So, let’s retire the Boss Bitch mentality with a thank-you card, a glass of wine, and a severance package. Let her fade into myth alongside other capitalist fairy tales.

Real empowerment isn’t loud. It isn’t branded. It doesn’t require a publicist. It’s quiet, steady, and inclusive. It looks like you, living on your own terms.

Occasionally employed and perpetually unimpressed,

~ Amelia Desertsong