I was hyped about the new Netflix original series, Girlboss. I’d read the book and couldn’t wait to see Sophia Amoruso come to life. Unfortunately, the actress who plays Sophia, Britt Robertson, almost ruined the whole show for me.
I used to be a fan of Robertson’s work, even her earlier stuff like Triple Dog. However, this was not the role for her, and her portrayal of this character completely turned me off.
Sophia is supposed to be high-strung, no bullshit, kind of person. She’s also supposed to be a badass, and a go-getter. Robertson made Sophia feel like an immature teenager, not a successful female business owner. Robertson does appear much younger than she is, and often plays characters still in high school. I tried to put that image of her aside for this show, but the way she portrayed Sophia made her feel like a teenager too, not the 23 year-old she’s supposed to be. She came across as a whiney and spoiled, making the show feel like a bad Disney Channel original. I came very close to abandoning the whole show just because of her.
Because Sophia’s character is crude, there’s a lot of dirty jokes that she makes. Watching Robertson try to execute these jokes made me very uncomfortable. She was extremely awkward, and again, it felt like a young teenager making these types of jokes. The sex scenes were the same way.
The biggest critic of the show came from Sophia’s character. Most people were turned off by her. Now, in the book Sophia isn’t extremely likable either. I’m sorry, but I wasn’t a huge fan of hers. Her personality was just off-putting for me, and we’re basically polar opposites. Which is fine. I can read a book about a character that I don’t like, or have the same opinions as, and still get something out it. Sophia’s character is crude, rude, not morally conscious, and overly opinionated. However, she’s still supposed to be a badass, and a strong female. She’s supposed to be someone of empowerment.
I think people’s turn-off of Sophia came from Robertson’s portrayal. She made the character come off as extremely dislikeable. She did not represent who Sophia is supposed to be. It’s unfortunate too, because real-life Sophia did kick ass getting her business started, and stood up for herself despite people doubting her and trying to put her down. She’s someone to admire, but in the show, she’s very much not. She comes off as a spoiled brat who wants to swim against the flow, yet gets mad when things don’t go her way. Her dad, aka DEA agent Hank from Breaking Bad, really should kick her ass into gear.
I did not abandon this show, and that’s because it is still a decent show. Yes, Robertson playing Sophia was pretty bad, but that’s not to say that the whole show is bad, because it’s not.
RuPaul was by far the best part of this show. Yes, the RuPaul from RuPaul’s Drag Show. He plays Sophia’s sassy gay neighbor and he kills it every time he’s on screen. Seriously, RuPaul, you should act in more stuff. You were amazing. Every time he gets on screen, you’re guaranteed to start cracking up.
I also loved the vintage eBay storeowner whom fights with Sophia, and her eBay friends. My favorite scene was when they were sitting around a table, pretending to be their online personas. You had the one who tries to keep everyone focused, the one who writes in all caps, the one who advertises their stuff in every message, and then the occasional trolls.
It was an interesting show to watch, and I did enjoy parts of it. It was very hard for me to get past Britt Robertson as Sophia, but I managed to get through the show anyway. I would say that it’s a fun show to watch. Just don’t expect to be amazed, motivated, or moved in anyway. Which is a shame considering that’s what this show should do.