Photo by IN BOSSMODE on Unsplash
Listen, I’m a feminist. The amount of stickers on my laptop about fighting the patriarchy might be considered by some to be a little overboard, but I don’t really care. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people say terms like “lady boss” or “shero.” We’re looking for gender equality, right? Then why the hell are we gendering terms? By gendering these words, were making words like “boss” or “hero” seem inherently male. I understand, patriarchal influence has made these words seem male dominated but then why are we doing them a favor by basically inventing our own terms for these and basically proving their point.
And don’t even get me started on “girl boss.” You really want to take a word that means young female child and use that to refer to a strong woman who has earned a high-ranking title? You want to take away her power by making her seem small? What we need to be doing is telling the next generation that a boss can be anyone: female, male, gender nonconforming, Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, white, queer, straight.
In conclusion, you’re not a “lady boss.” You’re a friggin BOSS. You have the same duties and responsibilities as any other boss. Own your feminism. Own your power. Own your rights. Stop giving men the term “boss.” They don’t deserve shit.