The Rise of the #BossBabe

Sophia Amoruso

In the spring of 2014, Sophia Amoruso came in swinging with the release of the book #girlboss and a giant billboard on the road to Coachella. This inspired thousands of girls to embrace their power in the workforce, in their creative endeavors and in their ability to thrive in what has been a historically male-dominated role: being a boss.     

Only 14% of top executives are women, and we hold just 5% of CEO positions at S&P 500 companies. We know who sits in the corner office, we know the likelihood of getting passed over as we begin to raise families, and we know the struggle is real. The new shift in #girllboss power is that we create our world, and we create business models that we will be successful in. We take back the word bossy and teach young women to be #bossbabes. Sophia Amoruso may have set off the first social media call to action but the momentum has spiked and women-focused business initiatives and talks are occurring across the globe. Communities are forming that give women the tools and the support system to go out and become the leaders of industry; that we all know we can be.

Are you interested in finding your own #bossbabe community? Below are links to help you get started.  

BossBabe Academy was created by Alex Wolf with CEO Natalie Diver. BossBabe is an online resource to help build your social media presence and grow your business with a focus on branding and marketing yourself and your point of view, supporting the entrepreneurial spirit of #bossbabes everywhere.

Design Love Fest, was created by Bri Emery.  What started as a lifestyle blog now offers job listings, marketing workshops, and creative branding consultation.

The Other Festival, celebrating female makers and creators, was founded by Dee Poku Spalding who works to "provide emerging women leaders with the tools to succeed in their careers". The Other Festival is a female-focused networking event that introduces women to female leaders, writers, actors, musicians and comedians to help inspire growth and empowerment.

The Everygirl s a female-focused lifestyle site that hosts events in cities across the world and is a resource with job postings, career advice, travel tips and family planning advice. The Everygirl "is the ultimate online resource helping shape the creative, career-driven woman to experience her life better lived".

Last night Gloria Steinem spoke at The Temple Emanu-El Skirball Center, in New York City, and social media was lit. We are a new generation of feminists and social media is helping form communities that propel women-owned businesses and starts ups into the spotlight. If you have always dreamed of joining a girl gang, now is your chance.