The Cultural Shift Away From "Girlboss" Energy
In the mid-2010s, women were told to lean in, hustle harder, and become the CEO of their own lives. Today, young women are actively rejecting that narrative. The cultural shift away from “girlboss” energy marks a profound change in how millennials and Gen Z view career ambition, mental health, and personal boundaries. Instead of climbing the corporate ladder at all costs, many are now choosing peace over productivity.
The Rise and Fall of the Girlboss
To understand the shift, we have to look at where the girlboss started. In 2014, entrepreneur Sophia Amoruso published her memoir #GIRLBOSS. The book detailed her rise from selling vintage clothes on eBay to running the multi-million dollar fashion brand Nasty Gal. Almost overnight, the term became a massive cultural phenomenon.
Corporate feminism took over the internet. The aesthetic was clear: millennial pink blazers, expensive coffee habits, and desk accessories stamped with phrases like “Hustle Harder.” Brands like Glossier and co-working spaces like The Wing capitalized on this energy. The message was that women could achieve equality by working just as ruthlessly as men at the top of the corporate food chain.
However, the girlboss era began to crack publicly around 2020. The global pandemic forced a massive reset in how people viewed their jobs. At the same time, a wave of public scandals hit prominent female-led companies. Founders of highly celebrated brands, including Audrey Gelman of The Wing and Steph Korey of the luggage brand Away, faced public backlash and resigned over allegations of toxic workplace cultures and employee burnout.
Young women watching these downfalls realized a harsh truth. Replacing a male boss with a female boss did not automatically fix toxic corporate structures. Working 80 hours a week for a cool brand still meant working 80 hours a week.
Embracing the "Soft Life"
As the hustle culture fantasy faded, new movements took its place. One of the most significant replacements is the concept of the “soft life.”
The term originally gained traction among Black women on Twitter and TikTok before spreading to a wider demographic. The soft life rejects the idea that a woman’s worth is tied to her struggle, her stress levels, or her output. Instead, it prioritizes:
- Mental and physical well-being
- Strict boundaries between work hours and personal time
- Making time for hobbies that do not generate income
- Comfort and intentional living over constant achievement
This shift is visible across social media. Videos tagged with #softlife have billions of views on TikTok. Instead of morning routines showing women answering emails at 5:00 AM, the new trending videos feature slow mornings, making matcha, reading fiction, and taking long walks.
The Invention of the "Lazy Girl Job"
The rejection of girlboss energy has also created entirely new career strategies. In the summer of 2023, content creator Gabrielle Judge coined the term “lazy girl job,” and it instantly went viral.
Despite the name, a lazy girl job does not mean sitting around doing nothing. Judge defined it as a role paying a comfortable, livable wage (often cited around $60,000 to $80,000 a year) that offers remote flexibility and very low stress. These are typically non-technical corporate roles like data entry, marketing coordination, or administrative support.
The goal of the lazy girl job is to pay your bills without draining your soul. Young women are purposely seeking out these roles so they have enough energy left at 5:00 PM to actually enjoy their evenings. It is a direct counter-movement to the girlboss mentality of making your career your entire personality.
Economic Realities Driving the Change
This cultural shift is not just about changing aesthetics. It is deeply rooted in modern economic realities.
During the peak girlboss years, the unspoken promise was that extreme hard work would lead to extreme financial success. Today, inflation, student loan debt, and skyrocketing housing costs have broken that promise. In 2023, the average cost of a home in the United States hit record highs, pricing many Gen Z and millennial workers out of the market entirely.
When young women look at the math, they realize that grinding for a 3% annual raise will not buy them a mansion. If the traditional milestones of wealth are out of reach, sacrificing your health and youth for a corporation makes very little sense. Instead, young professionals are choosing to optimize their lives for day-to-day happiness.
Redefining Ambition
Moving away from girlboss energy does not mean young women lack ambition. They are simply redirecting it.
Instead of being ambitious about job titles, they are ambitious about their quality of life. Success is no longer defined by managing a massive team or sleeping four hours a night. Today, a successful woman might be someone who logs off right at 5:00 PM, has enough energy to cook a healthy dinner, and spends her weekends running with a local club or learning how to throw pottery.
This softer approach to life is highly practical. It protects mental health, prevents clinical burnout, and allows young women to build identities outside of their LinkedIn profiles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who coined the term girlboss? Entrepreneur Sophia Amoruso coined the term in 2014 with the release of her memoir, #GIRLBOSS, which detailed her experience building the fashion retailer Nasty Gal.
What is the “soft life” trend? The soft life is a lifestyle trend that originated on social media. It emphasizes living with minimal stress, setting strict boundaries, and prioritizing personal comfort and mental health over relentless work and struggle.
What exactly is a “lazy girl job”? Coined by TikTok creator Gabrielle Judge in 2023, a lazy girl job is a low-stress, usually remote position that pays a decent salary. The term is slightly ironic, as the goal is not laziness, but rather finding a job that does not demand overtime or emotional exhaustion.
Does rejecting girlboss culture mean women are working less? Not necessarily. Women are still participating heavily in the workforce. However, they are setting firmer boundaries, avoiding unpaid overtime, and refusing to tie their personal self-worth to their corporate job titles.