Girlboss Feminism

BREAKTHROUGH FOR WOMEN IN MEDIA: A TIMELINE By Veda Chari

WOMEN BREAK THROUGH THE CENTURIES

Throughout the centuries, women have been under-represented in industries. The many freedoms we take for granted today were privileges few before us enjoyed. In the face of the extreme prejudice towards women, there were leaders who made the first step towards equality, paving the way for future generations. These women throughout history deserve to be recognized.

10th Century:

Before the tenth century, women were prohibited from being a part of the theater: all female roles were played by men, and all stories and plays depicted were written by men. Then, in the 10th century, German nun Hrosvitha of Gandersheim wrote a comedy play called Dulcitius. Hrosvitha is credited as the first female playwright and writer. Inspired by her unprecedented move, more women, most of which were noblewomen or nuns, took to writing plays. Their plays were centered around religion and were not intended to be a primary source of income. However, women were still barred for acting in plays and the jobs in the entertainment industry as a whole.

1660:

In 1660, King Charles II, an avid theater goer, issued a special charter to the Drury Lane Royal Theater, requiring all female parts to be played by women. This charter allowed Margaret Hughes to step to the stage and become the first female actress with her breakout role as Desdemona in Shakespeare's Othello. Hughes’ performance was the first time a woman acted on an English stage and the first documentation we have of a female playing a role in theater.

1896:

With the invention of movies came the first female director. French filmmaker Alice Guy-Blaché wrote and directed “La Fée aux Choux” (The Cabbage Fairy) in 1896, making her the first female director. Guy-Blaché directed what is now regarded as the world’s first narrative fiction film. Between 1896 and 1906, she was the only female filmmaker in the world, before she inspired other women to join the industry behind the camera.

1906:

With her breakout role as Boone’s daughter in the movie “Daniel Boone, ” Florence Lawrence quickly rose to stardom, becoming the first female movie star, as she was the first actress whose name was used to promote her films. She went on to have an extremely successful career, starring in over 40 movies until her death in 1938.

1922:

Zubeida Begum Dhanrajgir is the first Indian film actress with her breakout performance in “Kohinoor. ” She went on to star in many other major films including “Devadas, ” “Meri Jaan, ” and the first Indian talkie movie “Alam Ara. ” A talkie movie is a film where the motion picture is synchronized with the sound.

1931:

With the radio show “The Katie Smith Hour, ” Katie Smith became the first woman to have her own radio show — before her, all female radio hosts had a male counterpart. Her show was a halfhour variety program where Smith sang with the Harry Simeone Chorale. Due to popular demand, the show went from a twice-a-week broadcast to a six show per week broadcast

1940:

Hattie McDaniel becomes the first African American ever to win an Oscar for her role as head slave in “Gone with the Wind. ” McDaniel was forced to accept her award in a racially segregated hotel at the 12th Academy Awards, but was able to make an acceptance speech after the director pulled some strings.

1958:

Jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald became the first person in history to win the Grammy for Best Vocal Performance, doing so as a Black woman. She was a well renowned singer, despite her skin color in a segregated society. Due to her powerful vocals and pure tones, she was often called the First Lady of Song and the Queen of Jazz. She went on to win 13 more Grammys.

1967:

In 1967, Tina Turner became the first Black and female artist to be on the cover of the famous Rolling Stone rock ‘n’ roll magazine. With her powerful vocals, she is known as the “Queen of Rock ‘n Roll. ” She released iconic songs such as “River DeepMountain High” and “Proud Mary” winning her 7 Grammy Awards.

1976:

Before 1976, women anchors were sidelined to smaller stories like the weather, while the more serious news stories were reserved for men anchors. However, Barbara Walters broke this paradigm, becoming the first woman to anchor a nightly newscast on a major television network. With her nightly newscast on ABC, she discussed important events with her co-hosts, the same stories she would have previously been deemed as “too soft” to deliver due to her sex.

1987:

Aretha Franklin was the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Known for her strong vocals with songs such as “Respect” and “A Natural Woman, ” she was the first woman given the honor.

2006:

Katie Couric became the first female solo anchor of a weekday network evening news broadcast with CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. Even after Barbara Walters’ breakthrough, women were required to have a male co-host to deliver news with them. Couric was the first female to deliver the news by herself.

2017:

Patty Jenkins became the first woman to direct a superhero movie. Jenkins made history with the movie, as superhero films have been around for decades, yet all have been directed by men. The film did very well, scoring 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and earning $822.3 million in box offices.

1997:

Rachel Portman became the first woman to win the Oscar for Best Original Score for her work in Douglas McGrath’s Emma. The movie is an adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel, starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Alan Cumming. Only 7 women have been nominated for an Oscar in one of the score categories, and only 3 have won.

2010:

Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to ever win the Oscar for Best Director for her film The Hurt Locker. Only three women have been nominated for this category, and Bigelow was the first and only woman to win. Kathryn Bigelow has had a very successful career, directing numerous films such as Near Dark, Point Break, and The Widowmaker.

2021:

Chloé Zhao becomes the first woman of color to win an Oscar for Best Director for her work with “Nomadland. ” She is the second woman ever to win Best Director (the other being Katheryn Bigelow) and the 7th woman ever to be nominated.

GIRLBOSS FEMINISM

Tanisha Srivatsa & Selina Yang

After nationwide protests erupted this summer over the Black Lives Matter movement and police brutality, people of different backgrounds have begun to more actively advocate for social issues like feminism and the advancement of racial equality. While much of this activism has positively impacted movements, girlboss feminism, which is the ideal of feminism characterized by corporate success, has depreciated the contributions of women of color (WOC) by solely focusing on white women. The tone policing, deradicalizing, and white savior complex that girlboss feminism promotes diminishes intersectional feminist ideologies.

The term “girlboss feminism” was coined in 2014 by Nasty Gal founder Sophia Amoruso, a white woman, to describe her self-proclaimed rags-to-riches story. According to Amoruso, a girlboss is “someone who has big dreams and is willing to work hard for them.” Today, its definition has broadened to describe women in management or executive positions, especially in traditionally male-dominated workforces. However, the mentality of girlboss feminism is, by its nature, exclusionary of WOC and women from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. This mainstream ideology is inherently linked to unjust hierarchies that late-stage capitalism promotes.

According to activist Angela Davis, the concept of “glass-ceiling feminism” consists of “supporting women who are already at the top.” The idea that women need to shatter a glass ceiling and become powerful leaders in their industry furthers the capitalist propaganda that liberation of one woman comes from the exploitation of all others.