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Two years ago Mia Jones felt stuck.
She had barely started her career, but she already felt incrediblyburnt out.
At least, by traditional capitalist standards.
Thesoft girldoesnt value the grind or getting ahead.
She prioritizes slow living.
Shes not interested in making partner or founding her own company.
Shes in touch with her feminine energy, her menstrual cycle, and her moods.
Soft life is romanticizing every moment of your day.
Soft life is releasing the compulsion to produce and accomplish.
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They idolized female business leaders likeSheryl SandbergandMarissa Mayer(who famouslyworked from her hospital bedafter she delivered twins).
They took up space, they leaned in, they asked for more.
Its now 2023, and many girlbosses havefallen from grace.
Clinton lost the presidential race to Donald Trump.
What about if we just didn’t try so hard?
I actually think girlbossing is kind of cheugy.
You may have a burning question: Who is paying for the soft-girl lifestyle?
Its a valid criticism, but one that many soft-girl advocates rarely engage with.
And like any trend, there is a variety of ways to adhere to it.
I grew up in a Jamaican household and all the adults had two jobs, she says.
So for a long time I thought that was what was expected of me.
At various points I had three or more jobs.
Ultimately, I feel like the soft-girl life chose me.
I think when you have worked a lot, you start to value other things.
But she finds herself now longing for a different kind of satisfaction.
Family-based life allows for simplicity, focus, less stress, and a reclaiming of time.
This desire may even be impacting how Gen Z dates.
Viral beauty looks like latte makeup and tomato girl makeup have polarized the internet.
I wanted to be a girlboss before I became a mom, she tells me.
After we started our family, all I wanted to do was love on my family and slow down.
The soft-girl lifestyle is much more sustainable!
SO glad I was taught the exact opposite, wrote one woman.
In a fast-paced world, people are seeking more balance and meaning in their lives.
And Barbie would say the same thing.
Many people don’t conform to the typical male or female identity.
I think soft-girl energy relates joy to being docile and lacking goal-oriented tasks throughout your day, she says.
But why can’t you be crushing your goals and still feel well and not absolutely burnt out?
For some reason, working hard equals burnout in this absolute manner.
And I don’t think that’s fair to generalize like that.
Its true that living the girlboss life can be challenging.
Burnout is real, and hustle culture is totally toxic.
Women, as Bhopa notes, can do both.
They can focus on building wealth and achievement for themselves in a healthy way.
They can prioritize being a boss and avoiding burnout.
In that way, women can actually do it all.
Yet Chan is, by definition, indeed a girlboss.
So can you be a more balanced girlboss?
Stephanie McNeal is a senior editor atGlamourand the authorofSwipe Up for More!
Inside the Unfiltered Lives of Influencers.
