Young women are pushing back on the #GirlBoss culture with #LazyGirlJobs

Many young women could be stepping away from the pressures of hustle culture, opting instead to redefine work on their own terms. This thesis will be explored further in a new study from the University of Surrey.

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The once-celebrated #GirlBoss culture, which champions ambition and the pursuit of ‘having it all’, is being challenged by a rising trend: the #LazyGirlJobs movement – according to a new research project, funded by a newly awarded British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grant.

Led by Dr Nathalie Weidhase, the study will begin in January 2025. It aims to investigate how platforms like Instagram and TikTok create gendered representations of work, and how young women, aged 18 to 30, interpret these narratives.

Dr Nathalie Weidhase, Lecturer in Media and Communication at the University of Surrey said:

“Social media is reshaping how young women see their careers. The #GirlBoss ideal is starting to feel outdated for many, as more young women embrace the space to push back against traditional work expectations.”

The study will analyse popular audiovisual content on social media, alongside 30 in-depth interviews with young women. It explores how today’s digital feminism influences young women’s perceptions of work, compliance with dominant narratives like the #GirlBoss, and the possibility of resisting these norms. Dr Weidhase and her team are particularly interested in the emerging #LazyGirlJobs trend and other memes, where women parody or challenge the pressures of work-life balance and career perfectionism.

The study hopes to spark conversations around whether the #GirlBoss image still holds relevance in today’s workplace culture.

Dr Weidhase continued:

“Our goal is to understand the shifting attitudes toward work, as young women find new ways to engage with and perhaps critique these gendered expectations,”

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