We may be through the first week of the new year – but I am still going through old draft posts. Considering Molly Mae’s recent deluded ramblings – one in particularly caught my eye. It was written in 2016 and discussed the pressure to (or at least appear) “have it all”. It was written during the rise of the “Girl Boss“. A deliciously deceptive right wing construct which targeted women via social media. The charge was led by young, female “influencers” regurgitating Thatcherisms as “inspirational quotes” to accompany aspirational snap shots of their jet set lives. And they were rewarded well – with engagement figures in the millions and the lucrative sponsorship deals. Classic neoliberalism for the modern womana. I mean girl. I mean girl- woman? Female empowerment at it’s finest.
https://www.indy100.com/viral/molly-mae-hague-parody-munya-chawawa-b1989478
And just like the tenacity of each new strand of Covid, the influence of the Girl Boss insidiously infiltrated my life and friendship circle over the following years. For some – empathy and understanding were replaced with judgement and condescension.
A testing time to say the least, but with the great pain and loss this pandemic has brought – it also brought the opportunity to pause for thought. Across the locked down Nation, the clogs and cranks of critical thinking slogged into gear as many in society questioned the identity, value and treatment of “Key Workers”. Remote working challenged the concept of work/life balance and the value of time. Questions were asked of neo-liberal maxims: Productivity is a merit of worth – Worth to who? And an increase in the popularity of more socialist ideas: People over profit.
Without that discourse, perhaps Molly Mae’s comments may have gone unquestioned or even lauded so just as Willie Loman’s pride and delusion led to his ending, may #mollymae’s recent comments be the genesis of the crack that brings the glass House of “Girl Boss” tumbling down.
The Brixton Housewife 