Young women won’t be told how to behave, but is #girlboss just deportment by another name?

<h2>In today’s terms&comma; June Dally-Watkins was Australia’s OG &lpar;<a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;urbandictionary&period;com&sol;define&period;php&quest;term&equals;OG">original gangster<&sol;a>&rpar; <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;girlboss&period;com&sol;about">&num;girlboss<&sol;a>&period;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<h3>The <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;smh&period;com&period;au&sol;national&sol;every-woman-has-a-right-to-be-beautiful-dally-watkins-dead-at-92-20200223-p543hn&period;html">illegitimate child<&sol;a> of a single mother&comma; Dally-Watkins came from humble rural beginnings and found fame as a young model in 1950s Sydney&period; She turned this fame into a fortune&comma; using her profile to start a chain of finishing and deportment schools for young women and&comma; later&comma; young men&period;<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;jdwbrisbane&period;com&sol;">Dally-Watkins’ schools<&sol;a>&comma; which still operate today&comma; taught catwalk strutting&comma; posing for photographs&comma; and make-up application&period; She taught models how to win beauty pageants and taught men how to court like gentlemen&period; And she made a lot of money doing it&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Dally-Watkins <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;theguardian&period;com&sol;fashion&sol;2020&sol;feb&sol;23&sol;june-dally-watkins-australias-queen-of-deportment-and-etiquette-dies-at-92">died<&sol;a> earlier this week&comma; and is being remembered as a strict yet charming teacher and a very successful businesswoman&period; The legacy of Dally-Watkins and what she symbolises as a successful <em>and<&sol;em> feminine woman presents an opportunity to think through some of the ways our culture both applauds and maligns women’s success&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"align-center "><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;images&period;theconversation&period;com&sol;files&sol;317025&sol;original&sol;file-20200225-24690-cx4dq2&period;jpg&quest;ixlib&equals;rb-1&period;1&period;0&amp&semi;rect&equals;1&percnt;2C0&percnt;2C1196&percnt;2C1670&amp&semi;q&equals;45&amp&semi;auto&equals;format&amp&semi;w&equals;754&amp&semi;fit&equals;clip" sizes&equals;"&lpar;min-width&colon; 1466px&rpar; 754px&comma; &lpar;max-width&colon; 599px&rpar; 100vw&comma; &lpar;min-width&colon; 600px&rpar; 600px&comma; 237px" srcset&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;images&period;theconversation&period;com&sol;files&sol;317025&sol;original&sol;file-20200225-24690-cx4dq2&period;jpg&quest;ixlib&equals;rb-1&period;1&period;0&amp&semi;q&equals;45&amp&semi;auto&equals;format&amp&semi;w&equals;600&amp&semi;h&equals;838&amp&semi;fit&equals;crop&amp&semi;dpr&equals;1 600w&comma; https&colon;&sol;&sol;images&period;theconversation&period;com&sol;files&sol;317025&sol;original&sol;file-20200225-24690-cx4dq2&period;jpg&quest;ixlib&equals;rb-1&period;1&period;0&amp&semi;q&equals;30&amp&semi;auto&equals;format&amp&semi;w&equals;600&amp&semi;h&equals;838&amp&semi;fit&equals;crop&amp&semi;dpr&equals;2 1200w&comma; https&colon;&sol;&sol;images&period;theconversation&period;com&sol;files&sol;317025&sol;original&sol;file-20200225-24690-cx4dq2&period;jpg&quest;ixlib&equals;rb-1&period;1&period;0&amp&semi;q&equals;15&amp&semi;auto&equals;format&amp&semi;w&equals;600&amp&semi;h&equals;838&amp&semi;fit&equals;crop&amp&semi;dpr&equals;3 1800w&comma; https&colon;&sol;&sol;images&period;theconversation&period;com&sol;files&sol;317025&sol;original&sol;file-20200225-24690-cx4dq2&period;jpg&quest;ixlib&equals;rb-1&period;1&period;0&amp&semi;q&equals;45&amp&semi;auto&equals;format&amp&semi;w&equals;754&amp&semi;h&equals;1053&amp&semi;fit&equals;crop&amp&semi;dpr&equals;1 754w&comma; https&colon;&sol;&sol;images&period;theconversation&period;com&sol;files&sol;317025&sol;original&sol;file-20200225-24690-cx4dq2&period;jpg&quest;ixlib&equals;rb-1&period;1&period;0&amp&semi;q&equals;30&amp&semi;auto&equals;format&amp&semi;w&equals;754&amp&semi;h&equals;1053&amp&semi;fit&equals;crop&amp&semi;dpr&equals;2 1508w&comma; https&colon;&sol;&sol;images&period;theconversation&period;com&sol;files&sol;317025&sol;original&sol;file-20200225-24690-cx4dq2&period;jpg&quest;ixlib&equals;rb-1&period;1&period;0&amp&semi;q&equals;15&amp&semi;auto&equals;format&amp&semi;w&equals;754&amp&semi;h&equals;1053&amp&semi;fit&equals;crop&amp&semi;dpr&equals;3 2262w" alt&equals;"" &sol;><figcaption><span class&equals;"caption">June Dally-Watkins was a model before she was an entrepreneur&comma; photographed here in 1949 by Max Dupain&period;<&sol;span> <span class&equals;"attribution"><span class&equals;"source">AAP Image&sol;Supplied by The National Portrait Gallery<&sol;span><&sol;span><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<h2>Is self-branding the new deportment&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>Although today’s young women might be less interested in learning manners and etiquette&comma; many continue to seek advice on presenting a polished&comma; appealing image of themselves&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The YouTube beauty tutorial is one of the largest genres on the platform&comma; and there are influencers who base their self-brand on advising viewers how to appear feminine and classy&period; 25-year-old YouTuber <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;youtube&period;com&sol;channel&sol;UCzEolHECo7JmmkWMGDYaSOA">Alexandra Beth<&sol;a> offers advice to her 3&period;44 million subscribers on subjects from &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;how to dress better” to &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;dating mistakes every girl makes”&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure><iframe src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;youtube&period;com&sol;embed&sol;ljf4l6Nuh8Q&quest;wmode&equals;transparent&amp&semi;start&equals;0" width&equals;"440" height&equals;"260" frameborder&equals;"0" allowfullscreen&equals;"allowfullscreen"><&sol;iframe><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<p>Lifestyle and personal development workshops can be found everywhere&comma; from the practical&comma; to the vague &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;<a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;designyourlifeseminars&period;com&period;au&sol;release-your-limitations&sol;">Release Your Limitations<&sol;a>”&comma; to the terrifyingly titled &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;<a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;eventbrite&period;com&sol;e&sol;burn-your-fear-intensive-tickets-94109801951&quest;aff&equals;ebdssbdestsearch">Burn Your Fear Intensive<&sol;a>”&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The mission behind Dally-Watkins’ schools is as relevant as ever&colon; if you invest in yourself &lpar;by paying someone for advice&rpar; you can be a happier&comma; more successful person&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Dally-Watkins recognised people overwhelmingly want to believe self-improvement is a means to improving their circumstances&comma; and her schools sold this promise of social mobility&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>Girlbosses<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>Girlbossing has been coined to describe a way of presenting a professionally successful persona that highlights femininity&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>June Dally-Watkins was undoubtedly a girlboss before girlbossing became a term&period; Self-made&comma; ambitious&comma; and feminine&comma; she enforced rigorous grooming practices&comma; using her own polished&comma; perfect self as marketing for her schools&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"align-right "><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;images&period;theconversation&period;com&sol;files&sol;317022&sol;original&sol;file-20200225-24676-1mth2fk&period;jpg&quest;ixlib&equals;rb-1&period;1&period;0&amp&semi;q&equals;45&amp&semi;auto&equals;format&amp&semi;w&equals;237&amp&semi;fit&equals;clip" sizes&equals;"&lpar;min-width&colon; 1466px&rpar; 754px&comma; &lpar;max-width&colon; 599px&rpar; 100vw&comma; &lpar;min-width&colon; 600px&rpar; 600px&comma; 237px" srcset&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;images&period;theconversation&period;com&sol;files&sol;317022&sol;original&sol;file-20200225-24676-1mth2fk&period;jpg&quest;ixlib&equals;rb-1&period;1&period;0&amp&semi;q&equals;45&amp&semi;auto&equals;format&amp&semi;w&equals;600&amp&semi;h&equals;908&amp&semi;fit&equals;crop&amp&semi;dpr&equals;1 600w&comma; https&colon;&sol;&sol;images&period;theconversation&period;com&sol;files&sol;317022&sol;original&sol;file-20200225-24676-1mth2fk&period;jpg&quest;ixlib&equals;rb-1&period;1&period;0&amp&semi;q&equals;30&amp&semi;auto&equals;format&amp&semi;w&equals;600&amp&semi;h&equals;908&amp&semi;fit&equals;crop&amp&semi;dpr&equals;2 1200w&comma; https&colon;&sol;&sol;images&period;theconversation&period;com&sol;files&sol;317022&sol;original&sol;file-20200225-24676-1mth2fk&period;jpg&quest;ixlib&equals;rb-1&period;1&period;0&amp&semi;q&equals;15&amp&semi;auto&equals;format&amp&semi;w&equals;600&amp&semi;h&equals;908&amp&semi;fit&equals;crop&amp&semi;dpr&equals;3 1800w&comma; https&colon;&sol;&sol;images&period;theconversation&period;com&sol;files&sol;317022&sol;original&sol;file-20200225-24676-1mth2fk&period;jpg&quest;ixlib&equals;rb-1&period;1&period;0&amp&semi;q&equals;45&amp&semi;auto&equals;format&amp&semi;w&equals;754&amp&semi;h&equals;1141&amp&semi;fit&equals;crop&amp&semi;dpr&equals;1 754w&comma; https&colon;&sol;&sol;images&period;theconversation&period;com&sol;files&sol;317022&sol;original&sol;file-20200225-24676-1mth2fk&period;jpg&quest;ixlib&equals;rb-1&period;1&period;0&amp&semi;q&equals;30&amp&semi;auto&equals;format&amp&semi;w&equals;754&amp&semi;h&equals;1141&amp&semi;fit&equals;crop&amp&semi;dpr&equals;2 1508w&comma; https&colon;&sol;&sol;images&period;theconversation&period;com&sol;files&sol;317022&sol;original&sol;file-20200225-24676-1mth2fk&period;jpg&quest;ixlib&equals;rb-1&period;1&period;0&amp&semi;q&equals;15&amp&semi;auto&equals;format&amp&semi;w&equals;754&amp&semi;h&equals;1141&amp&semi;fit&equals;crop&amp&semi;dpr&equals;3 2262w" alt&equals;"" &sol;><figcaption><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<p>The term girlboss was popularised by entrepreneur Sophia Amoruso&comma; whose 2014 book <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;goodreads&period;com&sol;book&sol;show&sol;18667945-girlboss">&num;Girlboss<&sol;a> was adapted into a &lpar;critically <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;vanityfair&period;com&sol;hollywood&sol;2017&sol;06&sol;girlboss-netflix-canceled-one-season">maligned<&sol;a>&rpar; <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;imdb&period;com&sol;title&sol;tt5706996&sol;&quest;ref&lowbar;&equals;fn&lowbar;al&lowbar;tt&lowbar;1">Netflix series<&sol;a> in 2017&period; The girlboss has since become a powerful&comma; if controversial&comma; cultural icon&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>They are lauded for their success in business and entrepreneurship&comma; an arena notorious for its boys club culture that’s been hostile to women in the past&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>At once revered and reviled&comma; girlbosses have become fascinating case studies for gender dynamics and professional self-branding in contemporary culture&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>The anti-feminist core of girlbossing<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>It’s important to remember that girlbossing isn’t feminism&comma; it’s capitalism&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Girlboss rhetoric often works to propagate sexism&comma; racism&comma; and class elitism&comma; among other forms of oppression&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Recent <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;theatlantic&period;com&sol;entertainment&sol;archive&sol;2019&sol;12&sol;fictions-bombshell-movie&sol;603982&sol;">discussion<&sol;a> of the film <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;imdb&period;com&sol;title&sol;tt6394270&sol;&quest;ref&lowbar;&equals;fn&lowbar;al&lowbar;tt&lowbar;1">Bombshell<&sol;a>&comma; the story of female Fox News presenters who victoriously sued the channel’s former CEO Roger Ailes for workplace sexual harassment&comma; is an illustrative example&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Although the film celebrates these women&comma; <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;nytimes&period;com&sol;2019&sol;12&sol;12&sol;movies&sol;bombshell-review&period;html">critics suggest<&sol;a> it is not necessarily smart to blindly celebrate such stories&period; And this is especially the case when women’s success&comma; like that of Megyn Kelly and Gretchen Carlson&comma; is built on politics or institutions that fuel social ills like misogyny and racism&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"align-center "><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;images&period;theconversation&period;com&sol;files&sol;317024&sol;original&sol;file-20200225-24659-lydb9z&period;jpg&quest;ixlib&equals;rb-1&period;1&period;0&amp&semi;q&equals;45&amp&semi;auto&equals;format&amp&semi;w&equals;754&amp&semi;fit&equals;clip" sizes&equals;"&lpar;min-width&colon; 1466px&rpar; 754px&comma; &lpar;max-width&colon; 599px&rpar; 100vw&comma; &lpar;min-width&colon; 600px&rpar; 600px&comma; 237px" srcset&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;images&period;theconversation&period;com&sol;files&sol;317024&sol;original&sol;file-20200225-24659-lydb9z&period;jpg&quest;ixlib&equals;rb-1&period;1&period;0&amp&semi;q&equals;45&amp&semi;auto&equals;format&amp&semi;w&equals;600&amp&semi;h&equals;255&amp&semi;fit&equals;crop&amp&semi;dpr&equals;1 600w&comma; https&colon;&sol;&sol;images&period;theconversation&period;com&sol;files&sol;317024&sol;original&sol;file-20200225-24659-lydb9z&period;jpg&quest;ixlib&equals;rb-1&period;1&period;0&amp&semi;q&equals;30&amp&semi;auto&equals;format&amp&semi;w&equals;600&amp&semi;h&equals;255&amp&semi;fit&equals;crop&amp&semi;dpr&equals;2 1200w&comma; https&colon;&sol;&sol;images&period;theconversation&period;com&sol;files&sol;317024&sol;original&sol;file-20200225-24659-lydb9z&period;jpg&quest;ixlib&equals;rb-1&period;1&period;0&amp&semi;q&equals;15&amp&semi;auto&equals;format&amp&semi;w&equals;600&amp&semi;h&equals;255&amp&semi;fit&equals;crop&amp&semi;dpr&equals;3 1800w&comma; https&colon;&sol;&sol;images&period;theconversation&period;com&sol;files&sol;317024&sol;original&sol;file-20200225-24659-lydb9z&period;jpg&quest;ixlib&equals;rb-1&period;1&period;0&amp&semi;q&equals;45&amp&semi;auto&equals;format&amp&semi;w&equals;754&amp&semi;h&equals;320&amp&semi;fit&equals;crop&amp&semi;dpr&equals;1 754w&comma; https&colon;&sol;&sol;images&period;theconversation&period;com&sol;files&sol;317024&sol;original&sol;file-20200225-24659-lydb9z&period;jpg&quest;ixlib&equals;rb-1&period;1&period;0&amp&semi;q&equals;30&amp&semi;auto&equals;format&amp&semi;w&equals;754&amp&semi;h&equals;320&amp&semi;fit&equals;crop&amp&semi;dpr&equals;2 1508w&comma; https&colon;&sol;&sol;images&period;theconversation&period;com&sol;files&sol;317024&sol;original&sol;file-20200225-24659-lydb9z&period;jpg&quest;ixlib&equals;rb-1&period;1&period;0&amp&semi;q&equals;15&amp&semi;auto&equals;format&amp&semi;w&equals;754&amp&semi;h&equals;320&amp&semi;fit&equals;crop&amp&semi;dpr&equals;3 2262w" alt&equals;"" &sol;><figcaption><span class&equals;"caption">Charlize Theron plays Megyn Kelly in Bombshell&colon; critics say the film has erased controversial parts of Kelly’s story to suit the girlboss narrative&period;<&sol;span> <span class&equals;"attribution"><span class&equals;"source">Annapurna Pictures<&sol;span><&sol;span><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<p>Girlboss rhetoric encourages women to &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;<a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;vox&period;com&sol;first-person&sol;2018&sol;12&sol;6&sol;18128838&sol;michelle-obama-lean-in-sheryl-sandberg">lean in<&sol;a>” without addressing underlying disadvantages that make that project difficult&period; It is an <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;theringer&period;com&sol;2017&sol;4&sol;29&sol;16043520&sol;the-problem-with-girlboss-feminism-98f48bb6aa16">individualised approach<&sol;a> that sells women the myth that a will to self-improvement is all they need to succeed&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>It’s important to note the feminist history here&period; Feminists made the ascension of the girlboss possible through fighting for the rights of women to enter the workplace&period; But &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;lean in” logic is a perversion of feminism&period; It takes the rhetoric of empowerment and deploys it in the service of oppression&comma; suggesting an individual’s success is determined by her efforts alone&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Take Dally-Watkin’s <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;smh&period;com&period;au&sol;national&sol;every-woman-has-a-right-to-be-beautiful-dally-watkins-dead-at-92-20200223-p543hn&period;html">first advertisement slogan<&sol;a> for her deportment school in the early 1950s&colon; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Every woman has a right to be beautiful”&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>While the invitation appeals to the rights of women&comma; the call to action reinforces a patriarchal mechanism of oppression&colon; beauty standards&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Meeting beauty standards requires significant investments of time and money&comma; which detracts from women’s ability to invest that time and money elsewhere&period; Beauty standards also reinforce the idea that women’s value is in their status as objects to be looked at&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>This darker side of beauty and deportment is undeniably part of Dally-Watkins’ legacy&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Dally-Watkins’s passing this week is a sad event for her family and the many people whose lives she touched&comma; her students not least among them&period; She sounds like a charismatic teacher&comma; and was undoubtedly a fiercely successful businesswoman&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>But alongside reflecting on her career&comma; her legacy can teach us a lot about the rise of girlbosses&comma; made possible by the work of feminist activists who fought for the rights of women to enter the workforce and generate their own income&comma; and about the commercialisation of self-improvement&period;<&excl;-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag&period; Please DO NOT REMOVE&period; --><img style&equals;"border&colon; none &excl;important&semi; box-shadow&colon; none &excl;important&semi; margin&colon; 0 &excl;important&semi; max-height&colon; 1px &excl;important&semi; max-width&colon; 1px &excl;important&semi; min-height&colon; 1px &excl;important&semi; min-width&colon; 1px &excl;important&semi; opacity&colon; 0 &excl;important&semi; outline&colon; none &excl;important&semi; padding&colon; 0 &excl;important&semi; text-shadow&colon; none &excl;important&semi;" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;counter&period;theconversation&period;com&sol;content&sol;132351&sol;count&period;gif&quest;distributor&equals;republish-lightbox-basic" alt&equals;"The Conversation" width&equals;"1" height&equals;"1" &sol;><&excl;-- End of code&period; If you don't see any code above&comma; please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button&period; The page counter does not collect any personal data&period; More info&colon; http&colon;&sol;&sol;theconversation&period;com&sol;republishing-guidelines --><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h6><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;theconversation&period;com&sol;profiles&sol;emma-maguire-833756">Emma Maguire<&sol;a>&comma; Lecturer in English and Creative Writing&comma; <em><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;theconversation&period;com&sol;institutions&sol;james-cook-university-1167">James Cook University&period; <&sol;a><&sol;em>This article is republished from <a href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;theconversation&period;com">The Conversation<&sol;a> under a Creative Commons license&period; Read the <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;theconversation&period;com&sol;young-women-wont-be-told-how-to-behave-but-is-girlboss-just-deportment-by-another-name-132351">original article<&sol;a>&period;<&sol;h6>&NewLine;

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