Girlfailures

About

Girlfailures, or Girlfailure, is a slang term referring to the opposite of a girlboss, simply defined as "an absolute loser of a female character" via a viral tweet sent in January 2023. The concept inspired many on Twitter to identify their favorite girlfailures in film, television and other media, satirically idolizing them similar to how some women idolize girlbosses online and in memes. The term "girlfailure" was first referenced on Tumblr in 2021, then it surfaced on Instagram in mid-2022.

Origin

On March 28th, 2021, Tumblr^[1] user mclennonyaoi used the word "girlfailure" in reference to themself when writing, "imagine being my ex and seeing me post abt how much of a girlfailure she was." The post received five notes in two years but is the first known mention of the term online.

On May 28th, 2021, Tumblr^[2] user hxgrl uploaded a text post reading, "Whats the opposite of a girlboss. Im like a girlfailure," gaining eight notes in two years (shown below). The post is the first known to reference "girlfailure" as a variant of "girlboss."

Spread

On February 20th, 2022, Tumblr^[3] user sunsetpan0rama uploaded a text post reading, "girlboss? no im a girlloser. girlpathetic. girlfailure girlblogger even," gaining over 540 notes in 11 months (shown below, left). On April 30th, 2022, the Instagram^[4] page parasocialism posted a meme that captioned a screencap of Neon Genesis Evangelion character Misato Katsuragi laying face down on a bed with, "not a girlboss, a girlfailure." The meme received roughly 8,300 likes in nine months (shown below, right).

Semi-viral "girlfailure" usage continued to surface on Tumblr^[5] going into early January 2023. However, usage of "girlfailure" spiked on January 28th, 2023, when Twitter^[6] user xforceapologist tweeted, "enough girlbosses i need girlfailures. just an absolute loser of a female character. more women who suck!!!!!" The tweet received roughly 138,800 likes in three days (shown below).

Twitter user xforceapologist's tweet inspired mass engagement, earning multiple, viral quote retweets and replies in which other Twitter users offered up girlfailure icons for viral discourse and debate. For instance, on January 29th, 2023, Twitter^[7] user paddysroyco posted a QT showing Seinfeld character Elaine Benes with the caption, "she paved the way for all the other girlfailures," gaining roughly 107,300 likes in two days (shown below, left). On January 31st, 2023, Twitter^[8] user krembeni posted a QT with an image of Chainsaw Man character Kobeni, earning roughly 4,700 likes in less than a day (shown below, right).

Related Memes

Girlboss

Girlboss is a term used both ironically and unironically online by males and females in Hustle Culture. The term, coined by Sophia Amoruso, has been seen by some as a proto-example of Sigma, with a lot of the same platitudes that apply to sigma males being used to describe Girlbosses years prior.

Various Examples

Search Interest

Unavailable.

External References