Hey Babe . . . Breaking Down the #BossBabe Narrative and Reimagining Feminist Business Communities

by Hanson, Ky-Lee; Khouri, Jess

• ISBN13: 9781989819234
• ISBN10: 1989819230
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2022-10-04
• Publisher: Golden Brick Road Publishing House

Summary

Hey Babe . . . do better. This book takes a critical look at the womxn in business community and questions the norms, practices, and language used by “Boss Babes.” Often used as a buzzword, we look at where the practice of empowerment and women supporting women falls short and the ways in which feminism has been co-opted by the mainstream women in business movement. We’re interested in what it means to be a part of a community of womxn in business and question who belongs and doesn’t belong in mainstream Boss Babe culture. As active, yet critical, members of this community, we draw from our experiences as entrepreneurs and include stories from other Boss Babes to illustrate real experiences, both positive and negative, of being a part of the women in business world at this particular point in time. As feminist entrepreneurs, we are using this book to examine the possibilities of a feminist entrepreneurship framework to critique mainstream practices celebrated by Boss Babe culture and create new norms of doing business. By critically examining the ways in which we, as entrepreneurs, are contributing to and perpetuating toxic community and business practices, we can start to reimagine and rewrite the #BossBabe narrative and build anti-oppressive, intersectional feminist communities of entrepreneurship. Hey Babe . . . it’s time for a change.

Author Biography

Ky-Lee Hanson is First Nations / Canadian, a multi award-winning author and publisher, a restaurateur, a real estate investor, and an advocate for human rights. She is a coach with the Women of Ontario Social Enterprise Network; WOSEN is dedicated to equity and inclusion, and seeks to support women-identified and gender non-binary entrepreneurs from underserved and underrepresented communities. Through her studies in sociology and health sciences, she actively seeks deeper understanding of human interactions, motives, and needs in hopes to amplify or provide new solutions to the world. She has faced much adversity, and success, as a female entrepreneur that is focused on the well-being of women and people of colour. Ky-Lee owns Oneida Grand Centre in Iroquois, Ontario, and Golden Brick Road Publishing House. She thrives on creating businesses and platforms that provide opportunities for others and that promote social change. Ky-Lee has an open-door policy she learned from her mom, a listening ear, and an opportunity to lock arms and take you down your Golden Brick Road. Jess Khouri is a feminist marketer, professor, and best-selling author whose work focuses on feminist entrepreneurship and questioning the norms and narratives that directly impact millennial womxn in business. She has been a feminist for as long as she can remember and as a proud 90s kid, credits her feminist beginnings to the Spice Girls. Girl power! She is a toddler mom, dog mom to two, and gin cocktail enthusiast. As a feminist entrepreneur, she sees her entrepreneurship as a tool for social change and works closely with other business owners to help them build feminist businesses.