The "Gaslight Gatekeep Girlboss" meme encapsulates the backlash against business and capitalism, especially when it has been pink-washed with a feminist veneer. The phrase is also intended as a joking response to the popular home decorating mantra "live laugh love."
The phrase rose in correlation with cynical advertising and influencers who appeared to be falsely pushing a "girlboss" narrative on their followers. It is also used cheekily by people who are satirically pursuing the "girlboss" lifestyle, or otherwise making a critique against it.
First, you must understand what a girlboss is. Her rise through the early 2000s and more intensely in the 2010s speaks to a cultural frustration with corporate life for women. The gals were being encouraged and encouraging one another to start their own businesses. They were bosses who were also girls.
And there were some huge successes to look at, like makeup company Glossier or Thinx panties, the panties for periods. There have also been some huge crashes, like women's co-working space The Wing or Thinx, the panties for periods (surprise! They're toxic (both The Wing and Thinx)).
The promise of the Girl Boss is ultimately somewhat hollow, and Gen Z has been very quick to recognize that and mock her mercilessly.
The terms "gaslight" and "gatekeep" have become more popular on the internet as well; the former means to try and trick someone into thinking their perception of reality is wrong even when it's not, and the latter is a way of saying someone is withholding information that could help others for their own gain.
Because the internet is always evolving, however, people will often use these words in unexpected ways. When combined with the idea of a girlboss, the phrase generally means someone who becomes a girlboss by doing shady things, like gaslighting and gatekeeping.
And, to make things even more complicated, sometimes the phrase is practically a compliment, even when it's referring to someone who is obviously horrible. For example, Rosamund Pike's character in Gone Girl, who commits murder and manipulates her husband into being stuck with her for life, under her control. You go, girl!
People often use the meme to characterize people from movies, TV, or online, both as criticism and compliments. It can also be used to create fun new phrases and for a little wordplay.
In 2021, @nortoncampbeII shared a screenshot of a Tumblr post from user Relelvance reading "Manipulate, mansplain, malewife."
It's not exactly a one-to-one of the original phrase on a logic level, but it has a certain rhythm that fits. People will often use it with "gaslight gatekeep girlboss" while comparing a man and woman.
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