Netflix’s Girlboss Proves That Believing In Yourself Pays Off

I’m one of those people that hates going to vintage and thrift stores. Places like Winners and Marshall’s are also at the bottom of my list. The thought of sifting through racks and racks of clothing, hoping to find one piece that you like and that fits, is enough to make me stay home instead. I’ve tried a few times to prove myself wrong but to no avail. Then I watched season one of Girlboss on Netflix and I’m a changed man.

Nasty Gal is an American clothing brand that specializes in clothing for young women that was founded by Sophia Amoruso in 2006. Starting out as an eBay store that sold vintage clothing, the company quickly grew into a powerhouse boasting over 550,000 customers in 60 countries and was even named Fastest Growing Retailer in 2012 by INC Magazine. Nasty Gal was an example of young entrepreneurs embracing technology using MySpace to build a customer base and it’s founder an example of how passion and dedication for a dream can bring success.

Amoruso handled the entire business on her own from buying the pieces to photographing them to the descriptions. It wasn’t until 2008 when NastyGal hired it’s first employee. Later that year, Nasty Gal Vintage moved from eBay to its own standalone website and then into its first warehouse space the next year. Clearly she was doing something right. This story was later captured in the New York Times Best-Selling book, #GirlBoss, and inspired the latest Netflix original series. Girlboss which has some serious names behind it. The show is executive produced by Kay Cannon (Pitch Perfect 1& 2, 30 Rock), who also serves as showrunner, Charlize Theron (Monster, Young Adult), Laverne McKinnon and Beth Kono (of Denver & Delilah), Christian Ditter (How to Be Single), and the Nasty Gal founder herself, Sophia Amoruso.

Girlboss stars Britt Robertson (Under the Dome, Life Unexpected, Tomorrowland) in the lead role as Sophia. Joining her is Ellie Reed as the best friend and support, as well as Johnny Simmons and Alphonso McAuley as the love interests. There are some great cameos from Kimmy Shields (Big Little Lies), Jim Rash (Community), and RuPaul (RuPaul’s Drag Race). Overall the cast does a great job and delivers the dialogue believably.

There were several things I liked about the show. The soundtrack is a great reminder of some of the songs I used to love from around that time period. I enjoyed the fast pace banter during many of the scenes and Robertson does a great job of portraying someone that I would be charmed by and want to spend more time with. There’s even a great scene in which the show manages to creatively portray an internet forum in real life. And, while I found the main character’s attempts to be funny fall flat, I know people in my everyday life who are just like that.

Overall the show delivers. It’s message about never giving up on your dreams comes through and becomes more engaging the more you watch. Girlboss will inspire you to follow your passion. All 13 half-hour episodes are available on Netflix today!