Oftentimes theater and other artistic mediums reflect the realities of society through fictional narratives, with a variety of different goals for what they want the audience to take away from the experience, ranging from entertaining to pushing for change. No matter the goal, it is within this reflection that art allows for self-criticism and self-reflection. By using art and media as a primary source, we can better understand a societal phenomenon or concept. If we use Top Girls as a portal into understanding the way women and society were changing in Britain in the 1970s and 80s, then we can use more contemporary media to get a glance at modern women and society. Just like Top Girls uses Marlene as a theatrical depiction of a top girl in order to critique a new-for-its-era feminist trend and how it affects society, contemporary media can use the girlboss as a means of asking the public to think critically about the role of power and greed in feminism. The top girl still exists in the form of the girlboss, and we still shouldn't trust her.
Throughout this paper, I use close readings of scenes television series Succession's (2018-2023) 'Celebration' and 'Pre-Nuptial' episodes; The Devil Wears Prada (2006), directed by David Frankel; and I Care a Lot (2020), directed by J Blakeson. These close readings trace a clear evolution in character when analyzed side by side with moments from the second and third acts of Top Girls. Bringing in the analysis of Victoria Bazin, Antara Mukherjee, and Sharon Ammen, on different aspects of Top Girls, while using the voices of Sophia Amoruso and Alex Abad-Santos to discuss the girlboss from the first mention in 2014 up to a more contemporary 2021 analysis.
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