这篇文章将 2010s「girlboss／Lean In」式的乐观，与 2020s 常被称为「burnout feminism」的反弹加以对照。文中回顾了高强度工作的理想，例如 Marissa Mayer 曾声称每周 130 小时也能应付，并将 Sheryl Sandberg 在 2013 年出版的《Lean In》放在脉络中，与 2014 和 2018 年的同类书名并列；这些作品都鼓励女性争取升迁、提高可见度与掌握领导权。作者主张，较早期的这套叙事把野心同时视为一种个人责任，以及职业女性推动结构性进步的路径。
近期的回忆录与社群媒体趋势把企图心重塑为有害或天真，并强调身心俱疲、心理健康压力、同工不同酬与母职负担；相关例子包括失眠、恐慌发作、婚姻压力，以及在同一职位任职4年后薪资仍至少比男性同侪少$100,000，另有产后1周内即被要求复工的压力。网路文化又透过「传统妻子」与「懒女孩」内容放大这种转向，而爆红的交友话术如「金融男、信托基金、6呎5吋（约196公分）、蓝眼睛」则把依赖男性收入常态化，而非鼓励女性职涯晋升。
这篇文章警告，鼓吹退出的修辞与可衡量的倒退同时出现：在 2025 年《职场女性》报告中，80% 的入门级男性相较于 69% 的入门级女性表示想要晋升；据报导，美国性别薪资差距自 1960s 开始有人口普查追踪以来首次连续 2 年扩大；而在 2025 年 1 月至 8 月期间，近 500,000 名美国女性退出劳动力市场。作者的但书是，女性的抱负并未消失，而是被策略性地淡化，从而形成一种悖论：即使贴上「反抱负」标签，仍可被高度商业化并获得社会奖赏。
The article contrasts 2010s “girlboss/Lean In” optimism with a 2020s backlash often framed as “burnout feminism.” It recalls high-intensity work ideals such as Marissa Mayer’s claim that 130 hours per week could be managed, and situates Sheryl Sandberg’s 2013 Lean In alongside similar titles from 2014 and 2018 that urged women to seek promotions, visibility, and leadership power. The author argues that this earlier narrative treated ambition as both a personal duty and a route to structural progress for professional women.
Recent memoirs and social media trends recast ambition as harmful or naive, emphasizing exhaustion, mental health strain, unequal pay, and motherhood burdens. Examples include accounts of insomnia, panic attacks, marital stress, and being paid at least $100,000 less than male peers after 4 years in a role, plus pressure to resume work within 1 week postpartum. Online culture amplifies this shift through “tradwife” and “lazy girl” content, while viral dating tropes like “man in finance, trust fund, 6'5" (about 196 cm), blue eyes” normalize dependence on male income rather than female career advancement.
The piece warns that rhetoric of opting out coincides with measurable regression: in the 2025 Women in the Workplace report, 80% of entry-level men versus 69% of entry-level women said they wanted promotion; the US gender pay gap reportedly widened for 2 consecutive years for the first time since Census tracking began in the 1960s; and from January to August 2025 nearly 500,000 American women exited the workforce. The author’s caveat is that women’s ambition has not disappeared but has become strategically downplayed, creating a paradox where “anti-ambition” branding can still be highly monetized and socially rewarded.