ICYMI, The Bold Type is the must see Freeform show of the summer. It follows the lives and careers of three totally bad ass young professionals working in the magazine industry and each of them hold a respectable position at the fictional magazine, Scarlet. Our protagonists include Jane Sloan (Katie Stevens), a newly promoted writer, Kat Edison (Aisha Dee), the magazine’s social media director, and Sutton Brady (Meghann Fahy), an assistant. Any way you look at it, these girls really know how to hustle.
The show is inspired by the former editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, Joanna Coles, who’s the epitome of a #GirlBoss. Actually, strike that — she’s just a #Boss. After binge-watching the first season, it’s safe to say we’re all completely hooked! Not only has the show has utterly enthralled us with the Sex and the City-esque wit, but there are some honest life lessons hidden in the compelling plot lines and relatable characters.
1. Don’t respond to haters
In “The Woman Behind the Clothes,” social media director, Kat, posts an article about gender inequality on the Scarlet Twitter page. Unfortunately, she finds herself up in flames with internet trolls. They even managed to find a topless photo of her when she was on vacation and began making rape threats and tweeting obscene things out to her.
In a totally inspiring and utterly The Bold Type move, she works alongside some of her supporters to create an awareness campaign on the situation. What we can all learn from Kat is that there will always be haters and trolls, but just know that whatever they say about you only defines who they are as a person.
2. Be confident in your work
Undoubtedly, all of the girls on The Bold Type are totally confident in their skills and capabilities. But Sutton really took the cake and had us all in awe with her level of confidence in “The End of the Beginning” when layoffs were happening throughout the magazine. Instead of completely freaking out like her coworkers, she remained confident in her work. She relied on her superb skills to run a photoshoot while her superior, at the time, freaked and ran off set.
Next time you’re in a stressful situation, channel your inner-Sutton and believe in your skillset.
3. Your dreams are never stupid
Sutton, who has big dreams of being in the fashion industry, finds herself unsatisfied in her position as an assistant. In “O Hell No,” she hears about an opening in the fashion department at Scarlet, and though she’s excited, she’s hesitant because of her fear of being like her financially irresponsible mother. She doubts herself and begins to disregard her dreams because she’s not sure that they’re completely practical.
Instead of holding onto those fears, she takes a leap of faith and goes for the fashion job. Even though everyone may be telling you not to — even yourself — don’t let others stop you from reaching your goals.
4. If you hurt someone, say sorry
It’s a basic concept: if you hurt someone, you should apologize. Sometimes, this concept isn’t easily translated into real life, because it’s not the easiest thing to do. Jane dealt with this during “No Feminism in the Champagne Room.” After writing an article about a woman who left her finance job to become a stripper, the magazine was being sued. At first, Jane didn’t understand and retaliated when face-to-face with the woman suing her. When she realizes that the article had inadvertently harmed the woman’s lifestyle, Jane gave a heartfelt apology. Her apology saved her from being sued and definitely helped her grow. Basically, take responsibility for the consequences of your actions and you’ll be better for it.
5. When life is getting to be too much, scream
In the first episode, The Bold Type taught us that when in doubt, scream it out. With relationship issues, work stressing you out, and other personal struggles, life can be overwhelming. When this was the case for Sutton, Kat and Jane, Jane suggested that they scream to let out some pent-up feelings.
If you’re dealing with some stressful things in your life, take a minute to just scream. (Even if it’s in a pillow!) You’ll feel a little better, though it’s not a cure to anxiety.
6. It’s okay to question your sexual identity
Kat’s relationship with Adena is so important due to the fact that it changed nothing. When first meeting Adena, sparks flew and though Kat initially denied having any feelings that were more than platonic for Adena, it was clear that sparks were there. When she went to her besties, Sutton and Jane, they were nothing but supportive of Kat and the exploration of her feelings for Adena. The Bold Type paints Kat’s journey of exploring her sexuality as one that’s encouraging and comforting. It was a refreshing take from other shows, which depict the journey as something that’s anxiety-ridden from all the judgment and rejection.
It goes to show that you should never be afraid to be who you really are because the people that matter will never judge you for showing your true self.
7. Hard work really pays off
Sutton is one of the most relatable characters on The Bold Type due to the fact that we’ve all been at a point in our lives where we’ve seen ourselves as less-than-worthy for a position or person. The term is “Imposter Syndrome” and it’s SO. REAL. Because of this insecurity, we usually don’t go for what we want, feeling inadequate, and accept things that are actually less than what we deserve — leaving us yearning for something better.
With some encouragement from friends, Sutton decides to take a leap of faith and apply for a position that could lead to her dream job. She finds away to leverage herself and her abilities and it pays off. After some trials and tribulations, she manages to land the job and finds herself on the right track to achieving her dreams.
8. Don’t let fear get the best of you
It’s been said that fear can consume you if you let it — and we all know how true those words can be. When you let fear get the better of you, you give it the power to control how you live. During the episode, “No Feminism in the Champagne Room,” Kat struggles with being in her very first relationship with Adena. She, at first, lets her anxiety over the situation take control of how she approaches her relationship but in a very Bold Type fashion, she decides to push through the discomfort to possibly allow for an actually satisfying relationship.
Unfortunately, Adena reveals that she’s leaving for Paris almost immediately. Are you kidding me?
9. Don’t be ashamed of what you can’t control
Considering the world’s addiction to social media, people are always under the constant scrutiny of basically every user of the Internet, online trolls run rampant and the constant judgment and criticism can make it tough for a person to embrace who they truly are.
When given the task of writing an article about not being able to have an orgasm, Katie totally freaks. Initially, she writes the story anonymously, but by the end, she realizes that it does not define her (also it’s totally common) and adds her name to the article.
10. Always be open about your wants & needs
We all know that the truth can hurt. Bad. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be honest with the people you love for fear of hurting them.
In “Three Girls in a Tub,” Jane learns that her romantic interest, Pinstripe is seeing other girls. To keep up with him, she decides to see other guys, as well. Unfortunately, she struggles trying to juggle dating two men, realizing it’s not actually what she wants and monogamy would probably be a lot more satisfying for her personally. Eventually, she comes to terms with herself and tells Pinstripe that they can’t be in a relationship together because she wants to have a strong relationship with one man. Even though it was hard, Jane seems to be much happier than she was once she decides to be open about what she needs in a fulfilling relationship.
11. Feminism comes in many different shapes and sizes
Though there’s been some debate on if the show is truly feminist, it has, without a doubt, depicted it many different lights. From having a proud lesbian Muslim artist to commentary on never having an orgasm, the girls of The Bold Type help us understand that there are many forms of feminism. Being a feminist doesn’t mean that you are confined to a strict set of rules. There are many ways to display women empowerment, and with each episode, another one is tackled.
12. Take time for your mental health
No matter what you need to get done at work, it’s so incredibly important to make your mental health a priority. Stress can take a serious toll on your work ethic, relationships, and even your physical health. People often joke about “mental health days” but for real — they’re a thing that we should be taking when we need time to decompress and heal our souls.
We already told you about how internet trolls (read: terrible humans) distributed Kat’s topless vacation photos all over cyberspace leaving Kat understandably devastated. She basically has a mental breakdown during a presentation. Instead of forcing her to work, Jacqueline tells Kat to take some time to recoup. Best boss ever.
13. Make time for friends
The badass trio of The Bold Type always ensures that they make time to celebrate each other’s successes. Whether that means sharing a bottle of wine in the middle of the fashion closet or being there to lend a shoulder to cry on in a tough time, the girls are always there for each other. This isn’t a concept just for show, we should always be sure that we’re surrounding ourselves with people that we can lean on and vice versa. Who needs a romantic relaysh when you’ve got your GIRLS?!
14. Fight for what you believe in
If you whole-heartedly believe in something, don’t be afraid to fight for it. Our fave female trio knows the importance of this and they’re not afraid to voice their opinions… even if it means going against a boardroom full of men to let them know what the sitch really is. Considering we live in a world full of patriarchy and sexism, sometimes when you’re a young woman you don’t feel qualified even to share your own opinions. It’s pretty crazy, but it’s true. But when you boil it all down, all voices are equal and we all deserve to be heard. Just be sure you can back up what you’re saying because people will always be raising an eyebrow when a woman tries to stand up for her beliefs.
15. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice
More than once in the series, you can find the girls going to each other to get advice from one another. I don’t know at what point in society it became a taboo to ask for help, but the girls of The Bold Type make it a point to revoke that idea. Whether they need advice on relationship troubles or what they should do about layoffs, the girls aren’t afraid to just ask for it.
16. Support other women
At this point, we should all already know the importance of supporting our fellow women but we could also probably use a reminder every now and again. No matter what, The Bold Type trio makes sure that they 100% encourage and comfort one another through the regular bumps in the road when it comes to their careers and romantic life. In any situation, the girls are there for each other, and hopefully, we all have a great group of supportive gal pals that make this aspect of their relationship 100% relatable.