Girlboss Based On Story

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Begins with the following disclaimer: “What follows is a loose retelling of true events... Real loose.” That constant reminder is a crucial one: The show may be based on

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Bestseller written by Nasty Gal’s founder and former CEO Sophia Amoruso, but it’s as stylized and surreal as the six-inch platform boots and lamé jumpsuits Nasty Gal stocks.

Nasty Gal has been plagued with problems. First came the allegations that Amoruso had shifted her efforts from the fashion company she built to promoting her best-selling memoir (and herself); former employees began leaving scathing reviews on Glassdoor. Then, in September 2014, the layoffs (and lawsuits) started.

Amoruso stepped down as CEO of Nasty Gal in January 2015, funding for the company slowed, and even more employees were laid off. By November 2016, Nasty Gal had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection; UK retailer Boohoo acquired the company this past February. Of course, none of this is depicted in season 1 of

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, which focuses on Sophia (played by Britt Robertson) as she gets her start “flipping clothes” on eBay and, later, launches her own website. Should

Get renewed for further seasons, it’ll be fascinating to see how — if at all — the show portrays Nasty Gal’s downfall.

Paints a fairly flattering picture of Sophia overall. Brash and foulmouthed, the character is flawed — but the audience is clearly meant to root for her throughout, which sometimes feels problematic. Had Amoruso not been personally involved in the project, I wonder if the screenplay might’ve had a little more bite (for the better).

Girlboss True Story Sophia Amuroso Nasty Gal Real, Fake

True. In her memoir, Amoruso notes with “zero pride” that she used to steal everything from rugs to books, so it makes sense that

True and true; and yes, she really did take the latter gig for the health insurance so she could have a hernia removed. But at the real-life Academy of Art University, I doubt Amoruso ever had a boss as delightful as Rick (Norm Macdonald), who steals every scene he’s in.

Sophia with many costume pieces for the character, all [of which paid] homage to her look IRL, ” Fisher says. “Her grandmother’s Greek Orthodox silver cross, since Sophia wore that necklace proudly and often back in the day; dozens of brutalist and ‘70s vintage silver rings, as she always had an eclectic mix on each hand; the sleek denim jumpsuit; a turquoise baby cord bomber that I copied right from one of [Amoruso’s] Polaroids; the sexy red denim ‘70s jeans that Britt struts around in at the beginning of the show; a Victorian lace blouse that mirrored a similar piece in Sophia’s closet; a rhinestone-encrusted denim shirt inspired by a recent Instagram of [Amoruso] — those are a few of my favorite examples.”

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The first item Sophia ever sold on eBay was a vintage leather jacket she bought for nine dollars and sold for over $600.

False. According to her book and multiple interviews she’s given over the years, the first item Amoruso actually sold on eBay was a stolen book (although, to be fair, Sophia does shoplift a copy of

“That scene was written very specifically, and as I understood, it is a fictionalized version of one of Sophia [Amoruso]’s experiences, ” Fisher says, noting that show creator Kay Cannon’s script called for an East West moto jacket. “In order to honor her vision, I went on a quest. I checked with all the vendors in town who deal in ‘70s leathers, turned to eBay, and finally found that metallic beauty at vintage dealer Brian Cohen’s exquisite atelier in Hollywood.” Fisher calls the jacket “the most significant costume of the show, ” as it “embodies both Sophia’s magic and moxie.”

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Get to see Sophia uncover two Chanel jackets at a thrift store, buy them for $8 apiece, and sell them for over $1, 500, another prime bit from the book.

True. However, that DailyCandy writeup came in July 2008, after Amoruso had launched Nasty Gal’s website — not in June 2007, when she was still selling on eBay.

Sophia once rushed from San Francisco to Marin County to deliver a vintage wedding dress to a customer in time for her walk down the aisle.

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Works best when it steps away from its source material and incorporates an imaginary plotline or two, and Sophia’s mad dash to deliver this dress makes for one of the show’s strongest episodes.

Piece by designer Sue Wong, which Fisher bought in multiples. “Because of [production] requirements, we couldn’t actually use a singular and delicate vintage gown, ” Fisher says. “It’s not practical to use, for instance, an actual vintage gown that might disintegrate during the first take!”

True — and yes, Amoruso actually “bought a bot, ” i.e., used illegal friend-adding software to increase Nasty Gal’s reach. (No word on whether her real-life BFF’s feelings were hurt when Amoruso bumped her out of her Top 8 to make room for Marc Jacobs.)

How The Term

Back in her eBay days, Sophia angered her fellow vintage sellers, who took issue with her high prices and focus on ’80s styles.

. “Nasty Gal Vintage showed up, guns blazing, out of nowhere, and in no time it was one of the most successful stores in its category. It upset a lot of the other sellers that my stuff was going for so much, so the forums collectively decided that the only explanation for my high sales was that I was shill bidding, which is when someone creates a fake account to bid on their own auctions and force up the prices.”

Indeed, the show’s 10th (and best) episode revolves around a vintage fan forum where other sellers are taking aim at Sophia’s business practices. Jokes about GIFs and internet trolls are involved, and it’s a real hoot.

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False. Amoruso’s actual first hire was Christina Ferrucci, whom she brought on in 2008, shortly after launching the Nasty Gal website. Although Annie could be based in part on Ferrucci, Amoruso hired her first employee off of Craigslist, not friendship. Ferrucci wound up staying at Nasty Gal for over six years, eventually becoming the company’s buying director before leaving at the end of 2014; some say she was laid off, in fact.

, Amoruso asked a middle school friend (who happened to be a developer) for programming help, and did the site’s graphic design herself.

Interestingly, in her book, Amoruso claims that she was “already planning to leave eBay” and launch her own site at the time she was suspended; in the show, Sophia is blindsided by her suspension, and it takes longer for her to put her plan in action.

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Maybe. Amoruso has never publicly confirmed this, but knowing how many brands take inspiration from vintage designs, we can probably assume it’s at least partly true. However, consider the fact that Nasty Gal’s also been accused of copying (multiple times, in fact).

The real reason why Sophia built Nasty Gal without any debt? She had terrible credit and couldn’t get a credit card or business loan.

True. In the show, while struggling to secure an office space lease, Sophia even blames it on a Victoria’s Secret credit card she opened and then never paid off; Amoruso shares that same story inGirlboss star Britt Robertson and Nasty Gal founder Sophia Amoruso at an event for their Netflix drama Credit : MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images

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Underdog narratives typically build to that big, final victory, where our beaten-down hero somehow overcomes the odds stacked against them, achieving the dream they never thought could ever be achievable. We cut to black, the credits roll, and we’re left feeling good inside. But what happens when that inspiring tale suddenly gets a dodgy epilogue?

The major question hanging over the new Netflix drama Girlboss is how much it’ll lift from the inspiring rags-to-riches true-life story that forms its premise. Girlboss is based on the life of the Nasty Gal entrepreneur Sophia Amoruso, who turned an everyday eBay shop into a thriving lifestyle industry with nearly $300 million in sales.

If Sophia’s story was fictional, that’s probably where it’d end. But Amoruso’s internet-shaking clothing enterprise rapidly fell apart, its feminist credentials undermined by a series of lawsuits, and its increasing overhead resulting in the humiliation of a recent bankruptcy filing.

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Luckily for Amoruso, Girlboss was in production long before Nasty Gal filed for Chapter 11 last November, but it has cast an uncomfortable shadow over the new series, replacing what would have been an inspiring true-life saga into a giant pink elephant.

It’s no surprise that Netflix was at one point drawn to Amoruso’s journey.

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