A TikTok creator says she’s the one who coined the viral phrase “girlbossed too close to the sun”…and now she’s hearing it in a Taylor Swift track.

Featured Video

Comedian Caroline Timoney (@carol.in3) defined in a latest video posted to the platform that she was the primary individual to give you the phrase again in 2021, and was shocked to listen to it in a Taylor Swift track from the singer’s new album, The Life of a Showgirl.

Commenters had been divided, with some encouraging Timoney to “lawyer up” or ask for writing credit, whereas others debated whether or not she held possession over the generally used piece of web slang.

The video was posted to TikTok on Oct. 4, 2025, and rapidly amassed greater than 2.6 million views. 

“I wanna make this quick,” Timoney started. “I woke up this morning to discover that my TikTok audio that I made as a sophomore in college, ‘I girlbossed too close to the sun’, was in a Taylor Swift song,” she defined.

“Am I her Shakespeare? Yes,” she mentioned lightheartedly, earlier than occurring to crack just a few jokes. “I haven’t changed, I’ve forgotten a few names of friends and family, cos I’m blowing up.” 

“I’m genuinely so shocked,” she concluded earnestly.

@carol.ine3

Wow

♬ unique sound – Caroline Timoney

Commenters had been polarized of their reactions. 

“I’m not exaggerating, get a lawyer and get writing credits. She got writing credits from Olivia Rodrigo for way less,” wrote Chiomy.

“She would sue you to the moon and back if the roles were reversed. Do your thing,” mentioned another person, whereas different customers agreed “SUE THAT BILLIONAIRE.”

Others introduced up comparable examples of creators being paid by artists who used their web phrases of their music.

“Lizzo gave writing credits to the woman who tweeted ‘just took a DNA test, turns out I’m 100% that bitch’. Get your bag girl”, mentioned Jess. S.

Not everybody was satisfied, although, with some questioning how possession of generally used slang phrases, particularly these created on-line, truly labored. 

“Did you register the phrase as yours? Genuinely curious because this has become just a slang phrase,” wrote Samantha.

What is Taylor’s model, and the way shut is it to the unique?

Taylor Swift lately used the phrase within the track “CANCELLED” from her new album Life of a Showgirl, which was launched on Oct. 3, 2025, to a less-than-stellar reception.

“Did you girlboss too close to the sun? Did they catch you having far too much fun?” Swift sings on the pre-chorus. Her alternative of lyrics was itself topic to scrutiny, with some critics scathing her use of years-old web slang as “out of touch.”

“She abandons the thing that made her music compelling in the first place and replaces it with something that would only appeal to her (admittedly abundant) die-hard fans that clap and cheer at a line like “Did you girlboss too close to the sun?” wrote one reviewer in a now viral piece for The Alternative. 

Lyrical opinions apart, the unique video the place Timoney first allegedly created the time period is pinned to the highest of her TikTok profile—for these curious to match the 2. 

@carol.ine3 ♬ unique sound – Caroline Timoney

“Listen, I can’t give any more information. But I fear I may have girlbossed a bit too close to the sun,” the comic joked to the digital camera, within the clip posted Aug. 23, 2021. 

The video acquired 7.5 million views, and the unique audio of the sound was used on over 24,000 movies.

Naturally, some commenters returned post-drama to share their ideas.

“GET PAID BABE,” mentioned KB whereas goop referred to as again to Timoney’s newest vid, calling her, “our modern day Shakespeare.”

Boughjaenah questioned “that’s it???”, whereas another person added, “Yeah…it’s a commonly used phrase?! It’s not that deep I fear.”

Luckily, Timoney doesn’t appear to assume it’s that deep both, telling People that she is, “such a Swiftie and it was so exciting and utterly shocking to see that she used ‘Girlbossed too close to the sun!’”

“It was so cool that one of the first jokes I wrote when I was starting out comedy as a sophomore in college took on such a life of its own!” she mentioned. 

The unique girlboss Sophia Amoruso weighs in

The unique creator of the time period ‘Girlboss’, Sophia Amoruso, additionally shared her ideas on the idea of girlbossing too near the solar, in addition to Taylor’s option to reference this, and what this implies about the place we’re at, pop-culture-wise, in 2025.

@sophiaamoruso That is all #taylorswift #cancelled #lifeofashowgirl #girlboss ♬ unique sound – sophia amoruso

Amoruso, who wrote the New York Times bestseller Girlboss in 2014, advised TikTok:

“It was something that inspired a generation, became shorthand for ambition, and then culture did what it does and took it down. It became that we ‘girlbossed too close to the sun’, it went from ‘empower her’ to ‘she’s too much,’ in about five minutes” she defined.

She then went on to elucidate that tradition rewards feminine ambition, mocks it, after which reclaims it when it feels protected once more. Amoruso believes the time period is extra related than ever earlier than.

“Honestly it’s kind of cool to see it come full circle,” she mentioned. “I hate pop culture, but maybe I’m a Swiftie now.”

The web is chaotic—however we’ll break it down for you in a single every day electronic mail. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s e-newsletter right here.