Meaning
What does Alpha Female mean?
Alpha female is an expression, referring to a woman with a strong and assertive personality, with a high social status.
Like alpha males, “alpha females” are generally depicted as the dominant individuals in the social hierarchy, similar to the alpha wolf.
Origin
What's the origin of Alpha Female?
The expression first emerged in the late 1800’s, when scientists would refer to the dominant members of animal groups as alpha male and “alpha female”.
People didn’t start applying the phrases on humans until the second half of the 20th century, as “alpha female” referring to a dominant woman didn’t appear until the 1990’s.
Spread & Usage
How did Alpha Female spread?
By the 2000’s, the expression became widely recognized and used in numerous contexts.
People would refer to women with pioneering achievements in their respective fields as “alpha female” while at the same time, the stereotypical popular high school girl would also be labeled as such.
It was first defined on Urban Dictionary on September 23rd, 2005, with the entries accumulating over the years.
“Alpha female” would be further popularized by professional wrestler Marie Kristin Gabert who adopted the moniker between the years 2014 and 2015.
External resources
- Sumra MK – Masculinity, femininity, and leadership: Taking a closer look at the alpha female
- Urban Dictionary – Alpha Female