“What era are you?”
“Wear pink for Barbie!”
“Have you seen the mute challenge?”
This past summer, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, the Barbie movie, and Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour took over pop-culture, media, and the economy, making such phrases frequent conversation starters. All three attractions “drew crowds compelled by a common theme: art made by women that speaks to the experience of being female,” says Sarah Krouse in an article in The Wall Street Journal. As women demonstrated their control over the economy, their money went towards entertainment that actually left a positive impact on society.
While millions rushed to theaters, dressed head to toe in pink to see Barbie, most were unaware of the powerful messages they would take home with them. The movie draws attention to the double standards women face every day. Gloria, a main character in the movie, speaks about these pressures, saying that “you have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can’t ask for money because that’s crass…” This empowering monologue continues for minutes, calling on viewers to challenge unrealistic stereotypes and encouraging women to recognize their worth as more than a beauty standard.

Not even three weeks after its premier, the Barbie movie made $1.03 billion at the global box office, making writer-director Greta Gerwig the first solo female director with a billion dollar movie. It is currently the Warner Brothers highest-grossing global release in its entire history, and 69% of its opening weekend box office tickets were female bought. The movie has left a lasting impression on many, including Greeley students. Aidan Lane, Greeley junior, shared what stuck out to her: “the Barbie movie exemplified uncovering your own identity and I think it’s important to recognize that self discovery comes [with] challenges.”
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour has also been the center of conversation for many Greeley students, reinforcing similar themes of empowerment. Swift’s hit song, “The Man,” addresses the toxic double standards women face just as the Barbie Movie does. The song comments on the idea that male artists in the music industry are encouraged to brag about the money they make and the women they date while women are shunned and ridiculed for doing the same.
Clearly, Swift’s music and messages resonate with her fans; in fact, the “Eras Tour is set to be the most lucrative concert run in American history.” According to estimates from Peter Cohan, an associate professor of management at Babson College, Swift stands to make up to $4.1 billion in personal earnings. But the greater economy has also reaped the benefits of Swift’s tour as she draws in tourism to major cities, with her opening night bringing in more revenue for local restaurants than the Super Bowl LVII. Her success serves as an example for women around the world, and at Greeley, showing that they too can do great things. Attendees leave her concert not only impressed by her talent, but also empowered by feminism. “She is inspiring to me as a woman,” says Lane, “because she defies many odds against her and isn’t afraid to express her true identity as a woman in this generation.”

Beyoncé is yet another influential female artist that dominated the summer while on her “Renaissance World Tour” where she used her platform to spread inclusivity. The album itself is inspired by Black queer dance music with each song highlighting love and acceptance. At a show at Metlife Stadium, she read a Boston drag performer’s “Trans Is Beautiful” sign to tens of thousands of people in the crowd. This special moment was caught on video and made its way to major media companies, spreading support for the LGBTQ+ community. Beyoncé’s tour recently finished “having earned $579 million at the box office,” making it one of the few tours in history to earn at least half a billion dollars in ticket sales, according to Forbes.
As we move into fall, the summer of 2023 will be remembered as the summer of the female of the dollar, where female entertainers and consumers controlled the economy, promoting feminism and inclusion along the way.