Swiftynomics

Taylor Swift fans pose for a portrait on the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, May 5, 2023. Credit: Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean

NOTE: This story first appeared online July 16, 2023 in Fast Company and the original can be found here. Misty L. Heggeness is an expert on gender and the economy and is the author of the upcoming book Swiftynomics: Women in Today’s Economy.

We are obsessed with Taylor Swift. Swiftmania is larger than life. Reporters cover the impact of her record-breaking, money-generating concerts. Others ask whether she is paid enough, or how her lyrics and performances affect our psychology.

In all our discussions about how Taylor Swift concerts bolster local economies or how she is now the highest-paid female entertainer, one critical element goes under the radar. It lingers in the air like teen spirit, residing deep within the subliminal mindset of the most dedicated Swifty. It’s like a vaguely familiar face or a distant memory, remaining just out of focus. The vibe — yet to be called out but so clearly omnipresent — centers on the growing economic power and control of women’s purse and voice.

Call it a feeling, a movement, a mood. I call it Swiftynomics. It’s the style of iterative, reinventive, look-what-you-made-me-do feminism that has everything to do with how we interpret and understand the economic actions of women today. Demonstrated effectively by Taylor Swift (and embodied by the very fans who pushed back against Ticketmaster for the online debacle of sales for The Eras…