In a blur of pink and sparkles, women undoubtedly dominated pop culture this past summer. Millions attended global showings of female-directed blockbuster “Barbie” and filled stadiums for Taylor Swift’s billions-grossing “The Eras Tour,” followed by Beyoncé’s sensational “RENAISSANCE World Tour.”
From film to music, audiences were hooked by women-led media the entire summer — but it hadn’t always been this way. Even just a few decades ago, entertainment was completely dominated by men.
With the emergence of female artists in the 20th century, many were treated poorly in comparison to their male counterparts and discredited for their creative contributions. Today, however, women have established an environment in which they boldly raise their voices upon these injustices– the most prominent example being Taylor Swift’s “Taylor’s Version” re-recordings of her first six studio albums after being denied ownership of them.
Through such “power moves,” women have broken through mistreatment and criticism over the decades to significantly boost their presence in entertainment. As women take on more executive roles in the media, entertainment is shifting from the weak and ditzy female trope to an era of their power and influence– the economy further demonstrates this. Female music icons Taylor Swift and Beyoncé have been on the road for their respective concert tours all summer, both of which are amongst the highest grossing of all time. Renowned director Greta Gerwig’s box office hit “Barbie,” a glittery yet profound critique of the patriarchy and the nuances of femininity, earned $1 billion worldwide within its first 17 days of release.
However, even as the entertainment industry gradually turns its spotlight towards women, it’s undeniable that it is still male-dominated: Female artists represent only 30% of the Billboard Hot 100 year-end chart, men still outnumber women by a 4:1 ratio in the film industry, and only three women have ever won directing Oscars.
Women’s achievements this summer not only fight these patriarchal statistics, but the patriarchy’s standard of art as well. The dominance women have held in recent years serve not only as a symbol of progress, but as a sparkle of hope for the future of female entertainers.
