When thinking about the actors affecting our economy, the demographic that first comes to mind likely isn’t teenage girls. By Merriam-Webster’s definition, ‘fangirls’ are female fans who have an obsession with a celebrity or aspect of pop culture. Colloquially, however, they are often characterized as foolish and obsessed to a sickening degree. This overgeneralized stereotype doesn’t include “financially impactful.” However, with Barbie’s $1 billion opening weekend generating double the revenue of Oppenheimer from a predominantly young female audience to Beyonce’s Renaissance Tour and Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour grossing more than $579 million and $300 million respectively, the ‘fangirl’ influence is far from negligible. Even Swift’s appearance at September 24th’s Kansas City Chiefs vs. Chicago Bears game to support Travis Kelce caused Travis Kelce’s jersey sales to skyrocket, increasing by 400%. The mocked group of fangirls actually make up a financial niche that, though neglected, bolsters our economy in more ways than one might think.
Women have a larger control over spending than they get credit for, controlling 85% of consumer spending in the United States and totaling $31.8 trillion in worldwide spending. Even in sectors not historically catered to them, female fans hold their own. Not only do women spend 80% of all money spent on sports apparel, they also contribute 60% of the money spent on men’s apparel. So when you’re asking yourself what customer base companies should be gearing towards, it’s women. A female fan is not just a committed enthusiast, but a committed consumer. These are the customers who are not only willing to buy with the power to do so, but also are consistent spenders and willing to come back for more, rendering fangirls a powerful economic niche.
Female fans’ financial contributions that range beyond simply buying an artist’s merchandise build what economists call “girl economy.” Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour has been estimated to stimulate $5 billion in consumer spending. generating $140 million in local revenue for Denver, increasing Los Angeles’ GDP by $320 million, and contributing to the strongest month for hotels in Philadelphia since the pandemic. The truth of the matter is that what some see as frivolous obsessive fangirls are actually integral to the global economy. What we see happening is that fangirls don’t just buy the albums but also buy concert tickets, book flights, and generally go the extra mile. What’s framed as a negative obsession is the fangirl’s economic superpower.
Female fans are never seen as intellectual or culturally equal. Consistently ridiculed or asked to “name every song,” fangirls either need to justify their status or validity. Despite being associated heavily with tween girls, most of these fandoms are relatively equal in gender, with Beyoncé followers being 51.7% female and 48.3% male and Taylor Swift fans being 52% female and 48% male. It’s the association with the obsessed fangirl that convinces us the product must be belittled. What society doesn’t realize is that these often sidelined fangirls are what is keeping our economy intact. And that precise obsessive reliability is what economic growth might necessitate in times of instability. Despite being criticized as a target audience, fangirls might be the ticket we need to get into the economic show.
This article also appears in our October 2023 print edition.
