Women’s purchasing power is immense, spending nearly $35 trillion globally. And, winning brands understand that authentic engagement isn't optional, it's essential.
e.l.f. Beauty's "Change the Board Game" called out that 566 men named Richard, Rick, or Dick serve on U.S. corporate boards, more than Black, Asian, and Hispanic women combined. They backed it up: their board is 67% women and 44% diverse, and they've built a coalition of 70+ leaders working to double the rate women and people of color join boards by 2027.
Ford's "Men's Only Edition" introduced a vehicle stripped of windshield wipers, turn signals, mirrors, brake lights, heating, and GPS, all features invented by women. The campaign educated while it entertained, celebrating overlooked innovations.
Dove's Real Beauty has featured real women instead of models since 2004. The campaign increased sales from $2.5 billion to $4 billion and drove a 700% increase in European firming product sales within six months. In 2024, Dove pledged to never use AI to represent real women, recognizing new threats to authentic representation.
Fenty Beauty launched with a 40-shade foundation range, generating $100 million in sales within 40 days and reaching $570 million in its first year. By collaborating with diverse influencers across skin tones and genders, Fenty proved inclusivity isn't just ethical, it's profitable.
Stanley was discontinuing their Quencher tumbler due to poor sales when they noticed interest from The Buy Guide, a women-run product review blog. They pivoted their entire strategy to center women, new colors, redesigned marketing, partnerships with female influencers. Sales exploded from $70 million in 2019 to $750 million in 2023, proving that "lead with women, and the men will follow" actually works.
American women control over $10 trillion in assets, expected to triple in the next decade. The brands succeeding aren't just acknowledging this power, they're restructuring boards, redesigning products, challenging beauty standards, and making long-term commitments. Authenticity over tokenism. Substance over style. Action over lip service.
For 248 years, the American presidency has been exclusively male. But in a recent podcast interview, former First Lady Michelle Obama suggested we may be closer than ever to breaking through. "It takes time, right, so, but we're moving," she explained. "We are moving in that direction."
The history Obama references is sobering. While Victoria Woodhull ran for president in 1872, before women could even vote, it wasn't until 1984 that Geraldine Ferraro became the first woman on a major party ticket. In 2008, Hillary Clinton became the first woman to win a major party's presidential primary, though she lost the nomination to Barack Obama. Eight years later, she made history as the first woman nominated for president by a major party, but lost to Donald Trump despite winning the popular vote.
In 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris, the first woman vice president, became the second woman nominated by a major party, only to lose to Trump again. Obama highlighted this pattern: "We've had two really qualified female candidates," she noted, before asking, "Why are we pretending that that didn't just happen?"
Her call is for honest conversation. "There are men out there that were not gonna vote for a woman," she said plainly. "Let's just be real about it."
Despite repeated setbacks, progress is evident. The 21st century has seen at least one woman run in major party primaries nearly every election cycle, with 2020 featuring six women on the Democratic debate stage. Obama's measured optimism, "we're moving,” acknowledges both how far the country has come and how much further it needs to go.
Let the first planetary parade of 2026 begin.
On Saturday, February 28, 2026, six planets, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune will align in the evening sky creating a spectacular celestial display visible about an hour after sunset.
Four planets will be visible to the naked eye, while Uranus and Neptune will require binoculars or a telescope, according to the Planetary Society.
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