“These artists are people who’ve broken through so many barriers and are so powerful and prolific and long-standing, so there’s also something incredibly appealing about identifying with them,” Thompson said. “Their force of creative output is just massive. There’s deep meaning in becoming the kind of powerhouse that changes the industry.”

Although the U.S. women’s national soccer team ultimately lost to Sweden in the Round of 16, the team previously had won the World Cup four times. Beyoncé holds the record for most Grammy wins of all time, while Swift holds the record for most No. 1 albums by a female artist.

“What’s fascinating about this cultural phenomenon is that it’s explicitly including or reaching out to women who are not 25 and under,” Thompson said. “We have genuine adults creating this work and also being hailed as the appropriate audience, as well as 20-somethings.”

But even as women spanning generations are devouring female empowerment messaging as it appears on TV screens and jumbotrons, Thompson cautioned that at the end of the day, a show is a show. Consuming empowerment-themed media doesn’t automatically make the consumer empowered in the world they inhabit.

“There’s a tension,” Thompson said. “It’s entertainment that is woman-centered, but none of them are rewriting terms. The people who are actually getting power from it are the ones who are making the works, not the ones consuming the works.”

Swifties are spending an average of $1,300 on tickets, travel, and clothing to attend the “Eras” tour, according to a survey from research company QuestionPro, while Beyoncé fans are spending an average of $1,800.

But Thompson says the fashion trends — of women documenting the outfits they are wearing — have been an example of community-building, making fans feel like they are part of a supporting, like-minded cast.

“One thing I think is really beautiful is the degree to which there has been space to interpret,” Thompson said. “You’re not just supposed to buy the single concert T-shirt, there are a whole palette of options for identification … there are many different roles and stories on offer.”

Is this hype for female-led entertainment likely to continue past this summer? Thompson said it’s hard to say, as there is generally a “staircase pattern” to change and inclusion — an initial spike in interest that soon subsides.

“Certainly it’s going to make it appear possible, and it’s enormously powerful for young women and girls to see as plausible this kind of mass sparkle and scale for a female story,” Thompson said. “But I don’t think that necessarily means next summer will be the same.”