BLAZING TRAILS:
THE EVOLUTION OF FEMALE POWER IN 2025
4 Minute Read
“If I had listened to conventional wisdom, I would have been forced to choose between power and femininity. Instead, I chose both—and built an empire upon it.”
– Dany Garcia
For decades, marketers have sorted women into neat, easy-to-manage categories: the selfless mother, the ambitious career woman, the beauty queen, the token rebel. These flat, one-dimensional archetypes—legacies of the Mad Men era—were never adequate representations of female identity. But today, with women wielding unprecedented economic power, these boxes feel particularly dated and small.
This isn't just a matter of representation—it's business critical. Brands slow to get with the times risk losing billions in a market dominated by women who refuse to be pigeonholed.
Women today control over $10 trillion in U.S. household financial assets (projected to reach $30 trillion by 2030), drive a remarkable 85 percent of all consumer spending, influence 90 percent of home purchases, and make 80 percent of healthcare decisions. As such, we have come to expect proper representation. Per a study published earlier this month by Native Advertising Institute however, only 29% of women feel they are accurately represented in advertising, and 60% believe marketing continues to portray outdated views of women.
Our influence extends beyond numbers. We now have the agency to chart our own courses—to contain multitudes, to continuously evolve, and to reject, if we choose, the pressure to "have it all." The women I admire have not only followed their instincts, but embraced their seeming contradictions—softness and strength, ambition and compassion, discipline and spontaneity—to honor their full selves.
Look at Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, whose blend of empathy and strategic clarity proves that executive power can be multidimensional. Or Renee Montgomery, the WNBA star who didn’t just refuse to play by someone else’s rules but literally created her own league. Or Serena Williams, who defies categorization daily. Athlete? Entrepreneur? Mother? Style icon? The answer is always yes.
But “yes” takes courage—I should know. As a professional bodybuilder, Hollywood producer, sports league owner, and entrepreneur, I’m used to people trying to distill me down. “Too muscular to be feminine,” some say. “Too soft for a boardroom,” say others. Or my favorite: “Just pick one and do it well.” It’s all noise. In the end, I bet on myself. And the fact is, all of my supposed contradictions—physical strength, EQ, business savvy, sensitivity—have been my edge in every arena I enter.
So how should brands reach the dynamic women that make up the most powerful consumer demographic in history?
A new, nationwide study that I commissioned and funded gives us something to sink our teeth into. Consider: the Trailblazer. Unlike traditional archetypes that confine women to single dimensions, the Trailblazer signals a shift in how we understand female identity in the marketplace. She isn't "having it all"—she's redefining what "all" means on her own terms. What distinguishes the Trailblazer is her refusal to compromise any facet of herself: She's self-assured and collaborative, compassionate yet boundary-setting, tenacious but adaptable. She’s in the driver’s seat of her own life.
For brands, this shift necessitates a new marketing paradigm. Our groundbreaking study on the Trailblazer - which surveyed women 21 to 55 nationwide, and where we conducted focus groups in six major cities across the U.S., which included both qualitative and quantitative data—yielded dozens of critical insights, but one takeaway has stood out to me the most: the power of community.
Women are increasingly skeptical of advertisers assuming what they want. Today, we’re largely motivated by our networks. Our research showed that 79 percent of respondents found recommendations from peers in similar circles to be extremely influential in driving their purchases, and 76 percent said the same of customer reviews. Over two-thirds of those surveyed said that learning about a female founder would influence her decision when mulling over a purchase, especially if that founder also happened to be another successful Trailblazer . In short, we trust our community—women we know, relate to, or admire—to best understand our needs.
For brands, success hinges on honest, authentic storytelling that plugs into these tight-knit female circles. They should engage directly with this powerful group, partnering with respected, multidimensional voices (executive athletes, investor moms) and creating community-driven products like fan clubs, forums, or social apps. The smartest marketers will recognize that the Trailblazer isn't a trend but rather a fundamental shift in female consumer identity. By reflecting the full spectrum of her experience and speaking to her complexity and economic power, brands can move beyond token representation to genuine connection. In doing so, they’ll get more than just her attention; they'll earn her loyalty, advocacy, and her community in this new era.
Make no mistake, this trail is busy. We’re toggling between group chats, running businesses, working on gains, and showing up for our communities. But we’re driven by unwavering self-belief and a demand for more. We aren’t afraid to tear down old systems that aren’t serving us, roll up our sleeves, and create something new. And we don’t wait for permission because, honestly, who has time for bureaucracy when there are empires to build?
We aren’t just reshaping consumer markets—we’re redefining power. Brands that celebrate this transformation won't just win our business, they'll become part of our revolution.
