Economics is a subject Misty Heggeness knows all too well.
But until the COVID-19 pandemic, writing a book wasn’t even something she thought of doing in her wildest dreams.
That’s when the University of Kansas professor came up with an idea, and she couldn’t shake it off. So – plunging in with eyes open – she decided to fill up the blank space on the page by combining her passion for economic theory with her love of Taylor Swift.
And thus, her author era was underway.
“I consider myself a pandemic-berthed author, along with all sorts of other people,” said the Fargo, North Dakota, native and University of Minnesota graduate. “I had wanted to write a book about women and the economy, and I did a couple of rounds of book proposals. For the last one, I decided to combine that idea with my interest in Taylor Swift because she’s such a great example of how women persist today.”
The resulting book – “SWIFTYNOMICS: How Women Mastermind and Redefine Our Economy” – is due out in January. Before that, though, Heggeness will discuss the topic as the featured speaker at the 35th annual Clemens Lecture, scheduled for 7 p.m. on Oct. 6 in the Stephen B. Humphrey Auditorium on the Saint John’s University campus.
The event is free and open to members of the CSB and SJU community, as well as the general public.
“We know there are lots of people out there who took an economics class in college and thought it was the most boring thing they ever did,” said Louis Johnston, the William E. and Virginia Clemens Professor of Economics and the Liberal Arts at CSB and SJU. “But we don’t want people to think of it that way. The point of the Clemens Lecture is to bring economic issues to the general public in ways that are interesting to them.
“The economics of popular culture is incredibly important these days, and understanding the role people in the media play in terms of the economy is something that isn’t studied enough. So to bring in a speaker like Dr. Heggeness, who has studied this topic, is a great opportunity to reach a wider group of people.”
That idea dovetails perfectly with the hope Heggeness herself holds.
“If I can get young women especially interested in economics, I will consider this book a success,” she said. “It’s meant to allow you the chance to read about a lot of super-interesting pop culture things while also giving you baby spoonful doses of economic theory and economic concepts.”
Heggeness begins her book looking at 2023, a year in which the Wall Street Journal highlighted women’s growing economic influence – including through turning out in droves for Swift’s mega-successful Eras Tour – as driving the growth of women’s sports where the rise of basketball star Caitlin Clark and others helped trigger a surge of interest.
She then goes back in history and examines the role of pioneers like Frances Perkins, the first woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of Labor, and labor leader and feminist activist Dolores Huerta. In addition, she looks at more modern, groundbreaking musical artists like Dolly Parton, Madonna, Beyonce and … of course … Taylor.
“Taylor has a song called ‘Mastermind,’ and she and Beyonce are really the modern queens of masterminding the music industry … using their own economic power and economic agency to make significant changes that favor them,” Heggeness said. “I think the way they have crafted their careers provides examples and opportunities for other women to learn from, or to think about incorporating into their own styles as they maneuver through their own life and careers.
“Taylor, particularly, has done a lot of things in her career that are illustrative of what women have to do to be successful. This whole idea of reinvention and having multiple eras. Women have to do that all the time, especially when they try to blend family with a career.”
It’s all part of why Heggeness penned what for her has been a love story – one she hopes karma favors when it comes to reaching as wide an audience as possible.
“I hope this does provide a little inspiration for young women, so that they are more successful at whatever career path they happen to choose,” she said. “But especially for women in economics, I hope it makes them feel this is a discipline where they belong.”