INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Women have been dominating the media and culture landscape lately.

From the Caitlin Clark effect, the Taylor Swift phenomenon, the versatility of Beyonce, and the “Barbie” movie, strong women and characters are increasingly making headlines.

Mackenzie Wenger is an assistant director at the Ball State School of Journalism and Strategic Communication and joined Daybreak to discuss the recent emphasis on women in the media.

Caitlin Clark was drafted by the Indiana Fever and came to the Circle City after one of the most decorated college hoops careers of all time.

She has the most points, the highest scoring average, most 3-pointers in a season, most 3-pointers in a career, and the most national scoring titles of any college basketball player and is now a household name

“What Caitlin (Clark) is doing for women’s basketball and women in sports in general has been unprecedented,” Wenger said. “It has become mainstream, which it never has in the past. It’s always been niche, it’s always been second place to the men’s basketball tournament in March. And for the first time, I really feel like the conversation centered around the women’s tournament and Caitlin and Angel Reese – and what these women are doing for the sport has really propelled them out of a niche market into the mainstream.”

While Caitlin Clark’s college career is over, she has changed the landscape for women’s basketball.

• USA Today columnist reacts to IndyStar-Caitlin Clark controversy
• Caitlin Clark goes one-on-one with Anthony Calhoun

Taylor Swift is another phenomenon, breaking barriers in profits, concerts, and fandom. Indiana University even held the first-ever academic conference dedicated solely to Taylor Swift.

“Taylor Swift the Conference Era” drew presenters from as far away as Toronto, Canada, and Exeter, England, to discuss everything from Swift’s musical composition and lyricism to her fan base.

“I think it says that she’s become the precedent. I think it’s up to every other artist in the industry to live up to what she’s doing. And it’s really encouraging to see women leading the way in that arena,” Wenger said.

Beyonce is a superstar with fans worldwide and in 2024 she made history as the first Black woman to come in at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart with her “Act II: Cowboy Carter,” according to Billboard. She is breaking barriers and having a cultural impact by stepping into this latest genre. 

“I think we’re at a time where women are just able to bust through that glass ceiling with their versatility, their talent and it’s being showcased in a way that people are buying in,” Wenger said. “They’re buying the records, they’re attending the concerts, and for her to be so versatile is I think, really unique and just says something a lot about the talent that she possesses.”

The movie “Barbie” set the tone this moment in the summer of 2023 with the impact of the star and the director. 

“I think it just worked to heighten awareness,” she said. “It was obviously something that broke records in the box office and, and was incredibly unique. I think because it was such a pivot from what people expected, it really became a conversation piece.

“I do believe that that was a bit of a tipping point where everything started as something that we expected from that stereotypical Barbie turned into something that we did not expect or see at all. And it really opened the door for a lot of conversation about women and equality,” Wenger said.

Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” raked in a stunning $155 million domestically over its opening weekend, giving the film the largest opening weekend of 2023 and the biggest-ever debut for a female director.

The recent milestones for women in the media are vast, but Wenger says more work needs to be done.

“Barbie” was widely celebrated for its cultural commentary, however, Gerwig was snubbed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which did not nominate her for best director.

“For the highest-grossing film in 2023, and for Greta to be snubbed at the Oscar, I think really highlights the fact that we’re not there yet, (example is) the equity in pay in the WNBA versus the NBA. So, I think there’s going to be some conversations around the restructuring of the pay scale in women’s sports, particularly the WNBA.

“And so, I don’t think we’re there yet. I think there’s still work to be done. I think some conversations need to be had. But I think we’re at a point as never before, where we’re poised to have those conversations and move the needle on some of those issues that still need to play out,” Wenger said.

Watch the full interview above to learn more.