Maggie Barnett

From Aztec marketplaces to TikTok swaps, women have long shaped economies. Here's how rising tariffs, inflation, and economic shifts are once again transforming women’s spending habits—and fashion itself—into a powerful economic force. Long before tariffs and TikTok, women were building parallel economies. Aztec women wove and traded textiles that underpinned an entire society. Pioneer women bartered sourdough starter and sewing needles across wagon trails.

When trade gets tough, women pay the price. Here's how one expert says the "pink tax" is impacting female consumers. You can tell a lot about a culture by what its women are whispering about at lunch. Lately, it’s not just mascara or must-haves—it’s margins. It’s money. It’s shipping delays, price hikes, and why their serum now costs 30% more. It’s whether their hair extensions are stuck in customs—or worse, they’re priced out of them altogether due to the newly imposed triple-digit tariffs.

E-commerce returns have grown into a true challenge in the past five years. While shoppers benefit greatly from a wider selection and variety when purchasing from a retailer’s website, they also lose the ability to try on, feel and see items before purchasing. This has resulted in a higher incidence of returns, leading to a true crisis among DTC retailers. While returns are a concern across all retail, the cost and impact of returns on DTC stores are much greater.