Barbie, Birkenstocks and men thinking about the Roman Empire: What social…

This year, the world learnt that some men just can’t stop thinking about the Roman Empire, but we can’t stop thinking about what social trends like that one tell us about the US economy. We had no shortage of viral memes and moments to discuss in 2023. Americans flocked to Paris (and overseas in general). Millennial women stocked up on the Stanley thermoses their dads used to use, one of a range of female-powered consumer fads. Thanks partly to Barbie, Birkenstocks also came back harder than a 1990s trend. People spoke in Taylor Swift lyrics. Barbie clearly was a movie about the labour market. Credit: Social developments like those…