EXPRESS: How the #MeToo Movement Has Reshaped Gender Dynamics in the Marketplace: Evidence from the Entertainment Industry

Abstract

#MeToo is one of the most influential social movements of recent decades, yet its marketplace effects remain underexplored. The authors investigate how #MeToo reshaped both consumer responses to gender portrayals and short-run content change in the U.S. entertainment industry. Drawing on social role theory, social movement framing and consumer behavior research, they analyze a unique data set of 1,523 top-grossing films released between 2010 and 2023. Using artificial intelligence–assisted content analysis validated by human coders and supplemented with text analysis of 334,917 crowdsourced movie keywords, the authors measure portrayals of sexual misconduct, female objectification, and stereotypical and counter-stereotypical gender roles. The findings show little evidence of meaningful short-run content change following #MeToo. While audiences penalize films featuring problematic behaviors targeted by the movement, they have enduring preferences for traditional gender roles, showing resistance to counter-stereotypical male portrayals while only selectively embracing counter-stereotypical female representations. These findings reveal the complex and uneven ways the #MeToo movement reshaped marketplace behavior, and they provide implications for entertainment firms, marketers and social movement organizers navigating changing cultural norms.