Why Katy Perry’s space stunt falls flat for feminism in pop

As younger pop stars champion authentic activism, Perry’s space stunt highlights the generational divide in feminist expression

Last week, pop star Katy Perry joined Blue Origin’s all-female crew for a brief 11 minute journey to space. While Perry and Blue Origin’s PR machine celebrated this as a feminist triumph, writer Liz Carolan’s article in The Irish Times raises important questions about the substance behind the spectacle.

Here’s what Carolan had to say about Perry’s space adventure:

“When Katy Perry returned from her 11-minute trip to the outer reaches of the earth’s atmosphere this week, she had the breathless enthusiasm of a returning gap year student. “You never know,” she beamed to the cameras, “how loved you are, until the day you launch.” Who could blame her exuberance? Experiencing weightlessness and seeing the planet from so high up sounds exhilarating.

It turns out that a lot of people can blame her. The backlash has been swift and brutal. Much of it focused on the faux feminism in the marketing blitz that surrounded the launch. The flight, which was organized by Jeff Bezos’s private space travel company Blue Origin, was billed as the first all-female crew to travel to space since 1963.

There were token nods to real feminist concerns in the PR. A team behind the redesigned space suits by Monse, which included designers from Oscar de la Renta, were given a full feature in The New York Times Style section. In remarks that caused widespread hilarity, Perry said she was putting the 'ass' in astronaut.”

For followers of female artists in pop music, Perry’s space venture represents a frustrating missed opportunity. The brief trip exemplifies the shallow, marketable “girl power” that characterized Generation X and millennial feminism but feels painfully outdated to younger audiences.

Perry’s brand of feminism, where empowerment often comes packaged in glitter and innuendo, stands in stark contrast to the more authentic approaches embraced by younger female pop stars. Artists like Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter are leading the charge by tackling substantive issues like LGBTQ+ rights, female sexuality and equal pay between genders.

Teen Magazine describes Roan as a, “...prominent icon in the LGBTQ+ community, loud in her opinions and fighting for the people.”

Carpenter, meanwhile, has redefined female sexuality in pop through music that is both playful and profound. Take for example her raunchy “Nonsense” outros, which have attracted worldwide attention while on tour. Still, her approach to expressing femininity feels authentic rather than packaged for male consumption. 

The focus on sexy, designer spacesuits in Perry’s space adventure feels like an attempt at packaging female ambition in a way that remains palatable to traditional male power structures. In Perry’s version of feminism, when women are breaking the glass ceiling, they're still expected to look good doing it.

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As Carolan points out, this approach undermines any genuine feminist messaging. Perry’s space stunt represents an outdated brand of feminism that seems engineered for media consumption rather than authentic expression. 

In an era where fans increasingly expect their pop idols to use their platforms meaningfully, Perry’s approach feels like a relic from an earlier time. Modern feminism in pop music isn't just about visibility: it's about substance, advocacy, and authenticity.