I just saw the video and I realize that I, a maleish type guy creature, am not owed an explanation. But I would like to understand how this video empowers women so any womansplaining would be greatly appreciated. From all the pretty women in skimpy clothing acting like the worst of male stereotypes, to Katy Perry as a blow-up doll, to Katy sticking a gas pump in her mostly uncovered ass…well, I am not dismissing it outright, but when it comes to that video I am putting my mind on hold until more info/insight is offered.
Tell me what I am missing here, and I will do my best to incorporate it.
You’re not missing anything. She’s out to make money. Pretending it’s feminism lets her have it both ways.
I’m sorry for any girl/young woman who watches and thinks this is something to aspire to. Perry could do so much better. The fact that she doesn’t… I wonder how she’ll feel when her daughter becomes a preteen.
Did she not watch Barbie??? (joke/not joke)
Agree.
Katy Perry is a purely mercenary pop artist. She’s previously released a couple of songs that were embraced as empowerment anthems (Roar, Firework, to a lesser extent Kissed a Girl). This is a wholly transparent attempt to manufacture another one. Shallow rah-rah lyrics to sell the song to women, cheesecake video to sell the song to men, the end.
Oh my god, it’s a fucking pop song. Don’t overthink it. It’s fucking Katy Perry.
I remember trying to explain to my teen daughters why I disliked her “I Kissed a Girl”. I didn’t for one minute believe she really felt that way. She was clearly trying to be “edgy” for the sake of being edgy and popular. Any Melissa Etheridge or KD Laing (or countless others) song has more authenticity in the opening notes than anything Katy Perry has put out. Cherry Chapstick? Srsly? (Alright, I acknowledge that the song was very beneficial to gay/bi girls, and for other straight girls to “get” it, but as far as Katy Perry was concerned, she was looking to ride that gravy train to the bank.) Ymmv.
She’s just causing views and /or purchases.
Just being disturbing or rebel enough it sells songs.
I kinda liked her the one season I watched that Americas got a new Star?(cannot think of its name right now). She seemed kinda quirky and funny.
As far as her music, if I ever hear Firework again I may jump off the river bridge.
Hayley Kiyoko, for one, has cited it as inspirational. And they don’t call her Lesbian Jesus for nothing. Of course, now she makes authentic gay anthems that blow IKAG out of the water.
Also true. Well, not just that, I suspect there’s a strong thread of wanting to be a “cool girl” there, it comes through in everything she does.
Katy Perry is no longer culturally relevant and is being eclipsed in her own genre by younger, (perceived as) more authentic artists like Charli XCX and Dua Lipa etc. Rather than adapting and growing like some of her contemporaries (Beyonce, Taylor Swift), she’s just returned to a well that ran dry years ago.
She is being absolutely dragged in socials for this. And her defense of “it’s sarcasm” is so transparently obvious it’s almost, but not quite, funny.
Also, she made this with Dr Luke, and people are having none of it.
That kind of says it all.
Well, if you have the looks of all those women and the money of Katy Perry specifically, then yes, I suppose it is your world.
After that, I see nothing but another generic pop diva struttin’ for the boyz Benjamins.
ISTM those are especially vapid lyrics, just 3 or 4 short sentences repeated over and over. IOW, all chorus - no verse. IANA devotee of current pop music, but has that become the norm for pop lyrics?
Speaking as an unabashed breast fetishist, peak Katy Perry was hit with the cupcake bra, and it’s been downhill ever since.
Her video is feminist in the sense that female pop stars have just as much ability to produce vapid grabs for attention as male pop stars. I mean, more power to her for continuing her career as she sees fit.
I’m open to taking her at her word, that she’s produced a gross parody of the male fantasy of feminism. If you wanted to parody that fantasy, would you do anything differently?
IMO a good parody includes a knowing wink someplace along the way to indicate that, yes, we know we’re doing parody. That seems quite absent.
Her belated justification “It’s a parody ferchrissakes” reads like excuse-making when she got caught with her hand in the pure-pandering cookie jar.
There’s nothing wrong with pandering. Most of entertainment in all its forms is little else. But it’s the pretensions to significance that ring hollow.
I have to admit liking Katy Perry’s songs, even though the lyrics are usually pretty dumb. I saw her Vegas show, which was fun. This is not one of her better songs.
Lindsay Ellis eviscerated "I Kissed A Girl" in one of her video reviews, providing the subtext for the lyrics: “I kissed a girl, and I liked it [Oh, my scandalous lesbian fling!]…I hope my boyfriend don’t find out […but I’m really straight, I promise!]”
And KP poached the title from Jill Sobule who in 1995 released her song I kissed a girl a full 12 years earlier than Perry.
I can buy that the video was meant as sarcasm, or satire, or parody; it’s just really bad sarcasm. There might be a way to make a video like this where the satire exceeds the pandering, but I’m not sure what that would be like. This wasn’t it.
Also, on the rare occasions when groups of overwhelmingly middle-aged nerds like us Dopers are spontaneously discussing among ourselves a brand-new fluffy pop song, it’s a pretty good sign that the pop artist responsible has succeeded beyond their wildest dreams in attracting mainstream attention. Made ya look, Gramps.
However, Katy Perry turns 40 this year… I don’t know if a 40 year old musician sparking the interest of 40-50 year olds counts as “success beyond her wildest dreams.”
Katy Perry is Gramps!
I think you underestimate average Doper age by at least a decade.
Not all attention is good attention. From her flustered response, it’s pretty clear Perry didn’t expect the negative response she’s gotten.