Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson rose to star-spangled fame with the release of her first album under her stage name, Katy Perry. The 2008 release, titled “One Of The Boys” rocketed to the top of the charts, and reached number nine on The Billboard 200. In the years that followed, Perry’s fame grew with hits such as “Last Friday Night,” “Roar” and “Firework” as she became a staple in the playlists of millions.
Perry grew up in a deeply Christian household in Southern California, where her parents restricted access to secular media. She moved to Nashville as a young adult, and released her Christian, self-titled debut album under her real name, Katy Hudson. As she expanded her horizons, her musical interests mirrored her new environment. Her musical tastes expanded into the whimsical, sensual and upbeat albums which now define Perry’s cartoonish image.
Following her initial hits, Perry immersed herself in other aspects of pop culture, ranging from a 2012 Sims 3 expansion pack to her continued presence as a judge on “American Idol.” Through each of these side quests, Perry continued to release music. Following her debut, records including, “Teenage Dream,” “PRISM,” “Witness” and “Smile” captivated audiences, each hit transforming into an anthem.
Despite her influence and stardom, Perry has faced increased criticism from the public. From bullying allegations as a judge on “American Idol,” to the intense condemnation of her latest single, Perry flounders for a foothold on fans’ approval.
Perry released the aforementioned single, “WOMAN’S WORLD,” July 11. Almost immediately, audiences’ disapproval began to roll in. Despite the song’s catchiness and classic Katy Perry branding, feelings of surface-level and insincere feminism arose from listeners. Fans similarly criticized the involvement of Dr. Luke, a producer and writer of the song, whom Ke$ha accused of sexual assault. Additionally, the deeply oversexualized performance in the music video alerted the press to the downfall of Perry, a national darling.
Feminism in America took a regressive state after the overturn of Roe v Wade. Fans and women seeking empowerment perceived the song as a money-grab at girl power, aiming to profit off of the successes of other female stars who focus on empowerment, rubbing salt in the wounds left by recent court decisions. In wake of a fame-ending firing squad — and her new album — Perry attempts to defend her satirical intentions. Despite these statements, audiences continue to question the legitimacy of her appeals to feminist rhetoric.
“And we’re kind of just having fun, being a bit sarcastic with it. We’re really overplaying it and on the nose because we’re about to get smashed, which is like a reset, a reset for me and a reset for my idea of feminine divine. And it’s a whole different world we go to after this. We wanted to open this video making it look like a super high gloss popstar video, and that’s what it is,” Perry said.
Whether Perry will recover from her song’s cinematic slip remains uncertain. Until then, perhaps she will reassess, rebrand or revamp herself as an artist. Although young people find fault with her now, she maintains a special place in the hearts of those who grew up in the height of her popularity. Perry fell from glory, but she can not see the bottom just yet.
“Everybody knows at least one of her songs, and when I was a kid, she shaped what I thought my teenage years would look like. I think it was trying to convey the same message as that one Beyonce song that’s like ‘Who runs the world? Girls.’ and it’s like that. I think [‘WOMAN’S WORLD’] is trying to be very empowering and uplifting towards women, but I think it just doesn’t achieve that. I feel like if her intentions were really out to harm women — I don’t think her intentions were out to harm women — but if they really were out to harm women, then I’d be more influenced to listen to her less. Because I don’t believe that they are; I just believe this was really badly handled, then I think that I don’t care; I’m still listening to ‘Last Friday Night,’” magnet junior Allore Walters said.
