When I first spotted this article at NYMag’s The Cut, I was taken aback. The columnist really doesn’t like Katy Perry. They seem particularly offended by Katy’s recent endorsement of Hillary Clinton for president. Katy’s endorsement is portrayed as a terrible thing. Mostly, Katy is dismissed as a bland, static pop star. She’s not as “complex” as Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, or Taylor Swift. Really … Swift? I’ve always felt that Swift’s recent turn towards unleashing the “crazy” had more to do with the press calling her out, so she embraced the reputation. Swift’s lyrics are not complex at all, nor is her image. I also have feelings about Beyonce and Nicki Minaj’s alleged complexity, but let’s get on with this column.
The columnist takes issue with how manufactured Katy’s image appears, but she neglects to notice that all pop stars are similarly constructed. Most of them try to hide it, but Katy doesn’t care. Part of her image includes the very appearance of manufacturing. She has a team of people who help her achieve this, an “empire,” if you will. Katy may project the appearance of a clueless little girl, but she’s a shrewd businesswoman underneath it all. This is a superficial dismissal of Katy’s superficial qualities. The entire column is outlandishly mean, and here are a few paragraphs:
Katy Perry never changes. Her brand is the very essence of reassuring, non-threatening stagnancy. She encapsulates that remaining, silent majority (It never goes away! Don’t fool yourselves!) that doesn’t like to be challenged at all, ever, for any reason — not by women, not by music, not by the weather, not by anything. Where Beyonce pushes us to accept feminism and strong, assertive women (with a faintly wicked twist), and Taylor Swift pushes us to embrace vulnerability and femininity (with some emotionally volatile undercurrents), Katy Perry pushes such avant-garde, high concepts as teenagers, horny; California girls, awesome; aliens, weird; and kissing girls, actually kinda nice.
In all likelihood, then, Katy Perry’s intention to campaign for Hillary Clinton suggests nothing more than the fact that Katy Perry would prefer to sound like someone who stands for something, even though she isn’t that person and never has been. It’s a nice try. But against a backdrop of female pop stars who push the boundaries of what a woman can do and say and get away with, Katy Perry remains a comforting, nonthreatening attachment object. She is a giant woobie in a time of great change. She is a blank slate, a soothing emotional day spa for those who prefer easy answers. She’s a void with swappable wigs, a tasty nothingburger.
Katy Perry is as conflicted and complex as a pumpkin-spice rug-and-room deodorizer. She doesn’t have a look. She never changes. The Katy Perry of 2010 is the same as the Katy Perry of 2015. Her hair color is different here and there. That’s it. She wears tight, glittery, rainbow-colored dresses and black eyeliner. Always and forever a Super Star Barbie circa 1988.
Do you ever feel like a plastic bag — not because you’re polluting the oceans, but because you “want to start again,” presumably by being recycled? So does Katy Perry. But then she remembers that she’s a firework. Singular. Think for a minute about what it takes to be the kind of person who can sing the word firework like it’s an actual word, over and over and over again, without feeling the faintest hint of self-loathing.
[From NY Mag’s The Cut]
It gets even worse from there. I’m not sure what this column aims to accomplish. Does the author want Hillary to publicly disavow Katy? I don’t see this happening. Katy may project a cotton-candy image, but her music is benign. She’s not hurting anyone. She has an audience and serves a purpose. Katy is very aware of her effect and what she’s doing. It’s all engineered, and yet she’s accused of not “trying hard” as hard as her contemporaries. The article is damning, but so far, this tweet is the only response from Team Katy.
The higher you get up the mountain, the stronger the wind blows.
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) October 17, 2015
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet & WENN
How are Beyoncé or especially Taylor Swift any less manufactured than Katy?
Exactly. They’re pretty much all alike.
I was about to say that I kind of prefer Katy to the other two simply because Katy seems to know what she is and doesn’t hide it or try to elevate her pop star status to something revolutionary.
They’re all manufactured. That’s the business. None of them are original or irreplaceable.
I’m totally, 100 per cent with this article. Beyonce takes risks, she owns her brand. Nikki fights on behalf of women of colour, Taylor refuses to stop talking about what she wants to talk about even when the world laughs at her. Katy says “I’m not a feminist” and shoots whip cream out of her breasts. At least Miley does that while talking about homeless youth and gender identity.
Don’t you ever for a second get to thinkin’… You’re irreplaceabuuUUuuuUUUle
Exactly. Katy embraces her silly pop star status. She isn’t pretending to be something more serious. I am a fan…sort of. My daughter loves her, and I have come to respect her for what she is..a fun entertainer. Completely harmless. No Adele or Tori Amos, but she ain’t pretending to be either.
@polonoscopy,
Your 4th sentence almost made me shoot my Fage out my nose.
Yep. None of them just wake up & do their own thing. Even Pearl Jam’s music award diss years ago (MTV?) was manufactured. Yawn.
What a nasty writer.
Agreed.
Whatever you may think of Katy Perry, this article says a lot more about the columnist.
My thoughts exactly. It almost reads as a word association exercise gone horribly wrong… at a therapist appointment that was too long delayed.
Word. Also, I feel like I’ve seen interviews where Katy says she’s trying to learn more about XYZ topic…I feel like she does have some intellectual curiosity and interest in improving herself as a person, not just a pop star.
Her tweet response is a vapid platitude that isn’t really a platitude. Her lyrics are full of them…famous sayings she gets slightly wrong.
That article was rough! ! Yes Katy is gimmicky and her music is pop. Katy Perry is harmless though. I’m not a fan,but that article was mean. I guess the interviewer is team Taylor.
I was going to write the exact same thing. I’m not a fan of Katy’s but this was certainly hitting her below the belt and purposely being nasty and malicious. I thought the same thing that they interviewer must be team Taylor. Why else would they be so nasty?
Sounded like an excerpt from a teenager’s diary about how her least favorite pop star sucks because, like, c’mon guys, she just DOES. Not like those other ones, who are super cool, and I like. They’re DIFFERENT. But Katy is terrible and boring because she IS, you guys. NO ONE UNDERSTANDS ME!!!!!!!!
“I hate you, I hate you, I HATE YOU!!!” *gets up from dinner table, runs to bedroom, slams door*
:))
Lol. Exactly Wren!
I don’t like Katy or her music but this article made me start to like her just as a reaction to how unpleasant it is.
I think this columnist is making it up as she goes along. Whatever these other performers are, or are not, Katy Perry just does not Measure up, because I say so. Whoever this writer is she should go back to journalist school, if she ever went, and re-learn how to construct an informed argument to prove her thesis. At the moment she has written the equivalent of much ado about nothing, and reveals her self to be just another mean girl.
The point was that the author seems to believe that fame should be used as a platform to stand for something more world changing. I think that view underestimates the power of just plain old entertainment for escapism’s sake, especially in a world full of horrible, serious news and celebrities with heavy causes. It’s why Marilyn Monroe was so welcome to visit troops during wartime and why Shirley Temple was a joy to see during the depression. Just for the simple fact that they were the part of a fantasy that things somewhere were joyful, stress and trouble free.
Perry just wants to have fun and wants her fans to do the same. I’m alright with that plan.
What is the point of this article or better why this article ?? The author hates Perry and ….?
That’s what I was thinking. Sounds like meanness for the sake of being mean.
Why do I get the sense that people didn’t quite read the article in full? She is saying that because Katy’s brand goal is to be inoffensive she stagnates. Nothing about her image or content changes. The same can’t be said of the other major pop players. The writer sounds like a Hilary supporter who would prefer Hillary to align with a more dynamic feather ruffler. Shes essentially saying that Hilary should have courted a pop star who hasn’t spent her career coloring within the lines, especially since Hilary has always been an outside the lines girl herself. But then since politicians trying to win elections have to appear middle of the road, Hilary is happy to have Katy Perry as her pop mascot. The article isn’t an aimless hit piece, its making a point.
You raise an excellent point, and I agree that Katy Perry is a pretty “safe” supporter and that by courting pop star endorsements (except did she really? or did Katy just pipe up on her own?) Hilary is trying to play it safe and take a middle of the road, popular stance.
However, the writer of the article makes her arguments by comparing Katy Perry to her peers, who are really just like her just in different flavors and packages. They are all manufactured, they all care about public image, they all have brand, and they all play to an audience. Just because Kay has taken the “bubble gum and candy” slot doesn’t make her any worse than the others. Hence, NOT a good article and NOT a good argument.
@Naya your comment about politicians wanting to appear middle of the road applies to pop stars too….the other “more complex” pop stars referred to are likely not interested in making a political statement of who they align with.
With an overt display of personal viewpoints & political leanings, pop stars also risk alienating fans, and/or parents of fans….and Katy has demonstrated she does not give a sh!t about that. We should be giving props to her, She may blow whipped cream out her nipples but she’s not afraid to stand up for what she believes in, unlike many other stars.
I find it interesting that her article title (which she changed to sound more deep) doesn’t link it at all to the article content. She makes no real point at all as pop is never not manufactured and shouldn’t be complex anyway plus she also contradicts herself in the same paragraph (she doesn’t have a look and then her look is described: huh?).
She’s not a bad writer but this is a dud. A shame because she could have made this an interesting read if she had made a clear point. This seems…immature.
Most often an editor writes the headline with no input or approval from the author.
I agree that it is hard to find a point to this article, other than being a vehicle for the author’s trifling rampage against Perry.
Whoa. That article is super uncalled for. I can’t remember the last time I listened to a KP song (of my own volition) and am not a fan, but calling someone a ‘void’ or ‘nothing’ isn’t okay. Adding the suffix ‘burger’ doesn’t make it a joke, btw.
“Adding the suffix ‘burger’ doesn’t make it a joke, btw.”
Actually, it does. But the joke’s on the author. What an amateur!
Really? Totally works for me. I Love anything with a burger suffix ( like mouseburger) and I’m totally going to start using nothingburger.
But I think that Taylor swift is also a huge
nothingburger along with that dumb country singer that just had a baby’ and most Hollywood actresses except for La Tilda and La Cate.
LOL at “firework.” I’ll go check the OED for “bootylicious.”
Hahahaha! nice!
What kind of journalist doesn’t know that “firework” is a legitimate word?
One rocket = a firework.
Multiple rockets = some fireworks.
One set of rockets going bang = a fireworks display. (It’s “a single display” not “a single fireworks”).
Yeah, no kidding. I was like, “huh? that’s a word……..”
right? when katy perry uses the singular form of firework she is an idiot but when beyonce sings surf bort 40 times in a row she is a poet laureate. this article was childish. katy perry is might be a nothingburger (i admit i chuckled) but i’m sure when she’s rolling in piles of cold hard cash – she hardly gives a shit.
Or that 7-11 song where she says “I shake my head” or something equally as banal 569,678 times.
I Like Katy.
I mean, she’s not the greatest singer in the world, but she has a very distinctive voice, comparing to, say, Taylor Swift. She overdoes the props and the colourful themes and yes lots of cultural appropriation but ultimately she seems harmless and sends a good message. Even I Kissed a Girl was not a bad message…
Regardless of her personal (seemingly terrible) choices regarding men, I like that she is a pure entertainer, who doesn’t only exclusively rely on showing boobs and crotch. She works HARD at being a true entertainer for her fans, and I respect that, the same way I respect JLO for doing the same, despite not being and immense talent in the vocal department.
Ultimately, I go to a show to be entertained, from beginning to end, see crazy dancers, lights, great stuff, and dance, and be happy, and not to look at peoples crotches a la Miley.
Anyway, I just wanted to say that this person is full of it, they decided to pick on her for whatever reason, and wrote a bunch of nonsense. Keep moving forward Katy!!!
Yes, seriously. I picture Katy as a kind of kooky, basically nice chick who likes dressing up in weird clothes and engaging in fantasy play. She isn’t out there trashing other women, and when she writes about her personal life, it’s pretty discreet stuff and with good cause. She wears sexy stuff and has tongue-in-cheek naughty lyrics, but all in good fun. Whomever wrote this article was clearly going for adolescent-doing-satire.
Did Taylor Swift pay this writer off?
perhaps the writer is trying to gain membership to her squad?
that was what I thought. I mean, the author’s got bills to pay, cmon
Meh, Katy’s I kissed a Girl song was years and years ago. Her last album had songs like Roar, an empowerment song for young women. The album was about love and loss and picking yourself back up. How is that any different from Swifty except Katy was actually married and it was a real relationship she was mourning, not one of Swifty’s eight-week ones, just long enough to get a song out of it?
..You meant “one of Swifty’s 8 week-bearding roles slash publicity stunts”? 🙂
I agree with everything you wrote.
I’m not Katy Perry’s fan, but to write an article based on the concept that she is just a cheesy, vapid pop-star, whereas ALL OF THEM (and I mean both female and male entertainers) are manufactured products designed to sell and sustain an army of enablers?
Sounds VERY far-fetched.
Katy is kind of bland, partly by design. She found a formula that works for her, and all the better if people don’t pay enough attention to realise she’s just doing the exact same thing over and over again.
Katy’s just about churning out hits, while her peers are trying to prove they’re an icon, or the bestest businesswoman ever, or the sexiest, or the nicest, or a true artiste.
they’re all about churning out hits & making money as per the record label’s profit projections. None of these people turn out singles and albums whenever they happen to feel like it.
I am not a fan of Katy’s at all and yet I found this outrageously mean. It seems like the media LOVES to tear down successful female figures and will reach to do so. Katy is without a doubt problematic (her cultural appropriation, weird comments on other cultures to boot, along with her old songs like “ur so gay”)….and that would have been somewhat legitimate material to parse over. Even then, that would have been a stretch as a lot of her problematic issues were years ago and she seems to have learned her lesson for the most part. Basically, she shouldn’t have to continually pay for a misstep in the past.
This rant about her being totally manufactured is just…beyond mean though and pointless. Nobody thinks Katy Perry is Adele or Beyonce, for god’s sake. We know she’s manufactured she knows she is manufactured, and so what’s the point on ranting about it?
I was wondering what the point was as well. Has she done something recently that warrants such an attack? Besides disagree with the author, apparently. Or maybe Taylor Swift is doing some ghostwriting on the side.
I like Katy in a mild way, she’s fun and has catchy songs. She’s not the best singer, but neither are a lot of other pop stars. Comparing her to all the other manufactured pop stars serves no purpose because there is no comparison. Do you want to buy Superstar Barbie or Girl-Next-Door Barbie? It’s all the same, really.
It’s mean, yes but the author has a few good points. Ten or 20 years from now Katy Perry will look the way Pat Boone looks to us now- embarrassingly vanilla and un-challenging- she already kind of looks that way. She’s using Perry to make social commentary about what we want and need from our female artists. However it’s unfair for the author to malign Perry’s support for Hilary as insincere. How would any of us know how Perry feels? Perry has always supported gay rights. Why wouldn’t she be excited about the idea of a woman president?
She’ll look the way all pop stars do when they’ve outlived their day: like visitors from a foreign time and place. I mean, nobody puts The Ronettes, The Monkeys, Bananarama, etc., up there with the enduring greats. They entertained people for their time, and that was their only purpose to begin with. Ain’t nothin wrong with that.
Agreed… your old music references nailed it.
I hate to be picky so forgive me but I just have to disagree with your choice of examples there.
The Ronettes are classic dark pop. Katy Perry’s happy meal songs don’t hold a candle to what they put out nor to Phil Spector’s production.
As for the article I kind of agree, and maybe it makes me an A-hole. I don’t like her whole gimmicky persona. She contradicts herself by announcing she doesn’t need to get her boobs out all the time and won’t do it any more yet there they are again tomorrow selling her music. I’m sure she’s meaningful to some people in their lives though so who am I to tell them she’s crap and they’re wrong.
Sidenote: It did seem weird that the writer picked on her then made a point of how all the others aren’t like her. And the Sandra Dee without the alcoholism bit was a bit of a reach.
I normally really enjoy this writer’s work, and I really have no love for Katy Perry at all but I found that article horrifying. Why attack someone for being meaningless when they are being politically active? What the author actually did was draw my attention to the fact that KP does have worthwhile causes that she supports and isn’t as vacuous as I assumed. Heather really s*it the bed on this one.
Katy Perry is as conflicted and
complex as a pumpkin-spice rug-
and-room deodorizer.
^^^^^^^^
DEAD
I thought the whole article was pretty funny. But then again, I don’t like KP.
si
LOL. That was hilarious. The article is a bit mean but it’s not untrue.
Pumpkin spice! Oh the burn!
“But against a backdrop of female pop stars who push the boundaries of what a woman can do and say and get away with…”
Really? No they don’t full stop. That’s insane. The pop landscape has never ever been more mild, inoffensive and homogeneous in style. What is going on in this article? This isn’t the first time KP has gotten this treatment either. Slate had one about her being a cool girl, etc around her superbowl performance. Is this just what KP is in pop music now? The most mild of the mild, and therefore the one who gets trashed for it? The same could be said for any of the other artists listed.
I agree–that was the line where I lost respect for the writer. Ridiculous.
But, can’t you read between these lines and grasp the full complexity that is Taylor Swift?
We are never, ever, ever, ever, never getting back together
We are never, ever, ever, ever, never getting back together…
Boy, are you shallow.
Seriously, what was the point of that article? Isn’t Pop music always sort of light and meaningless? And how the hell does she know why Katy is supporting Hillary? Maybe she admires her. There was absolutely no point to that article except meanness. I’m baffled.
This made me lol. Too true.
Some female pop stars do push boundaries. Katy is usually careful not to offend. It works for her commercially but it’s unfortunate she’s chosen that route rather than making deeper music. Before she became famous she did songs like The Box that addressed escaping her religious upbringing. Her unreleased pre-fame music often had far more depth than what she does now. She could make better music but she chooses not to. That’s why she’s seen as basic or a sellout. I agree with the author’s criticism of her but tying it to her support of Hillary Clinton is nonsensical. And claiming that money hungry Taylor is any better is nonsensical. I think it’s good that Katy is politically active even if I have no respect for the Dr Luke produced drivel she keeps releasing because fame and success matter more than artistry and authenticity to her.
Which pop stars are pushing boundaries and what boundaries are they pushing? I can’t think of one.
@InvaderTak How about Lorde? She has an opinon, doesn’t rely on sexy costumes all the time, gets called gollum for her performance dancing/faces yet doesn’t give a sh-t and doesn’t change.
An opinion on what? I’ve never heard her say anything that stands out for me. her style is goth/grunge without its teeth. her songs are still well within the homogenous style of pop music these days. her stage style isn’t revolutionary, just awkward apparently. so is swiftys. sticking to her guns isn’t boundary pushing. fka twigs comes closer, and a young pop audience might find her boundary pushing, but if you already listen to electronic music it isn’t.
You’re so right. They really don’t. The brand that’s being sold changes, that’s all. To think that Taylor Swift, Beyonce and the rest of them are any less manufactured is incredibly naive. The piece ran like a fourteen year old girl’s manifesto on why HER favorite pop star was amazing and groundbreaking while the favorite’s rival was a boring piece of boringness because OF COURSE.
Thing is, Katy DID push a lot of boundaries with “I Kissed a Girl”. Why does everyone forget that? What about that whipped cream bra that everyone talked about awhile back? That was a Thing. Maybe she doesn’t push boundaries now, I wouldn’t really know, but why does pop music have to be deep? She isn’t out there pretending to be anything she’s not.
I have to admit that line “infect me with your love pen” literally makes me queasy every time I hear it. I can’t take this person seriously ever because of it.
I think it’s “infect me with your lovin’ “, if that makes it better? At least that’s how I hear it? I hope that’s what she’s saying….
I am no Katy apologist but this article seemed unhinged. So much vitriol because Katy publicly supported a candidate. It’s not as if Katy has gone full on crazy like Ted Nuggent who will world salad to any media outlet that will listen to him about his politics. SHE JUST SUPPORTED HILLARY.
I would love to understand what motivated this because as an essay it’s cruel, rambling grown up version of a teen girl’s mean girl routine.
I’ve heard from friends who work in the industry that Katy Perry is a nasty piece of work. I highly doubt the article had anything to do with politics (the Hillary sentence was less of an insult than a suggestion of Katy’s hypocrisy). I, too, would love to learn what exactly motivated the article, but I’m willing to wager that it was something Katy did.
I assume all celebrities are horrible and entitled until I hear otherwise from multiple sources ( like Tom Cruise is a joy to work with, you hear it from interviewers and crew from films and random people on sets). I am sure Katie is as entitled. rude and spiteful. We are all capable of that and we all have our moments.
But this essay just seems like someone threw all the Katie twigs in a pile, doused it was gasoline and lit a match. I am surprised the Cut published it. It just seems dangerously angry over nothing.
But awesome click bait, because everyone is talking about it.
That’s interesting because I’ve heard from acquaintances that Katy is quite nice in real life? Maybe she’s just tough to work with (which I always take with a grain of salt when it’s about a woman, because men who act the same might be given a pass.) The only thing I side eye her for is how she handled her divorce, but even then, she was probably really hurting at the time.
I’ve got to say – I worked with Katy a while back and she was lovely. And all my colleagues agreed. I’m suer everyone has their moments, but I don’t think she’s an awful person.
@AmandaPanda and Hally–Thanks, that’s good to know. What I heard was around the time of her divorce, so perhaps it was more the exception than the rule.
Man, that’s rough. I hate KP’s interviews and I find her music rather boring but a) she’s a hard worker, like everyone else the writer praises (I almost threw up in my mouth a little when I read the descriptions of Beyoncé and Swifty), b) she is very successful and c) her “art” is not less meaningful than Swifty’s or Beyoncès. I’ll argue over Bey but NOT Swifty (and I actually bought 1989). The article is completely useless and devoid of insight. It also borders on unprofessional. I would love to know what this was supposed to accomplish.
Pop-stars do not have to stand for something. Unless they are offensive there is nothing wrong with just making pop music. The others who are saying something and doing it well should get some added praise but it does not mean just pop musicals worthless. But I not her fan so Ido not know much about her and her music, I just think celebrities do not always have to be some rolemodels, if they are entertaining some people that is just fine.
Did this writer get a dose of Mayer-bits and now has it out for Katy? He seems to inspire women to be at their base worst.
This seems like something that at ‘anonymous reporter’ wrote for the high school newspapar about the prom queen. Too personal to be professional.
I’m sorry and surfboard or whatever that song Beyoncé wrote about having sex in the bathtub is about feminism how?
I mean I enjoy songs of all the artists mentioned but let’s get real none are Janis Joplin here they aren’t singing for change or to make a difference they are in it for fame and money. They are all extremely calculated and thought out and frankly more power to them! These aren’t cute little girls that are being handled they are women in control of their brand and business they are smart and I charge. Nothing wrong with it, even if they put out eh songs.
Ok, katy needs to tell us what she did to this writer. He/she seems mad and unnecessary mean.
“She doesn’t have a look. She never changes. The Katy Perry of 2010 is the same as the Katy Perry of 2015” really? Beyonce has worn the same kind of weave since she left destiny child. Seems hair is really not a problem.
This author has a case of bad blood for sure.
Why is it, that every female has to be “challenging”? Or a feminist? Or toe the line?
I just find it amazing how easily everyone is bamboozled by social trends now, that they seemingly airbend reality to fit whatever social cause is in fashion, then move right on whenever someone else jangles the keys infront of them and says “LOOK THIS IS WHAT YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT NOW”.
I’m sorry, racism and feminism may be a big deal for some people right now, but so was bullying a few years ago. Everyone was on that train. Everyone was like “Oh, Bullying is so bad, you’re a bully, stop being a bully, I was bullied” etc. Yet now, people seem to be fine with bullying people to make sure their social-trend based opinion is accepted as fact. Everyone is so busy being outraged and soap boxing their oh-so-liberated opinions, stating how everyone should be free to be who they are, but at the same time, quite often stamp all over everything they’re currently professing to care about or have previously cared about.
The Cut’s article really, if it were to have been published back when “Bullying” was a big deal, would have had everyone upset about how it is bullying Katy. But Katy is a current and easy target right? She’s white, grew up christian and is “privileged”, she does the “perfect girl” routine, doesn’t “challenge” everyone about feminism and fits a mould so she must be “currently bad” right?
It’s not that these causes lack merit at all either, but it’s quite fascinating how easily swayed and lead everyone is. Today they say that they care so much about this and that, but tomorrow, if the media tells them to care about something else, they will. Hashtag it and everyone will be swept up.
Pop culture feminism: Be yourself! Stand out from the crowd! Trite platitudes! Don’t let anyone hold you down or tell you what to do!****
****Except us, the pop culture feminist journalists, of course. After your initial initiation and hazing, we’ll tell you EXACTLY how to be a PopCultureFeministStar(TM). Failure to comply with the list, or the rejection of this label will result in your feminist card being taken away and burned; your upbringing, values and intellect questioned in 1000 word essays; hysterical assertions about how you are single handedly regressing us all! Pleas to think of the young girls who are forced to look up to you! Your Twitter, FB and instagram accounts becoming flooded with our cohorts in an effort to make them unusable. A tribunal will be called and you will be branded one of the following: “problematic” “cool girl” “traditional” “subversive” “reactionary” or a combination thereof.
Internet feminism that focuses on pop culture is eating it’s own with a passion and I’m very much over it. This is not feminism! Even in a pop culture sense! Things like this are just noise and a writer’s feelings on a pop star. This article would have worked if it was put that way; as a discussion of her thoughts on KP and the issues she has with her with regards to feminism and pop culture. But nope, she had to make herself an authority on EVERYTHING and then start handing down judgements. Sigh.
*Stamps feet, whistles and cheers* I couldn’t agree with you more InvaderTak.
That is exactly it.
I mean, it’s like this “journalist” is venting above and beyond Katy Perry, she’s saying basically everyone needs to BE something that fits into a nice package that is current.
She wouldn’t say this about Beyonce or Nicki – that’d be “racist”. She wouldn’t say it about Taylor the friend collecting girl squader – that’d be “anti-feminist”. She wouldn’t say it about Demi Lovato – that’d be “body shaming”. Lady Gaga would be “anti-gender equality/freedom/whatever”.
These people all fit into what are current hot issues. They have a battle cry ready to defend off critics, yet they’re all the same. Since it was such a big deal to the author, none of them have really changed either, infact their “sameness” is their brand.
Beyonce is still shaking her bootilicious booty, Nicki is still doing her weirdly bitchy barbie “hate skinny bitches” persona, Taylor is still fake and friend collecting, Demi is still a mess. Lady Gaga has changed looks, but she’s still… well her OTT weird stage persona. But I think anyone can see that it’s not about any of this, it’s all because Katy (and I must add, I don’t even like her) is just a popstar and isn’t ramming her brand of opinion down someone’s throat.
It honestly makes me very thankful sometimes that I’m not american, live far away and am exposed to a completely different pop cultural setting.
Very good post. Thank you Ellie.
You both put into words everything that I have been thinking but unable to articulate.
Has Bourdain weighed in on the pumpkin spice comparison? I have a feeling that he would concur. lol
Damn, exactly how much money did Swifty pay this writer off with?
Like seriously chick, this isn’t a race to cure cancer. All of these people mentioned in the article are freaking entertainers and to be honest, none of them are amazingly good. There isn’t one in the bunch that is ever going to reach iconic status like Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, or Madonna so why the vitriol against Katy Perry of all people?
Geez…Heather might want to see a therapist to explore her feelings of rage towards Katy Perry.
#whohurtyou
Ha. *snort* For some reason, I read the hastag in Peter Griffin’s voice and now I can’t stop snorfling laughter.
I honestly never related put-a-ring-on-it-am-I-showing-enough-skin-to-be-relevant Beyonce with feminism. If the author is hating on a celeb for walking in Hollywood lock-step to endorse HC, that would be a very long list to villainize.
Sia is complex. Adele is complex. Kate Bush is complex. Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, Katy and ESPECIALLY Taylor ‘Beige’ Swift are NOT complex (to be fair, Katy doesn’t pretend to be complex but she’s a much better lyricist than Swift and Beyonce can at least sing unlike CrayCrayTayTay ). Idiotic and mean spirited article.
Agree. All female pop stars sell sex. Taylor, Bey, Katy and Nicki are all basically half naked when they perform and it’s not like their songs are anything but catchy riffs. They are variations on a theme. If you check Max Martin is credited on many of their songs too. (Maybe not Nicki Minaj as much… Haven’t checked).
Female pop stars always were marketed this way, but it is Britney that made the sexuality more explicit in the marketing and it has just continued from there. Just like boy bands basically do the same thing, so do these four women.
Why you gotta be so mean?
Lol. Good question. Wtf.
I think Katy does have a look, one can even go to a costume party dressed as Katy Perry and I bet my salary that most people will point right away who the costume is about.
She’s not deep and she knows it, still she managed to find the right tone to her shows and persona. Is her voice weak? Sure, but she compensates it with her charisma and effort to entertain and be nice to her fans. For example, if you look up Katy’s and Rihanna’s shows in Rio, you could tell in one second who really gave a damn about the public.
Now, if you wanna talk about deepness, try PJ Harvey, Fiona Apple or Alanis. Minaj, Beyonce,Taylor and Katy are all in the same team when it comes about vapidness.
“Now, if you wanna talk about deepness, try PJ Harvey, Fiona Apple or Alanis.”
Seriously! That’s exactly what I was thinking. It would be one thing if this writer was bemoaning the vapidness of all/most of the current pop stars, including Katy but also including Taylor and the rest, and comparing them to some of the female stars we had in the past. Then she might really have a point. I sometimes can hardly believe that we used to have artists like Bjork, Fiona, or Shirley Manson as a common part of the pop culture landscape. Heck, even Courtney Love (as much of a mess as she was/is), was more interesting and more feminist than any of the current artists Katy is being compared to in this article.
So yeah, Katy is a nothingburger, but if Beyonce, Taylor, or Nicki are any better, it’s by such a miniscule margin that it hardly bears writing a whole article about it. I’m much more interested in why it’s so impossible for anyone genuinely quirky/smart (like the aforementioned 90s artists) to be relevant or successful anymore.
Agree w/ Celebitchy commenters; think this missed the mark and was mighty harsh. But could the writer do an article on the Kardashians?
😀
Um, Katy Perry and her music are fun. What, exactly, is wrong with being fun? Not everyone or everything has to wax poetic on some horribly complex issue of the day.
I agree with this. Sometimes I’m in the mood for fun. And out of all those other women, I turn to Katy. I kind of like her.
Every celeb is manufactured in a way. Some more than others but it comes with protecting your real self from the public that thinks they own a piece of you. If celebs weren’t manufactured they wouldn’t need PR people
Anyways Katy Perry is boring. Her songs all sound the same to me. Its why I will never buy an album of hers. The singles (minus Dark Horse) all sound the same with slight variation. So for me she’s meh…I have yet to be blown away by anything she’s put out besides ET and Dark Horse (which heavily feature rappers and a different sound). She needs to switch it up
I absolutely hate Katy Perry’s music and I don’t like her personality, either, but I’ve always respected how self-aware she is about her status. She’s an entertainer who makes silly pop music and that’s exactly what she pretends to be. She doesn’t take herself too seriously, so why should anyone else?
Bloody hell, I’m no fan of hers, but this article was completely unnecessary and seems like too much. Wonder if someone actually paid for this to be printed to paint her in a bad light.
“Katy Perry remains a comforting, nonthreatening attachment object. She is a giant woobie in a time of great change. She is a blank slate, a soothing emotional day spa for those who prefer easy answers. She’s a void with swappable wigs, a tasty nothingburger…”
In one paragraph the author objectifies Katy 5-6 times. I find that disgusting in the extreme, and feel it disqualifies the author from making assessments of an individual’s worth. She has decided “what” Perry is and has dismissed that she is a “who”.
I’m neutral on KP – some of her songs are fun, many don’t appeal to me – but this dehumanizing review is simply out of order. and also simplistic.
By no means I’m defending the writer, but I think it’s more about the brand, the representation than Katy herself.
Personally, i don’t see why Katy Perry matters enough to warrant this kind of criticism/attention, and it’s also as though the whole article has been written simply to emphasize this point – that she’s not important. It’s a bit counter-intuitive.
I feel like the writer was thinking too much about something that is pretty obvious to everyone but the article is so driven by hate, its as if the writer couldn’t think straight enough to realise that all artists do the same thing. I Don’t like Katy but this is stupid.
No fan of hers but this was a really mean article
Katy is no worse than Taylor swift, equally no threatening, equally comforting. Or any number of manufactured bland pop musicians out there.
Why the vitriol? Did Katy spit in the writer’s cornflakes or something? I happen to like Perry, she’s a fun performer and as talented as anyone else out there. She does get ridiculous trying to protect her visual image though. For instance she (or more likely her people) tried to trademark her look, which isn’t really possible anyway, but she actually tried to assert she created that look of hers that is Bettie Page/rockabilly. *That’s* annoying. But then, Madonna tried to trademark her name, back in the day LOL
“Let me tear down this really famous woman because feminism.” Okay…
And I’m not a fan of KP’s music.
Let’s tear down women because feminism=cool girl label.
Wow. I think she’s a terrible singer but this article is deranged. This person needs to seriously get a life, or realise that not every terrible thing that runs through their head has to come out of their mouth or onto the page.
Writer; Dont be a bitch to try and get ahead, be better at what you do. If you need to resort to hate pieces then thats not a good career sign…
This writer sounds exactly like my cousin’s teen who idolize perfect little Taytay and hates slutty Katy, she throws a prissy fit every time Katy performs at the WH.
I dont like her one bit but she is not worse than beyonce, nicki or taylor (or almost any pop siger for that matter).
All of them are products carefully designed for specific target groups, and in that sense katy might be the one who is most in control of her career: beyonce is completely handled by her husband, while Nicki and Taylor have to stay “in-character” for those public-personas they created.
Oooooo, I’m always sort of afraid to point it out, but I really can’t get with the idea that Beyoncé=feminist! and part of it is that I agree with your comment, Bey is totally managed by Jay, and totally hitched her wagon to his to get ahead.
“So-and-so is only famous or financially successful because of who they’re related to or in a relationship with” doesn’t seem like a strong reason to toss someone into the antifeminism category, even if it were 100 percent true. A person showing a lack of respect for or fighting to take away a group of people’s rights would be a better reason to say they can’t be a feminist (see Kim Davis as an example).
Any “feminist” that would back Hilary as president is no feminist at all. Shame on Katy Perry.
Katy Perry also endorsed and did fundraisers for Obama so it’s not like she’s just latched onto politics recently to promote herself as an intellectual or whatever. This woman is way off and way out of line.
I’d rather see Katy Perry at a Democratic convention than ScarJo. Puleeease!!
I saw her perform at an Obama fundraising event and she did a good job. Not on the level of Stevie Wonder (because, please) but she was entertaining and spoke well about the reasons she was supporting Obama.
“A superficial dismissal of Katy’s superficial qualities.” Indeed. A lot of thinking and money goes into that there engine that keeps the money train chugging.
“the very essence of reassuring, non-threatening stagnancy.” She is not trying to grow with her teenage audience, she is trying to attract the new set of teenagers for as many years as those big, wide blues, the sweet smile and the puppies on her chest will allow her to. Just like BeyoTayloRhiaMileNicki… all the same machine, just differently plotted and packaged. If she is superficial, they all are.
I didn’t read past the first paragraph of the actual article – it’s too slanted to take seriously. I don’t know what the writer’s beef is with Perry, but there is an agenda there too obvious to ignore. I would only “listen” if it were written objectively.
That said, just from the one first paragraph I did read, I find it ridiculous to judge Perry based on her cartoonish-looking persona and simplicity of her hits. She has an amazing voice and many songs on her albums that are deeper than her hit songs, but they remain in obscurity because the public only demands the poptart drivel. I also take issue with the writer’s opinions re other female artists. Of all he lists, the only one who really takes issue with furthering a serious cause is Minaj. She fights for equality and shoves racism in the face of those who would deny it exists. Beyonce is a joke as a spokeswoman for feminism – how is she a feminist? By marrying a known womanizer? By showing us the crotch panel of her leotard? By having her skin bleached, numerous nose jobs, boob job, hair extensions and anything else to make herself less what she was born with and more what she knows sells an image to the boys. Taylor – she writes her own songs but she’s still whining about her boyfriends and not seeing perhaps the problem is her – even it’s just that she’ keeps choosing douchebags that treat her like crap in the end. First time is their fault, Second time is your fault, third, fourth and fifth times, it time to get therapy and find out why you keep short-changing yourself – usually subconscience avoidance of commitment.
Ugh, I can’t believe I am about to defend Beyonce….first of all, from looking at her childhood pics, she has not bleached her skin at all. I find this accusation offensive because it’s a serious one. Growing up in Houston Texas and now living in NYC, I can’t say her skin looks much different than it could have but if she looks a shade lighter it’s because black skin can actually tan! Shocking I know. Plus, bleached skin does NOT look like that. It looks grey and ashy and it’s patchy. Not golden healthy bright. Educate yourself.
As for her nose job….Adele has had a nose job, and so have many white entertainers but it is rarely mentioned, and neither is their hair bleaching. I don’t like this policing of black women in general. She is no less of a feminist than Katy Perry or Taylor Swift.
Yes, she can be vulgar at times with her dancing (or gyrating) but I find it curious that so many feminists have a problem with her and not Miley.
And who she is married to is her business, although I don’t like Jay Z personally, she is a grown woman and it’s her choice. He is no worse than John Mayer who both Taylor and Katy have dated (and Jennifer A), what does that say about them? Not very “feminist”.
@hmph: THANK YOU! Ah, JenniferJustice, it seems like celebrities and Rush Limbaugh aren’t the only ones who don’t understand what the word feminism means. I’d say your history of victim-blaming and sexism doesn’t make you a better feminist than Beyoncé, Taylor Swift (whom I don’t even like) or anyone else being discussed here. By your own inaccurate definition plenty of activists who have been taking a stand and fighting for equality for years do not qualify as feminist “Because plastic surgery” (Bye bye. Gloria Steinem,) “Because dated a flawed human being or total douchebag” (Bye Bye, all feminists who have been with those kind of people, or worse, feminists who have been in abusive relationships), “Because hair extensions” (Oh boy, how many feminists does THAT banish from our lovely, inclusive little human rights movement now?) or “because not modest” (because we all know that feminism is all about continuing biblical moral codes, amirite?)
@hmph: You’re right about the policing. Unfortunately, a lot of people make the movement about dress codes, chastity pledges, and respectability politics and then complain about people not understanding or wanting to be a part of feminism. That’s probably one of the biggest weaknesses.
I tend to agree that Perry’s brand encapsulates “nonthreatening attachment object”. Perry does objectify and dumb-down her sexualilty in a playful girly bubblegum way. I also happen to think that sugary bubblegum and dumbness is harmful, so I don’t necessarily agree with the author’s assessment that Perry’s brand as such is harmless.
I do definitely disagree with the author’s notion that “…Beyonce pushes us to accept feminism and strong, assertive women (with a faintly wicked twist)”. She gives Beyonce far too much credit. Beyonce has always come across as submissive and ignorant; hardly assertive, strong, nor feminist! Beyonce is merely the less playful, less innocent, more overtly one-note, non-intellectual brand. Knowles-Carter is bland and dull; whereas Perry offers fun via a modicum of humor and wit (via imaginative costumes). Beyonce promotes her own inflated ego, body parts, and woman-as-servant-to-man’s-sexual-proclivity; Perry promotes momentary amusement.
Taylor Swift is merely an opportunist and savvy marketer. She doesn’t seem to be any classier than any other self-objectified woman when she’s out there strutting her skin, her pout, her hair, or her childish whining lyrics.
Neither one does woman-kind, themselves, nor humankind, a service.
And Hillary is all about Hillary, at any cost. Boo. She is a wolf in woman’s clothing.
More accurately, Hilary is a wolf in a bad pantsuit.
I’ll take that revision!
YEOWCH !
burnnn 😉
but kind of this tho.
Hatchet job. Katy is quirky, but she owns it — it’s certainly as intentional as all the other “branding” she’s referring to with her faves. On the other hand, I’ve always found her more genuine, precisely because she does what works for her, even though it may not be everyone else’s thing. There’s a bit of cookie-cutter approach to pop music generally, so I guess you could say Katy breaks the mold a bit — and doesn’t, when she thinks that will work. This person may have simply been better served to say, “I don’t like Katy Perry,” and left it at that.
American politics is a gong show, it’s an illusion of choice and power but the masses have none. Whether you want a woman to do the job, a black man, a man with funny hair or a combination of all three it doesn’t matter, what’s going to get done is what big corporations want. Lobbyists are the mover and the shakers and the ultimate power solely belongs to the biggest business in the world the federal reserve bank.
We have been hoodwinked and we don’t even know it.
Exactly.
I think it’s pretty much a gong show everywhere. And where it isn’t, the chances that we’ll here about it are pretty slim. I just hope that if Hillary wins, they’ll stay away fron the Balkans and leave it in peace, because whoever they represent have much interest in keeping it a ticking time bomb :(.
Ouch. *turns head to agree and giggle
It’s a little dramatic, but honestly…I kind of agree. And I’ve said similar in the past. Katy Perry is a fun pop star, but there’s no real substance to her beyond that for me. Beyoncé, Miley, Taylor, Nicki, and Rihanna are also pop stars, sure, but there’s an element of ” more” to them for me. Beyoncé and Taylor could teach a master class in PR manipulation and business management. Rihanna is a fashion icon. Miley, for all of her quirks and flaws, openly supports LGBT activism and various social causes. Nicki writes her own music and well known for her blunt criticism of industry standards. (I’d also point out that most of these artists are also *younger* than Perry, which does make a difference.)
Katy Perry does…what? Sing music that other people wrote for her, vaguely support the odd charity (and she even f*cks that up – see the Roar campaign funding fiasco), dates John Mayer for the sixth time, and dyes her hair purple. I don’t hate the girl, but what is her real pop culture impact beyond that? I respect her for the fact that she’s always been open about selling out for the fame, but iconic, she is not. The article is pretty harsh, but there’s a fair point under there. Maybe Katy’s choice to back Hillary is an attempt to break out of the mold?
What is this more your talking about?
Katy writes some of her song Beyoce has a group of writes. If you read the comments you would know that Katy is and has den a supporter of the LGBT community and has talk out about it and has back President Obama so this is not new. It seems like the writer of the articles you are also uninformed.
Oh Please – They are ALL manufactured. And Bey-Bey needs to shut her fly trap about ANYBODY cause she’s lied about her age, her lifestyle, her marriage – All of It! Miley is so manufactured she started with Disney. Ri-Ri was JayZ side piece and became the manufactured anti-Bey-Bey. So – please – all of them.
Has anyone checked if this writer is a member of Swift Squad?
Not a KP fan, but this seems out- of-control harsh for something not a personal blog or in the comments of a gossip blog. The writer has some personal beef airing.
“She doesn’t have a look.” and “Always and forever a Super Star Barbie circa 1988.” Well, that’s a look. I don‘t happen to like KP’s look, but even I can admit there is one. She isn’t easy to confuse with Beyoncé or Miley or Taylor or Madonna or Gwen Stefani. I’d say that qualifies as a look. Not having a look would mean on any given day she would look like an entirely different person, borrow looks from everyone. I don’t see that is the case.
You don’t have to like it, but doesn’t mean it’s not a style.
And as to the nothingness of KP, again, I don’t get how different that is from anyone else. I’m supposed to care more about other pop stars because their lyrics make me think of the feminist struggle? Someone really has an exaggerated sense of how important pop music is in the lives of the general population.
Perhaps ranting about KP is more indicative of where the writer is at in her life than whatever KP is doing with hers.
Heather Havrilesky used to write for Salon. She’s been writing for many years and is generally well-respected. I’m kind of taken aback that she wrote this hit piece. It’s not in line with her previous work.
All I got from that was the writer hates Katy Perry. This seems almost personal.
+1
Probably an John Mayer’s ex or Taylor Swift’s fan 😜
All of the current crop of pop stars are limited and manufactured.
They all seem to fill a predetermined niche.
Kinda paradoxically, Katie Perry seems more genuine to me precisely because she embraces the manufactured, trappings-packed image of a bubblegum pop star without taking herself so seriously as to proclaim herself some kind of second coming societal hero or something. i sometimes feel like the others are “co-opting” positive social messages in a self-serving way, ie, Beyoncé and her feminism thing- it’s positive to tell girls that can do anything and all that, but it often seems more about her and her better-than-any-human-woman thing, which I think is actually counterproductive. Furthermore, given Beyoncé’s sex-raunch-dripping thing, the risk is that said young girls take her message and image as THE way to be a powerful woman- ie, all centered around men and like, one’s scantily-clad ass. Katie Perry comes across as worlds more down-to-earth, goofy, and fun, and expresses positive messages in a more neutral way.
i’d say she’s a photogenic ‘nothingburger’ w/ a phat rack.
… and she knows it.
Okie doke. It could be that it’s late in my neck of the woods, but I’m almost 100% convinced that whoever wrote this either works for or is seriously influenced by Taylor swift. No one has this strong of feelings toward perry except swift. And calling swift a feminist with subtlety? Rofl! Her lyrics are ALSO about boys. pillow fights. cream blush and like, whatever. To me, perry is far less juvenile, annoying, and offensive. Swift is EVERYWHERE, like polka-dots on chicken pox, trying desperately to make everyone love her. Perry’s music still seems geared toward the younger generations, but to me, she seems far more grown-up and level headed. Who else would concoct this sort of bile except the “imalwaysinawarwithfriendswhilstcryingoverthelastestboy” swift?
Yeah… because Beyonce and Taylor like totally invest time and energy fighting for something like, lets say.. female genital mutilation or child brides. Gimme a break. They are all produced in the same gimmick factory with very little variation. I think that the premise that what celebrities say or do has any influence on world matters is not a good one.
I don’t like Katy Perry but this was unnecessary and pretty vile.
I might have agreed that Katy was a superficial, bubble gum popstar – until I got a divorce and listened to “Wide Awake” a few hundred times because it captured exactly how I felt about my marriage. So now I like her and count myself a fan.
Hell, Katy is always so thirsty for press, she’s probably squealing with glee over this article. She’ll get some fan support and outrage.
Did she do something to her face?
This story is placed right above the ones on Emily Blunt and Pippa Middleton, and I swear to god, for a second there they all looked interchangeable to me.
Are all celebrities now plastically designed to look alike?
So I went back to the article to read the comments and it’s gone! Seems like NY Mag pulled it. Very interesting. Maybe the editors felt embarrassed, as they should be.
I clicked around until I found it, Carey… http://nymag.com/thecut/2015/10/what-is-the-point-of-katy-perry-even.html#
I am a little late to this party, but when I went to go read the article online, it is no longer available… maybe it was too much?
Sounds like a page out of Taylor Swift’s diary. “Why does anyone like her anyway???!!!”