When I was a kid, you could’ve called me a Katy Perry fan. I loved her catchy pop music hits, like“California Gurls” and “Roar.” She was simply another pop icon of the mid-2010s.
As I grew older, however, I saw Perry’s shiny popstar facade start to slip. Multiple scandals involving her started to hit the media, ranging from suing and allegedly forcing an elderly veteran into selling his home to her and her fiancé, Orlando Bloom, to working with an accused sexual predator on her latest album, “143.”
The scandals proved that Perry wasn’t just a fun pop music singer. I didn’t have any empathy for her. Why would I worry about celebrity issues when I have more important things to worry about, like rising prices of groceries (or literally anything), to turning in my homework on time.
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However, on April 14, Perry’s name was blasted all over the media once again. The reason this time? Perry had traveled to space with five other women on an expedition with Blue Origin, the space company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The expedition was called NS-31 and lasted around 11 minutes in total.
Illustration by Candace Alvey
In pictures from the expedition, Perry — along with Gayle King, Amanda Nguyen, Aisha Bowe, Kerianne Flynn and Lauren Sánchez — were all dressed in tight, dark-blue space suits and full glam hair and makeup. According to People, Perry held up a butterfly-shaped paper showing her new tour setlist to the camera while the rocket was in space. She also sang a part of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.” After the rocket came back down to Earth, Perry knelt down and kissed the ground.
My first reaction to this news hitting my feed was disbelief, to put it lightly. I had additional questions. How much did this cost? What was even the point of going?
According to Blue Origin’s website, reserving a seat for one of its “life-changing space flights” required a “fully refundable” deposit of $150,000. While I couldn’t find any information on how much Perry and the other crew members might’ve spent to take this trip, I think it’s safe to assume that it was very expensive.
How can it be fair to watch a celebrity prance around space in a skin-tight jumpsuit while many Americans are struggling to afford the cost of living?
According to Bankrate, consumer prices are 23.3% more expensive than they were in 2020. This burst in pricing means that “Americans need about $1,233 to buy the same goods and services that cost $1,000 when the coronavirus-induced recession occurred.”
Additionally, the prices of certain items like eggs and beef have shot up, according to Bankrate. The study found that the price of eggs went up by 60.4% from February 2024 to March 2024, and the price of beef went up by 8.6% in the same time frame.
According to the U.S Department of the Treasury, in March 2025, food prices rose 0.4%. This was “the fastest monthly increase in more than two years,” and “over the year through March, food prices were up 3.0%, a 17-month high.”
Additionally, according to the U.S Department of the Treasury, rent inflation has finally “… remained at an average 0.3%” during the first quarter of 2025. This was before 2025, in the fourth quarter of 2024, when the “… rent of housing services inflation had largely ranged between 0.4 percent and 0.5 percent — save for two months — since May 2023.”
Besides these statistics, there’s also the possibility of inflation staying elevated through 2027 due to new tariffs causing higher prices, according to Bankrate.
I can only assume that the majority of people are concerned about the future of the economy and whether or not they’ll be able to keep up with the growing prices, because I myself am worried about these very real issues. I think it’s insane that celebrities like Perry are in a financial position in which they can spend exorbitant amounts of money while the middle and lower classes are struggling to afford anything in this awful economy. They’re able to flaunt the life that they have, a life where they don’t have to worry about the prices of eggs or whether or not they’ll be able to afford rent.
Celebrities like Perry can afford to take touristy trips to space and call themselves astronauts, while I have to budget how I can buy groceries and other essential items to save an extra dollar. Personally, the whole situation feels like a 21st-century version of “Let them eat cake.” It also speaks to the idea that celebrities like Perry are out of touch with the world around them.
Illustration by Candace Alvey
While there were other celebrities on the flight, I took issue with Perry specifically because of the way that she acted during the flight. In a video from the flight that she showed on her Instagram, she kept her face in the camera and held a daisy for nearly the entire time. After that, she just had to announce her setlist for her tour. It seemed to me that she needed to make sure that she got her screen time, even though her name and face were literally everywhere before and after the expedition took place.
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The other issue that I had with Perry and the NS-31 expedition was the idea that this expedition was supposed to “inspire women.” In what way? I’m not sure. When the rocket landed, Perry had an interview about what the trip meant to her and the rest of the crew, according to Space.
“It’s about making space for future women and taking up space and belonging,” Perry said. “This is all for the benefit of Earth.”
I disagree. Just because a rich, female celebrity can afford to go on an 11-minute touristy space expedition does not mean that it is a symbol of women’s empowerment. To me, women’s empowerment is uplifting women in environments that were designed to drive them out. It’s about showing others that we can do things society thinks we wouldn’t be able to do.
For example, what about Sunita Williams? According to the NASA website, Sunita Williams has the most spacewalk time out of any female astronaut. Her completed time is 62 hours and six minutes. Sunita Williams was in space from June 6, 2024 to March 2025 with astronaut Barry Wilmore after technical issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft.
Williams is a true example of women’s empowerment. She spent nine months stuck in space, all the while collecting data and research to take back to Earth. She did something that some of us would find impossible.
For Perry to insinuate that her own space expedition was an example of women’s empowerment amazes me. Her insinuation that it was a contribution to “make space” for women is just an excuse for her to glorify a trip that she was able to take. What about the women before her, like Sally Ride, who helped to open the STEM field to women? For her to position herself as a prime example of women’s empowerment is absolute insanity.
From what I’ve seen that’s been blasted all over the internet, I didn’t see her doing any serious work up there for the good of the rest of us here on Earth. She simply took a joyride to space in full glam hair and makeup. What about that says women’s empowerment?
It’s crazy to think we live in a time where celebrities can do outlandish things like taking random trips to space. To me, celebrities like Perry only solidify the idea that we live in a society where people are not aware of the struggles around them. If we want to change that idea, then we need to hold celebrities accountable for their ignorance to the struggles of the rest of the world.
Opinion: Katy Perry’s rocket ride isn’t a win for women
When I was a kid, you could’ve called me a Katy Perry fan. I loved her catchy pop music hits, like “California Gurls” and “Roar.” She was simply another pop icon of the mid-2010s.
As I grew older, however, I saw Perry’s shiny popstar facade start to slip. Multiple scandals involving her started to hit the media, ranging from suing and allegedly forcing an elderly veteran into selling his home to her and her fiancé, Orlando Bloom, to working with an accused sexual predator on her latest album, “143.”
The scandals proved that Perry wasn’t just a fun pop music singer. I didn’t have any empathy for her. Why would I worry about celebrity issues when I have more important things to worry about, like rising prices of groceries (or literally anything), to turning in my homework on time.
Advertisement
However, on April 14, Perry’s name was blasted all over the media once again. The reason this time? Perry had traveled to space with five other women on an expedition with Blue Origin, the space company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The expedition was called NS-31 and lasted around 11 minutes in total.
In pictures from the expedition, Perry — along with Gayle King, Amanda Nguyen, Aisha Bowe, Kerianne Flynn and Lauren Sánchez — were all dressed in tight, dark-blue space suits and full glam hair and makeup. According to People, Perry held up a butterfly-shaped paper showing her new tour setlist to the camera while the rocket was in space. She also sang a part of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.” After the rocket came back down to Earth, Perry knelt down and kissed the ground.
My first reaction to this news hitting my feed was disbelief, to put it lightly. I had additional questions. How much did this cost? What was even the point of going?
According to Blue Origin’s website, reserving a seat for one of its “life-changing space flights” required a “fully refundable” deposit of $150,000. While I couldn’t find any information on how much Perry and the other crew members might’ve spent to take this trip, I think it’s safe to assume that it was very expensive.
How can it be fair to watch a celebrity prance around space in a skin-tight jumpsuit while many Americans are struggling to afford the cost of living?
According to Bankrate, consumer prices are 23.3% more expensive than they were in 2020. This burst in pricing means that “Americans need about $1,233 to buy the same goods and services that cost $1,000 when the coronavirus-induced recession occurred.”
Additionally, the prices of certain items like eggs and beef have shot up, according to Bankrate. The study found that the price of eggs went up by 60.4% from February 2024 to March 2024, and the price of beef went up by 8.6% in the same time frame.
According to the U.S Department of the Treasury, in March 2025, food prices rose 0.4%. This was “the fastest monthly increase in more than two years,” and “over the year through March, food prices were up 3.0%, a 17-month high.”
Additionally, according to the U.S Department of the Treasury, rent inflation has finally “… remained at an average 0.3%” during the first quarter of 2025. This was before 2025, in the fourth quarter of 2024, when the “… rent of housing services inflation had largely ranged between 0.4 percent and 0.5 percent — save for two months — since May 2023.”
Besides these statistics, there’s also the possibility of inflation staying elevated through 2027 due to new tariffs causing higher prices, according to Bankrate.
I can only assume that the majority of people are concerned about the future of the economy and whether or not they’ll be able to keep up with the growing prices, because I myself am worried about these very real issues. I think it’s insane that celebrities like Perry are in a financial position in which they can spend exorbitant amounts of money while the middle and lower classes are struggling to afford anything in this awful economy. They’re able to flaunt the life that they have, a life where they don’t have to worry about the prices of eggs or whether or not they’ll be able to afford rent.
Celebrities like Perry can afford to take touristy trips to space and call themselves astronauts, while I have to budget how I can buy groceries and other essential items to save an extra dollar. Personally, the whole situation feels like a 21st-century version of “Let them eat cake.” It also speaks to the idea that celebrities like Perry are out of touch with the world around them.
While there were other celebrities on the flight, I took issue with Perry specifically because of the way that she acted during the flight. In a video from the flight that she showed on her Instagram, she kept her face in the camera and held a daisy for nearly the entire time. After that, she just had to announce her setlist for her tour. It seemed to me that she needed to make sure that she got her screen time, even though her name and face were literally everywhere before and after the expedition took place.
Advertisement
The other issue that I had with Perry and the NS-31 expedition was the idea that this expedition was supposed to “inspire women.” In what way? I’m not sure. When the rocket landed, Perry had an interview about what the trip meant to her and the rest of the crew, according to Space.
“It’s about making space for future women and taking up space and belonging,” Perry said. “This is all for the benefit of Earth.”
I disagree. Just because a rich, female celebrity can afford to go on an 11-minute touristy space expedition does not mean that it is a symbol of women’s empowerment. To me, women’s empowerment is uplifting women in environments that were designed to drive them out. It’s about showing others that we can do things society thinks we wouldn’t be able to do.
For example, what about Sunita Williams? According to the NASA website, Sunita Williams has the most spacewalk time out of any female astronaut. Her completed time is 62 hours and six minutes. Sunita Williams was in space from June 6, 2024 to March 2025 with astronaut Barry Wilmore after technical issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft.
Williams is a true example of women’s empowerment. She spent nine months stuck in space, all the while collecting data and research to take back to Earth. She did something that some of us would find impossible.
For Perry to insinuate that her own space expedition was an example of women’s empowerment amazes me. Her insinuation that it was a contribution to “make space” for women is just an excuse for her to glorify a trip that she was able to take. What about the women before her, like Sally Ride, who helped to open the STEM field to women? For her to position herself as a prime example of women’s empowerment is absolute insanity.
From what I’ve seen that’s been blasted all over the internet, I didn’t see her doing any serious work up there for the good of the rest of us here on Earth. She simply took a joyride to space in full glam hair and makeup. What about that says women’s empowerment?
It’s crazy to think we live in a time where celebrities can do outlandish things like taking random trips to space. To me, celebrities like Perry only solidify the idea that we live in a society where people are not aware of the struggles around them. If we want to change that idea, then we need to hold celebrities accountable for their ignorance to the struggles of the rest of the world.