Katy Perry’s ‘Woman’s World’ Faces Widespread Criticism from Fans and Critics

Katy Perry’s new music video “Woman’s World” grabbed attention this weekend, but not quite for the reasons she might have hoped for. The first single from Perry’s upcoming seventh album displayed all the hallmarks of her characteristic pop anthems. However, the video ended up as an odd assortment of ideas that left fans puzzled. Perry herself appeared unfazed by the initial reactions.

“Woman’s World” features Perry singing and dancing in a parody of a construction site filled with hyper-feminine props. She is then crushed by a CGI anvil, but later rises in a bikini and robotic armored greaves. She then wanders through surreal, dystopian scenes with no clear objective, pauses to fill her legs with gasoline, steals a smartphone and ring light from a young woman, and flies off on a helicopter. The video ends with Perry triumphantly shouting: “I’m Katy Perry!”

The bizarre nature of the video left many fans bewildered, with some even expressing anger. Critics have commented that the song’s feminist message is undermined by the number of men involved in its creation. Here are some of the mainstream responses to this peculiar music video.

Critics were particularly astounded that this ostensibly feminist anthem was produced by Lukasz Gottwald, professionally known as Dr. Luke. Kesha has previously accused Gottwald of sexual assault, allegations he has denied. Moreover, fans noted that almost everyone credited in the music video are men, except for the fashion director and the second assistant director.

As for the video’s content, commenters felt it poorly represented an ideal “women’s world.” They noted it included numerous hyper-sexualized images of women. An Instagram user pointed out: “It’s a woman’s world and 99 percent of the video is white women with the same body type hmmmm.”

Many commenters felt that Perry was catering to an older audience using an outdated notion of “feminism.” They felt that the video and its collaborators aimed for a non-controversial form of female empowerment that had its peak appeal in the previous decade. One user on X summarized this sentiment, suggesting that Perry knew her target demographic.

Perry posted a video on Instagram attempting to clarify the concept behind “Woman’s World,” but it did little to win over her critics. She stated: “We’re kind of just having fun being a bit sarcastic with it. It’s very slapstick and very on the nose. With this set, it’s like, ‘ooh, we’re not about the male gaze, but we really are about the male gaze.'”

She continued, “And 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.”

Fans had their own theories about why Perry’s explanation didn’t resonate. One comment read: “Without any discernible critique of the system that creates the circumstances ostensibly being ‘satirized’ in the first place, it isn’t satire; it’s just aimless caricature.” Another noted that a successful satire wouldn’t require “this much of an explanation.”

Fans were particularly uncomfortable with the scene where Perry took a smartphone from a Black woman, suggesting that true intersectional feminism needs greater representation for women of color. One comment stated: “Trying to satirize white girlboss feminism while still being a white girlboss feminist just doesn’t work.”

Lastly, some fans highlighted the similarity between Perry’s construction outfit and a similar one worn by Jojo Siwa in a recent video. However, opinions varied on whether this was sheer coincidence or one artist copying another, leaving the matter unresolved.