Celebrity space trips: A publicity stunt, not a feminist victory
Photo courtesy of Liam Mendes / Wikimedia Commons
On Monday, Apr. 14, pop star Katy Perry traveled to space along with five other women— Gayle King, Amanda Nguyen, Aisha Bowe, Kerianne Flynn, and Lauren Sánchez —aboard Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin rocket. The flight lasted only 11 minutes, and according to BBC News, the rocket took the six women “more than 100 km (62 miles) above Earth, crossing the internationally recognized boundary of space and giving them a few moments of weightlessness.”
While I think the women believed the trip to space would make them look like feminists and demonstrate that an “all-women space trip” could succeed, this ultimately makes them appear out of touch with reality.
Additionally, an entire celebrity cast watched them launch and land from space, including Khloe Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Oprah Winfrey, and Orlando Bloom. Once the out-of-touch celebrities landed, Khloe Kardashian made a statement: “Whatever you dream of is in our reach, especially in today’s day and age. Dream big, wish for the stars—and one day, you could maybe be amongst them,” she said. I found this statement humorous for many reasons. First, the only reason these women were able to go to space was that they were ridiculously rich. Secondly, in today’s world, due to inflation, civilians can’t afford groceries, let alone finance a trip to space. I’m sorry, Khloe, but this statement was not inspiring; it appears you are floating in a different stratosphere than the rest of us.
Another problem I have with this trip is that the celebrities in the rocket seemed to believe that no one could get upset with them for using an abundance of resources and money because they are all women. Yet, spending millions of dollars to go to space as a woman is not feminism; it is “consumer capitalism at its most inaccessible,” as MSNBC states. The marketing for Blue Origin was centered around the fact that only women were going to space; therefore, this must be a win for women worldwide.
In response to this marketing tactic, I say no. No, it is not a win for women— it is a win for these billionaires who have nothing better to do with their time than go to space. Also, did we learn nothing from “OceanGate?” Something happens every time billionaires use their money to go into a small capsule. These women put their lives on the line solely for a marketing tactic and publicity—and it shows.
To make the situation even worse, before their trip to space, the six women posed for a photoshoot in their suits, slightly zipped down, with a sexy but serious expression. While taking photos before a space trip is not uncommon for actual astronauts, for publicity or scientific purposes, the women in these photos look more like marketing props or fashion models for a spacesuit. Personally, I find this entire photoshoot to be very unserious and, honestly, disrespectful to the women astronauts who have worked and trained for years to go to space.
According to MSNBC, Perry’s ambition to go to space was for “the beautiful Earth.” She continued, “I think the perspective that we’re all gonna walk away from is like, ‘Oh my gosh, we have to protect our mother. Fiercely.” Yet, was it really necessary to go to space to know that we need to save the environment and the Earth? I don’t think so. While the Blue Origin rocket uses water vapor and does not emit CO₂, that does not eliminate the damage it still did to the Earth. If Perry actually wanted to help the climate, she should have used those millions of dollars to donate to organizations working to fight against climate change.
Also, the entire time Perry was in space, she barely even looked out to see the Earth! The camera inside the spacecraft shows Perry waving a daisy flower in front of it while smiling. I don’t think real astronauts do that. According to Billboard.com, Perry stated after landing, “I feel super connected to love. So connected to love. I think this experience has shown me you never know how much love is inside you, how much love you have to give, and how loved you are until the day you launch.” I would like to point out how many people would feel helped and loved if they had a home, money to feed their family in a declining economy, or didn’t have to work three jobs to support their family or themselves. It is very frustrating to think of this money and how it could have been spent helping struggling families and communities rather than Perry and five other women using this money to send themselves into space for a joyride.
If we genuinely want wins and progress for women, let's start with the government, which is continuously trying to take away their rights. Alternatively, if we genuinely want to support women advancing into space, let’s champion Suni Williams, who has been an astronaut since 1998 and returned in March after an unexpected nine-month delay in space.
There are so many other women working in STEM and at NASA who people could be supporting, thus displaying how far women have come. Instead, we have this ridiculous publicity stunt by billionaires who couldn’t care less about science or the Earth. Let’s support those who have worked tirelessly for their dreams of becoming an astronaut.