Katy Perry: Woman’s World review – what regressive, warmed-over hell is this?

Hey ladies! I woke up this morning feeling different. It was like I had some kind of powerful energy within me. Suddenly, I felt like I could conquer the world. It was a little scary, but also exciting. I realized that I could do anything with this newfound feeling. I could buy things, show off my hidden talents, succeed in my career, or maybe even start my own business. I felt like the strong, complex female lead in my own life story. What was this amazing sensation? As I watched Katy Perry's new music video while brushing my teeth—because dental health is important—I knew what had happened. I had been empowered!

Perry's new powerful single, "Woman's World," made it clear to me that women are in charge and you should feel lucky to be a part of it. In her vision of a woman's world, women are complex, successful, intelligent, gentle, beautiful, confident, passionate, and radiant. The music video showed that you can be a strong, sexy version of Rosie the Riveter, a successful businesswoman, or even a fierce and glamorous bionic horse. Women can achieve anything they set their minds to! Finally, someone has spoken the truth.

There was a strange feeling, like being pulled back through time in a mystical carriage by a frightening bionic woman-horse. It was like going back nearly ten years to August 2014, when Beyoncé performed at the MTV Video Music Awards with the word FEMINIST displayed in bold pink letters. The world was shocked by the idea that girls simply wanted basic rights. It might even feel like going back a few years earlier to when Lady Gaga's loud electro-pop music emphasized the importance of embracing your true self. (By the way, Gaga's popular song in 2014 was Do What U Want, featuring R Kelly, a reminder of how different things were back then.)

Perry's new single, Woman's World, is her first solo release in three years. The 39-year-old singer described it as her first project since becoming a mother and feeling connected to her feminine side. Her previous album, Smile, was released in 2020 but did not reach No 1 in the UK or the US like her earlier album Teenage Dream. She has also had performances in Las Vegas. As she enters the era of her seventh album, it seems like she is facing some challenges as a pop star from the 2010s. The visuals for her new music seem to be influenced by younger artists like Arca and Charli XCX. However, the credits for her upcoming album, 143, reveal that Dr Luke, an old collaborator of Perry's, played a significant role in its creation.

Back in 2014, Kesha took legal action against Luke, whose real name is Lukasz Gottwald, alleging sexual assault, harassment, violence, and emotional abuse. Luke refuted these accusations and filed a counterclaim for defamation, claiming that Kesha, along with her mother and management, had fabricated the accusations in order to get out of their record contract with him. In 2016, Kesha's claims were dismissed by a judge. Kesha also made claims that Luke had raped Perry, but both Perry and Luke denied this. In 2020, a judge determined that these comments were indeed defamatory. It wasn't until 2023 that Luke and Kesha settled the defamation claim.

Despite never being found guilty, Luke is often seen as an outcast in the world of pop music. Artists like Kim Petras who collaborate with him often face negative comments from fans and are forced to defend their decision. When the collaborators for 143 were revealed, Kesha posted a tweet that many believe was a jab at Luke, and later wore a shirt with the same message. Abigail Breslin also spoke out against the collaboration and received death threats as a result. The discussion surrounding Woman's World highlights the conflict of working with a producer with a controversial past to create a song about female empowerment.

The video for Woman’s World has a bit of a mixed message. It starts with Katy Perry dressed as Rosie the Riveter and women in work clothes recreating a famous photo. They pretend to use urinals, which are quickly removed to reveal the group getting rid of wellness products and dancing with sex toys. There are women in stars-and-stripes bikinis with oiled and bedazzled boobs. Perry is seen with a bedazzled screwdriver. Instead of making a sharp commentary on women being sold tools of their own disempowerment, it seems more like a sneak peek at a power tools calendar for 2025.

Mixed in with all these over-the-top cheesecake desserts are obvious attempts to cater to the LGBTQ+ fanbase. Perry sings about being both a sister and a mother, making nods to drag culture in a way that may seem excessive. In a later scene of the video, Katy the cyborg horse treks through a post-apocalyptic world, while two men share a kiss in the chaotic background. This attempt to be inclusive falters later on when Perry appears in a monster truck with a glittery uterus hanging from it, unintentionally highlighting the stereotypical and pandering elements present in the video.

I don't mean to sound like a traditionalist, but let's be real, this song was created by six different writers. Sure, it's catchy, but it's basically the stereotypical pop song targeted towards women. Every time I listened to it, I felt like my IQ was dropping.

Just like reheated Lady Gaga, this song also heavily resembles Chappell Roan's track Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl, which is a clever, joyful, and surreal twist on similar songs. Roan, along with Sabrina Carpenter and Charli xcx, are demonstrating how to be a pop star in 2024: they are creative, self-aware, playful, and deep - qualities Katy Perry once had but seems to have lost over time. Charli's song Girl, So Confusing (and the remix featuring Lorde) delves into the complexities of navigating the world as a woman. In contrast, Woman's World feels more like a confused girl than a confident woman.

In the video's conclusion, Perry comes across a young person performing a popular dance on TikTok in front of a ring light shaped like the female symbol. Perry takes the light and shows it off as she flies away in a helicopter. The teenager asks, "Who are you?" possibly acknowledging Perry's decreased presence in the music industry lately. Perry responds by shouting, "I'm Katy Perry!" in slow motion. The sound is more like a desperate cry than a triumphant roar.