Fans criticize Katy Perry’s ‘Woman’s World’ video for catering to male gaze

Some fans are wondering why Katy Perry’s new “Woman’s World” music video seems so determined to capture the attention of men.

A wild clip has divided audiences since it was released on Thursday, with some fully behind Perry’s over-the-top vision and others suggesting that it appears much more focused on catering to the male gaze than actually reflecting the song’s feminist lyrics. 

Clocking in just under three minutes long, the video opens with Perry evoking Rosie the Riveter as she works at a construction site. However, it quickly devolves into Perry peeing at a urinal, pouring “Whiskey for Women” all over her face and chest, and peeling off her safety jacket to reveal an American flag bikini. Another close-up shot literally shows Perry’s breasts moving in slow motion. 

After being flattened Wile E Coyote-style by an anvil, Perry is brought back to life wearing a bikini and robot-inspired shoes that require her to stick a gas nozzle into her butt cheek in order to recharge them. She then steals a woman’s phone and ring light, boards a helicopter, and screams, “I’m Katy Perry.”

As it turns out, some KatyCats were screaming in excitement right there with her. One user wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “ITS KATY PERRYS WORLD AND YOU’RE LUCKY TO BE LIVING IN IT.” Another described the track as the “song of the year.”

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Others took to social media to clarify whether or not the video was supposed to be a parody because of its exaggerated plotline. After all, “Woman’s World” has been touted as a women’s empowerment anthem, with lyrics like, “She’s a sister / She’s a mother / Open your eyes, just look around and you’ll discover, you know / It’s a woman’s world and you’re lucky to be livin’ in it.” 

One fan commented, “The lyrics with the bizarre imagery and current political issues women are facing give me cognitive dissonance, is it meant to be satire?” Over on YouTube, another added, “I thought the first part before the anvil was satire… but then I realized the entire plot was for the male gaze and she just slapped ‘Woman’s World’ on it to pander.” 

A second YouTube commenter compared it to something that they’d see unfold on the outlandish Supes series, The Boys. “This is like something Vought on The Boys would put out after they got called out for being misogynist to be like ‘no see we’re feminist,’” they wrote. “This video missed the mark by about 10 years.” 

Another added, “She looks amazing, no denying that but honestly – she’s not really helping women with this one. I said what I said.”

The song itself has also received heavy backlash all week because it was co-written and produced in part by Dr. Luke, who was previously accused of sexual assault and emotional abuse by Kesha in a 2014 lawsuit. (The suit was dismissed in 2016 and a defamation countersuit filed by Dr. Luke was later settled out of court). In response, one X user wrote, “How on Earth did you think writing a song about women empowerment with Dr Luke was a good look?!”

The reaction to the song — both good and bad — appears to be working for Perry. The video has already clocked over 3 million views less than 24 hours after it was first released. In fact, some people can already see the potential of it becoming a hit in the future, with one YouTube user writing, “This is gonna go so hard in 5 years when it’s played during a commercial advertising women’s razors.”