Katy Perry's New Song Woman's World Faces Backlash for Outdated Feminist Message

American pop star Katy Perry's latest release, "Woman's World," has sparked significant controversy on social media, resonating particularly within South Korea. The track, touted as a "feminist" anthem, has failed to impress mainstream audiences and critics who argue that its portrayal of feminism is outdated and misguided.

"Woman's World" aimed to celebrate women's empowerment, but many have criticized it for perpetuating stereotypes and hypersexualizing Perry's image. Critics argue that the song's male-centric perspective on womanhood undermines its intended feminist message. Compounding the backlash is the fact that the song was produced by Dr. Luke, a controversial figure accused of sexually assaulting singer Kesha, further casting doubt on the song's feminist credentials.

Here is the music video below:

A viral post on the popular Korean online community Theqoo has added fuel to the fire. The original poster highlighted several risqué scenes from the music video, which has since garnered over 53,000 views and more than 300 comments.

The majority of comments condemned Perry for her outdated view of feminism, with netizens expressing their disappointment and frustration.

• “It looks like she made all the fuss to show off the muscles she has built and how she has shaped her body.”
• “This song is causing huge backlash because she worked on it with Dr. Luke, whom Kesha accused during the #MeToo movement…”
• “What kind of Feminism is this? TT”
• “It’s really difficult to look at…”
• “What is this? Makes you wonder if she is okay in the head.”
• “No matter how you look at it, the concept seems to have a pin-up girl vibe. What feminism?”

• “What’s with the gay part in the middle?… And blowing air into the body is too reminiscent of a sex doll.”
• “Oops.”
• “It feels like she just exploited feminism…:
• “It feels like the feminism from the 1920s when there wasn’t any freedom to wear whatever clothes you wanted, so you took them off…?? You can’t call that feminism now. Just looking at the images, it seems anti-feminist.”
• “…??”
• “Where exactly is the Feminism…? Is that person living 50 years in the past?”

Criticism has also poured in from global social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter). Users like @jeremiahjw, @burbankbleacher, and @allurequinn have voiced their disapproval, pointing out the song's failure to resonate with modern feminist ideals.

Katy Perry just did a “women empowerment” song with publicly know abuser Dr Luke and Kesha just did a TED talk about how music helped her through Dr Luke’s abuse pic.twitter.com/PfWb3PTHmb https://t.co/hsbTuWzASW

— Jeremiah Warren ◡̈ (@jeremiahjw) July 11, 2024

It’s very clear that Bebe Rexha sharing her story about Dr. Luke has led to her career being sabotaged, while the media has ignored her story and helped build his comeback. I’m sad to see Katy working with him

If you’re angry, let’s get #MuteDrLuke trending pic.twitter.com/wUjrFzLxMN

— Babble (leaving soon) (@burbankbleacher) July 11, 2024

the music video for dr. luke produced ‘woman’s world’ by katy perry now officially has more dislikes than likes pic.twitter.com/82CKdvkKVU

— pop culture gal (@allurequinn) July 14, 2024

Despite the intended message of empowerment, "Woman's World" has inadvertently sparked a broader conversation about the evolving nature of feminism and the importance of authenticity in advocacy.