Katy
Perry wants to have the message and the level of importance that the Spice
Girls had in the 90’s, but she’s completely missing the point.
Too many of her fans are duped into believing she is an icon of personal growth, and through her, they get to live vicariously through a woman of such self-importance, she has Barbara Streisand praying for deliverance.
She and many like her in today’s entertainment profess to inspire your uniqueness and your humanity, but end up succeeding in exactly the opposite. People like Katy Perry, while pretending to be humanitarian and thoughtful, actually undo every thread of your humanity by externalizing your worth.
They are soulless and without Spirit, in every sense of the term.
In the end, you are nothing but an animal, and females especially are still nothing more than objects armed merely with the skill of manipulation. If you pay attention, this is the real message.
FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO STARDOM
Imagine my surprise when the same Katy Hudson I had been listening to in my religious high school days was the same Katy Perry I’d come to loathe. It’s surprising because of how good her Christian album actually was compared to all of the Christian music that was out at the time (not to mention the stuff she’s put out recently).
And she was only fifteen.
Nowadays, however, she has become an ego-stroking succubus that is fueled by your need to feel better about yourself (especially if you are 25 and under). She will shamelessly pander to you and tell you that you are super-awesome, unconditionally. She will tell you what you want to hear. She is super-cereal.
All pop music does this, but it’s different with her. Good pop music simply mirrors real human emotions and experiences you’ve already had. You hear it, and you go, “Yes! I’ve felt that before, I know what that’s like.”
When you hear songs like “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted,” or, “Stand By Me,” there is no doubt that it is describing a genuine emotion or moment. Everyone connects to it.
I believe these songs have this effect because they have real human spirit. They can’t be called juvenile or frivolous because they are tapping into something much bigger, much more universal. More pure.
The best art has always done this.
Katy Perry’s music may be self-expressive, but it lacks this spirit. It lacks heart.
If you don’t believe me, watch as I compare her to another pop icon from the 90’s, whose career has unfortunately tanked.
She is not the one you think about when you think of maturity, but she has more of it than Katy Perry will ever have. I’m talking about the wonderful Natalie Imbruglia (...yes, that Natalie Imbruglia).
THE AUSTRALIAN INVASION
Her career, in many ways, is like the polar opposite of Katy Perry. She has become increasingly mature in her lyrical content and character, yet her popularity has decreased dramatically.
Despite the fact that much of her subject matter is the same (sex, self-image, nostalgia, etc.) and many of their videos are almost identical, the messages they send couldn’t be farther apart.
The only thing most people my age remember about Natalie Imbruglia was that one song where she’s really sad that was super catchy for about six months. They don’t remember that she actually had five hits off of her first album (which included a wonderful collaboration with Portishead), and that her career continued.
Much of that album was the unsurprising substance of a self-deprecating twenty-something girl whose been dumped on plenty enough to make you wonder when she’d get a clue.
I chalk it up to the spirit of the nineties, and I cannot say if it was genuine or not. What I do know is that if a girl was to learn how to respect and love herself honestly, you would expect it to be reflected in the evolution of her art and the kinds of stories she speaks to. Most importantly, you would see maturity.
I see this with Natalie Imbruglia. I do not see this with Katy Perry.
When Katy Perry was Katy Hudson, she was a fifteen-year-old powerhouse of vocal talent that was singing songs from the heart. It was the heart of a child that was really struggling to reconcile her Christian beliefs with a world that seemed destined to see her fail.
It is not unlike the story of any non-Christian child as well, and even her contralto singing style sounded a bit too sultry for some Christian radio stations which refused to even play it.
It was soulful and honest, and nothing like the Jesus-Why-Are-You-So-Awesome one-note symphony of every Christian song that existed, then and now.
But now, Katy Perry is nobody.
She abandoned those roots and started singing songs about disrespecting the very men on whom she’s grown to depend for her fragmented sense of self-worth.
None of her songs suggest that your uniqueness and your beauty are not determined by external forces and need no approval from others, which is the reality. They don’t promote personal responsibility or human decency, and many of them are just downright mean.
Just look at a few examples...
One
note before I begin my analysis: I’m not talking about talent or quality here.
Both women are clearly talented, and I recognize the catchiness of Katy Perry’s
music. I likewise don’t believe Natalie’s decline in popularity has much to do
with the merits of her music, nor is that going to be a subject of discussion
here. I’m simply comparing two very different messages regarding very similar
topics.
 |
| Wreckless, immature and irresponsible actions are necessary for fun. |
Like all of the following examples, note how the message in this very similar song and video contrasts with that of Natalie's:
 |
| A good attitude and good company is all you need for fun. |
You’ve
met the girl who doesn’t know how to communicate to another hominid unless it’s
to regale him or her with stories of her last weekend bender. Smart things bore
her, and if you wanna get on her level at all, you better stop caring about
things and start caring about her and her careless activities.
That’s
Katy Perry in a nutshell.
It’s
the same story as Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance.” Pay no attention to the million
ways in which your behavior may find you raped or killed, and don’t listen to
anyone who might wish you to reconsider.
It’s
very uncool, after all, for your parents to get mad when they find half-naked
men in your room.
And
if you are the homely unpopular girl that no one would ever actually talk to in REAL life to save a small child’s life, just
know that blackouts will get you into the party where the fun happens, and you
will have the beauty and popularity of Ms. Perry herself. It’s practically her
money-back guarantee.
And
unpopular kids who know this isn’t true will follow suit anyway, believing that
their success lies in endlessly demonstrating your poor decision-making skills
to those who never have and probably never will give a rat's patoot about you.
Katy’s
convinced them that this is how you REALLY make friends.
The
message of immaturity is not just a nit-picky token, taken away merely by old
persnickety curmudgeons with nothing better to do. It is the bread and butter
of the Katy Perry brand, and you don’t need to be a cane-wielding old fart to
see it.
The
Katy Perry slogan should be: “Irresponsibility, always.” It should be tattooed
on her arm, in fact. I would respect her more for it.
And
the only thing better than recklessness to have fun is lots and lots of money…
 |
| I need men to bankroll my carelessness and my excessively expensive tastes. If they tell me no, I just attack their manhood. |
 |
| Joy is a state of being that can't be bought, and it's best when shared. |
There’s
no problem with an innocent little song about having a little fun, even if that
involves Vegas. Hell, I used to live there, I should know.
If
it centers on fun with friends, like Natalie’s, the video could be breakfast
with the president for all I care. But there’s more to “Waking Up In Vegas”
than that.
First
of all, even after living in Vegas for two years, even I didn’t have as much
fun as she has in that video. If you’ve ever been to Vegas, you learn rather
quick: it’s expensive! The sickeningly glamorous time she has is unrealistic
even for a local, and that’s sort of the point.
Much
literature has been written about women who have unrealistic ideals in media
and fashion to which they constantly compare themselves, and now with digital
models being used more and more to sell clothing, those ideals are becoming
increasingly unreasonable. For this reason I don’t have to belabor the point.
The
belief that the key to happiness is a rich man is unrealistic. That every girl
should demand it is also very juvenile.
I
suppose if you’re still living out your life like you thought it should be
lived when you were a teenager, then Katy Perry would make a lot of sense to
you.
She
probably does make sense to a lot of teenagers who don’t know that mutual
respect is actually necessary for every
relationship. Who’d’a thunk it?
Unfortunately
for them, Ms. Perry doesn’t even think sex is all that special, and she’s not
all that classy about it either.
 |
| My standard for sexual intelligence is a spurious juvenile fantasy. |
 |
| My standard for sexual intelligence is a moment of pure joy and ecstasy. |
Natalie
is most certainly not the first to write a song about sex and will not be the
last. Her song is not groundbreaking, but it is leagues ahead of Katy in its
maturity of the subject matter.
Perry’s
video, for example, uses the same metaphor – the ocean – but also blatantly shows
the sex. As if it wasn’t clear, a motel room was picked out and a hot young
obviously-not-teenage stud has his way with the presumably teenage Katy Perry.
At
least I think she’s a teenager in the video.
That
part is really confusing.
It
says that the best feeling a girl can have is to feel the way she felt before
she knew what being treated like a piece of meat really meant. It was a time
when you are anxious as hell to give away that which should demand the most
respect from the other. It is not a frivolous deed, especially when you are 16.
When
the song speaks of “no regrets,” it overlooks the obvious reality of winding up
preggers, too. It muddies an already cloudy pool known as sex, but leaves the
impression that the water is actually quite clear. It’s about feeling alive, so
says the song.
If
you think I’m making a mountain out of a mole-hill, then tell me why so much
stock was placed by her and her producers in this teenage fantasy? It wasn’t
just a song, it was a single upon which her second album was titled.
It’s
pretty big, and her demographic (teenagers) shows it. Not to mention the fact
that it is the actual image of a teenage, stardom-bound Katy, which serves as
the poster for Katy Perry’s new concert film.
Dreamy-eyed
teens are a cash cow for Katy, so it definitely makes a difference what she’s
saying about teens and sex.
“Teenage
Dream” and “I Kissed A Girl” are the songs that started her pop career, so it’s
kind of a big deal.
I
don’t think approaching sex as a teenager would is very meaningful or smart at
all.
Sex
is a powerful thing that wise men and women have puzzled over for millennia.
It’s not a joke, even if it could be likened to one – it shouldn’t be
explained, just experienced.
Immature
lessons about sex would be bad enough, but that says nothing of the damage done
when she knowingly exploits it…
 |
| Basing your self-worth on the uncontrollable sexual impulses of weak men is fun! |
 |
| Basing your self-worth on the uncontrollable sexual impulses of weak men is definitely NOT fun. |
I’m
not sure why you’d ever want to cheat on Natalie Imbruglia, but the point is
pretty clear: If you make yourself an object to a man, that is what you will be
to him. And that ruins the lives and dignity of everyone involved.
Maybe
no one has informed Katy that she will never have a true friendship with a
straight male, and maybe she likes it that way. All I know is that I have
several attractive female friends who hate the fact that men only seem to be
nice for one obvious reason, yet still the women play into it always. Society
tells them to.
Katy
Perry tells them to.
Your
worth is your ability to turn heads. If you can’t do that, you’re nobody. Go
cry somewhere if you can’t.
But
hey, if you’re going to destroy the self-worth of everyone involved, at least
enjoy yourself while you’re at it! After all, no one has the right to tell you
that you can’t! Right?
Wrong.
You
know that you’re worth more than that, and men deserve better than a sex object
as well. They deserve a woman who doesn’t use her body as a pawn in some game,
and they certainly shouldn’t bother themselves with a woman who doesn’t know
her own worth.
And
why, ladies, like all other things, do you have to prove this one thing to
anyone?
Whether
others find you attractive or not, this is not where you should place your
worth at all.
The
world can tell you if you are good-looking, but it can’t tell you if you have
goodness in you. That is something you must learn internally.
The
message Katy Perry seems to be sending is this: Not only are you allowed to be
a terrible person, you should force the world to tell you that you’re awesome
anyway.
Even
her most innocent-sounding and seemingly positive song has this hidden
assumption…
 |
| Your struggle is external and you have everything to prove to everyone. |
 |
| Your struggle is internal, and your humanity needs to be proven to no one but yourself. |
See
the difference?
There
are some things that need to be proven to others. Your ability to drive a car,
for example. Or your ability to sing or do long division.
But
your humanity is not one of them.
I
don’t think Katy Perry is talking about humanity at all. Everything is a
contest with her, as you’ve seen from these few examples.
In
“Hot and Cold,” she all but beats a guy into submission (with baseball bats, no
less) because he’s not man enough to make a decision. “Ur So Gay” is one of the
meanest songs she’s ever written, and even her breakout hit – “I Kissed a Girl”
– flaunts a petty experiment with the same sex like it’s a status symbol.
It
is not an important or emotional act of self-discovery, it is just an
immaterial checkpoint in a game of spurious value, made all the more petty by
her need to mention the discarded feelings of her current partner.
Everything
is rivalry, manipulation and ego with Ms. Perry, it never goes deeper than
that. If it did, she might not have needed to stray much from the progress
she’d already made spiritually, back before she decided: “To hell with internal
growth. The world for the modern female is just Machiavellian manipulation
through sexuality, nothing more.”
So
when she sings, “Make ‘em go oh oh oh,” I think this is what she means. You
need to make sure that everyone accepts you – no exceptions! Never mind that
this is not how the real world works.
Why does she feel the need to show us a boy with cancer, or a girl who's afraid to jump in the pool because of her weight? These are external identifiers, and Katy Perry doesn't know how to assess value in any other way.
How about a church-goer? Or a father trying to get joint custody of his kids from a woman whose been badmouthing him? How about a gazillion other ways in which identity and worth are established that have nothing at all to do with the physical self.
Externalizing your worth is dangerous.
If you don't believe me, try watching the video with the sound off. The finale looks not much different than a PCP-infused Occupy Wall Street riot.
You convince enough people that their worth depends on their willingness to take action and force their sense of self-worth and identity onto others, even if those actions are drastic and violent, and you start to see how that "spark" of which she speaks looks a lot less like Spirit and more like TNT.
I might have thought I was reading too much into it, but when you look at the whole of Katy Perry's career, it makes perfect sense.
To
make the point extra clear, here’s one more example.
 |
| You will not change me, and to prove it I will completely change my entire life. |
Now contrast that message with another pop singer, whose message is just as mature and wholesome as Natalie's...
 |
| I can accept change by being true to myself, and that is why I'm a better person. |
Kelly
Clarkson is the steak to Katy Perry’s tofu, pure and simple. Kelly gets it,
Katy doesn’t. No other way to say it.
Kelly
makes her millions just like any other, and I don’t begrudge her that success.
She’s earned it, and I don’t care what anyone says.
She
also represents what soulful pop music has always done: vicariously
transforming hearts and minds for the better through music.
Sure
people are being validated through Katy Perry as well, but her message is not
one that transforms for the better. These two videos should illustrate once and
for all the real difference between a good, soulful message and one driven by ego.
That all of your actions are oriented around proving your humanity (or any part of your identity) to others is very juvenile. To admit that you have been hurt (something the ego is not keen to do), and that you were changed by someone who maybe never cared about you at all (i.e. The World), is not betraying your humanity at all. It is recognizing it.
If you've ever been betrayed by someone, you know what it's like. To trust someone is to have faith that they see in themselves what it takes to be kind and respectful to others.
If you live your life as if relationships are simply a game, where you must get one over on the other before they hurt you, you will never know love at all. There is much love in Kelley's video, not so much in Katy's.
One
is fueled by self-respect and the other is fueled by petty antagonism. Can you
guess which is which?
It’s
the same song, but informed by two different philosophies. One says you don’t
ever have to change, unless you can say that the change was always a “part of
you” to begin with. The other simply acknowledges the change for what it is and
rejoices in the triumph of becoming a better person.
SO NOW THEN...
What
all of these examples show is that real growth and maturity comes from within.
It is a process that does not exclude the outside world, but synthesizes it with
an already beautiful inner landscape waiting to be cultivated.
You
can build up that universe inside you for its own sake, and not for any reason
that the world gives you.
You
have two options.
You
can nurture the light within you by feeding it, and not your ego. You can
recognize that your worth is not defined by the world but by the spirit within.
Or
you can remain ignorant of how best to utilize your inner strength. You can
reduce your body to a mere sexual object instead of seeing it as a vessel of
light, and you can place priority on ideals that are unrealistic at best and
shameful at worst.
You
can do this and stifle that light within you, if you choose. You will become a
pestilence on the world, like Katy Perry. You will forever encourage others to
act as entitled as you feel to undeserved offerings and praises from a world
you seek to control.
You
will do this, but you will find in the end that you have put out the only fire
you possessed which made you a human being in the first place.
PS:
Katy, if you are reading this and you still don’t get it, maybe this song will
help:
