Katy Perry’s ‘Woman’s World’ video criticized for targeting men

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

A wild clip has divided audiences since its release Thursday, with some fully supporting Perry’s over-the-top take and others suggesting it seems much more focused on the male gaze than an actual reflection of the song’s feminist lyrics.

Clocking in at just under three minutes, the video opens with Perry talking about Rosie the Riveter while working on a construction site. However, the video quickly escalates to Perry urinating in a urinal, pouring “Ladies’ Whiskey” all over her face and chest, and removing her safety vest to reveal an American flag bikini. Another close-up literally shows Perry’s breasts moving in slow motion.

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

Turns out, some KatyCats were there, right alongside her, to cheer. One user wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “THIS IS KATY PERRY’S WORLD AND YOU’RE LUCKY TO LIVE IN IT.” Another called the track “song of the year.”

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Others took to social media to clarify whether or not the video was meant to be a parody due to its over-the-top plot. After all, “Woman’s World” has been touted as an anthem for female empowerment, with lyrics like, “She’s a sister / She’s a mother / Open your eyes, look around and you’ll find out, you know / It’s a woman’s world and you’re lucky to live in it.”

One fan commented: “The lyrics with the weird imagery and current political issues women face give me cognitive dissonance, is this supposed to be satire?” On YouTube, another added: “I thought the first part before the anvil was satire… but then I realized the whole plot was aimed at the male gaze and she just tacked ‘Woman’s World’ on to pander.”

A second YouTube commenter compared it to something they would see play out on the outrageous series Supes, The boys. “It’s like something Vought has on The boys “Women who were accused of misogyny responded by saying, ‘No, you see, we’re feminists,’” they wrote. “This video missed its mark by about 10 years.”

Another added: “She’s gorgeous, no doubt about it, but honestly, she’s not really helping women in this situation. I said what I said.”

The song itself has also received a lot of criticism 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 lawsuit 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 the hell did you think writing a song about female empowerment with Dr. Luke was a good idea?!”

The reactions to the song, both good and bad, seem to be working for Perry. The video has already been viewed over 3 million times less than 24 hours after its release. In fact, some can already see the song’s potential to become a hit in the future, as one YouTube user wrote, “This song is gonna be a hit in 5 years when it’s played during a commercial for women’s razors.”