Katy Perry and Lauren Sánchez are two of the six women who recently flew into space with Blue Origin. While the event was historic, as it marked the first time in decades that there has been an all-female space flight, the crew is receiving a lot of backlash, especially towards Katy and Lauren, as many internet users found the trip to be unnecessary and “obnoxious.” Read more about the controversial journey into space below.
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Katy Perry, Lauren Sánchez, And Others Fly Into Space For A Brief Trip
On Monday, April 14th, a crew consisting of six women, including singer Katy Perry, journalist and fiancée of Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sánchez, television personality Gayle King, former NASA scientist Aisha Bowe, research scientist Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn, were flown into space for a speedy trip in collaboration with Blue Origin.
Their trip has been making headlines for the last month after it was announced that the star-studded group of women would be heading into space via Blue Origin's New Shepard flight NS-31. According to Blue Origin's website, this was the 11th human spaceflight for the New Shepard. It was also the first time an all-female crew has taken off into space for a mission since 1963.
After giving some interviews and making a grand entrance, the six women took off in a capsle from Blue Origin's Launch Site One in Texas. Despite all of the anticipation, the entire trip only lasted a total of around 11 minutes as the capsule passed the Kármán line, which, according to Blue Origin, is the "internationally recognized boundary of space."
After parachuting to the ground, each woman walked out of the capsule visibly relieved and ecstatic, having had a once-in-a-lifetime experience like no other. However, when all was said and done, people online weren't very supportive of the event.
Even though it was intended to be a women-led celebratory moment promoting the company's capabilities, crew members like Katy and Lauren received significant backlash for participating in it.
The Internet Slams Katy And Lauren For Taking Part In The 'Obnoxious' Space Mission
After the ladies returned to planet Earth, more information and content from the brief space mission, including footage of Katy holding up a small daisy inside the capsule in honor of her daughter, Daisy, surfaced on the internet. People quickly began forming opinions on a space mission they felt was unnecessary.
Crowds on the internet sounded off on platforms like X, calling the trip "just another entitled, rich, celebrity stunt."
"Nothing like a 10-minute space trip to inspire women, while actual trailblazing women in the field get erased," wrote an X user named Rhonda, who is likely referring to recent lay-offs at NASA. For instance, their former chief scientist, Katherine Calvin, was let go last month.
Some users called out Lauren, who, although has made a name for herself as a journalist and helicopter pilot, rose to a new level of fame after getting engaged to the Blue Origin founder, billionaire Jeff Bezos.
"If they were outrageously wealthy, or marrying a billionaire, then they too could inspire others who wanted to be great for 10 minutes," added an angry X user.
"They proved nothing. They just took an entitled airline flight, and got to be weightless for a few minutes."
The "Firework" singer was judged for her participation in the promotional space mission on several social media platforms, with many internet users stating that she likely was only able to do this because she's a "rich celebrity."
When a TikTok video featuring clips of the pop star in space was posted, users of the app flooded the comments with critiques of her and other women on the flight, which some internet users declared was "obnoxious."
"No one pays attention to the real female astronauts that worked their entire lives to actually accomplish things," commented a TikTok user. "But celebrities ride for 11 minutes and think they've made history."
While two members of the crew were women in S.T.E.M, the four other celebrities, especially Lauren and Katy, did not walk away from the experience without judgement. Therefore, the historical event is clouded by mixed reactions, as some people think it was a progressive moment, while others believe it was a "waste" of resources.
