Photo courtesy of ABC News.
Students at St. Ambrose University are joining the global reaction of shock and disbelief following Katy Perry’s recent trip to space. The pop star has faced significant backlash since her brief eleven-minute journey, leading to a sharp decline in ticket sales and putting her world tour in jeopardy.
According to The Economic Times, “The flight has ended up being a PR disaster… pop star’s reputation is now in jeopardy.” Not only has Katy been struggling to sell tickets for her U.S. dates, but she has also cancelled two Mexico dates.
Student First Reactions
SAU freshman Katie Walsh says, “I was a little shocked because that’s so random. ‘Like what is she doing on the moon?’
“It’s just a traditional case of a celebrity getting to do random, expensive stuff that really serves no purpose other than it’s cool.”
SAU junior Nealy Martin-Thomas says she could not believe the news of Katy Perry going to space. “I thought it was fake at first, but then I started seeing actual news articles about it.
“Most of the information I have seen about this has been from TikTok. Most of the videos are talking about how it was a waste of resources and how billionaires are trying to distract us from the things going on in our world. This shifted my perspective and changed it.”
SAU senior Aniecia Gross had many thoughts on this topic. She says her first thought was, “What the heck is Katy Perry doing in space?” After hearing the shocking news, Aniecia began some research. She says, “I began watching clips and learning about the trip and thought it was one of the most wasteful uses of millions.
“Not only was it a huge waste of money, but a waste of valuable resources and it contributed to a mass amount of pollution being released into the atmosphere for no good reason at all. I could have placed a Door Dash order when they departed and I still would have been waiting on my food when they arrived back on Earth.”
Photo courtesy of The Independent.
Pop Culture Reflections
As stunned as students were to hear about this quick mission trip, they still did not find this to be the craziest thing a celebrity has ever done in pop culture.
Aniecia says, “I do not believe this is anywhere near peak pop culture… As far as I can tell, everyone thinks the trip was stupid and has no meaning behind it.”
SAU senior Malu Garuba recalled what she thinks is a crazier pop culture moment, “I think Britney Spears shaving her head in 2007 is still the wildest thing we have seen happen in a celebrities life.”
Nealy says, “I still have to give the wildest pop culture shock moment to Lady Gaga’s meat dress at the VMAs, that was a bold move.
“But to compare a space trip to drama-based moments like pregnancy suspicions feels wrong… celebrities should not be going on space trips and wasting millions of dollars on resources for their own pleasure.”
Katie had a more recent comparison, “I would definitely compare this to Taylor swift flying to all of Travis Kelce’s games… she received as much backlash as Katy Perry did.
“It’s just rich celebrities using their money to serve themselves, not really caring about who or what they affect.”
However, SAU senior Melissa Pham did find Katy’s moment to be the ‘peak’ of pop culture. “I think the framing from social media is how it should be.
“Its framing is more connecting with the younger generation and what they are doing on social media. Like how everything is on social media or if it’s not on video, then it never occured.”
Katy has since admitted to feeling “battered and bruised” due to the backlash she has received according to a BBC article. She says, “The ‘online world’ had tried to make her a ‘human pinata.’” Her album had already been poorly received prior to the trip followed by criticism for her part in Jeff Bezo’s all-female Blue Origin space trip.
Overall, 2025 has been a rocky start for pop star Katy Perry. From a lukewarm response to her latest album and backlash over her space voyage to declining ticket sales, fans are growing increasingly disappointed with her recent endeavors.
