Though well-intentioned, this rather one-size-fits-all vision of female excellence may have resonated more a decade ago, when the term “girlboss” was still fresh. In the current climate, fans “don’t put up with perfunctory attempts to join the conversation,” says music journalist Amy Davidson. She points out that two of 2024’s most talked-about artists, Charli XCX and Chapel Lone, “have paved the way” with searingly truthful lyrics. XCX’s recent hit, “Girl So Confused,” for example, charts the messy complexities of female friendship with matter-of-fact lyrics like, “Sometimes I think you might hate me/Sometimes I think I might hate you/Maybe you just want to be me.” Meanwhile, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has taken Lone’s sharp and direct invocation of femininomenon and called it “a sensible, … TikTok campaign video Perry could have imagined what purpose Woman’s World might serve.
Meanwhile, Perry’s music video for the song only added fuel to the fire of her detractors, as she plays a bikini-clad bionic woman imitating World War II icon Rosie the Riveter. Recognized by some people Perry responded to the criticism by arguing that the video was intended to incite the male gaze. “It can be anything! Even satire!” she said. Posts X will be displayed with the video clip.
This defensive approach was a far cry from the confidence she displayed when she announced her new album, 143, on the same day that Woman’s World was released. In a press release, the LP read: He boasted Described as “a sexy, bold comeback from the multitalented musician” and “chock-full of the powerful, sexy, provocative pop anthems you love,” the underlying meaning is easy to read: Perry was looking to reclaim the cultural dominance of her imperial days of the late 2000s and early 2010s.
Her glory days
2008’s One of the Boys, her second but first major label album, made her a global star, and 2010’s Teenage Dream made her a true supernova. A bold, maximalist mix of pop, rock, hip-hop, dance and disco, the album spawned five number-one Billboard Hot 100 singles, including “California Girls” and the title track, matching the record set by Michael Jackson’s 1987 album Bad. During this era, Perry also demonstrated her ability to tap into the zeitgeist while tapping into intergenerational nostalgia with cameos from a wide range of celebrities, from then-buzzworthy Rebecca Black to 1990s boy band Hanson to 1980s heartthrob Corey Feldman, in her music video for “Last Friday Night.”
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Perry’s fourth album, the more mature Prism, released in 2013, wasn’t a huge success, but it did produce two Billboard Hot 100 number one hits, “Roar” and “Dark Horse.” It was with 2017’s Witness LP that her chart-topping days really took a downturn. Perry described the album as an “intentional pop” album written in the wake of the previous year’s highly polarizing presidential election, but this message was undermined by the second single, “Bon Appétit.” Filled with vulgar metaphors likening food to sex, the album only reached No. 37 in the UK and No. 59 in the US. Her next album, 2020’s Smile, was followed by the truly great electro-banger “Never Really Over,” but failed to return Perry to the top of the charts.
