Perry’s definition of female empowerment might be a little different than, say, Gloria Steinem’s. Although Perry won’t hesitate to strap sparklers to her breasts for the movement, she has hesitated to call herself a feminist.
“I am not a feminist,” she told Billboard magazine in 2012, adding, “but I do believe in the strength of women.”
Perry changed her mind last year during an interview with an Australian morning television show. When asked the same question, she said, “A feminist? Uh, yeah, actually.” She then admitted, “I used to not really understand what that word meant, and now that I do, it just means that I love myself as a female and I also love men.”
The blogosphere erupted in groans over Perry’s definition of the term that is less about love of any gender and more about achieving the same rights for women as men enjoy.
In Perry’s defense, she’s not popular because she’s a gender studies scholar, but because she makes catchy songs, breast-sparklers or not.
Speaking of, Perry’s got a 12-minute mash-up of her greatest hits planned, including a planned duet with Lenny Kravitz.
“Everything I’ve done in my career hasn’t been blatant this or that. It’s always with a wink. It’s a soft-serve sexiness,” Perry said. “My intention is that everyone talks about the music and nothing else. … Sometimes you can’t control other people. But I will control myself.”