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This article suggests that female celebrities have a star life cycle, and with Perry maturing into her 30s, she is becoming more sensible and choosing t focus on her family rather than her career.

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By integrating star studies and film industry studies, Hollywood Stardom reveals the inextricable bonds between culture and commerce in contemporary notions of film stardom.

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In this music video, Perry publicly announced that she was pregnant. The video appeared much more mature than her previous music videos, suggesting that with this new chapter she is maturing.

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Katy Perry - Never Worn White (Official Music Video)

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Hamed and Tylor (2015) Introduction: feminism and contemporary celebrity culture

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Hamed and Tylor (2015) Introduction: feminism and contemporary celebrity culture

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In this article they scrutinize how Perry didn't identify herself as a feminist in 2014. The article discusses how celebrities like Perry often get feminism confused with misandry.

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On pg. 88, Dyer states 'whether caught in the unmediated moment of the close-up, uncovered by the biographers display of ruthless uncovering, or present in the star's indubitable sincerity and authenticity, we have privileged reality to hang on to, the reality of a star's private self.' This suggests that when we see Perry when she does not expect it, we are seeing her authentically.

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"Acts as a concise introduction to the study of both contemporary and historical stardom and celebrity. Collecting together in one source companion an easily accessible range of readings surrounding stardom and celebrity culture, this book is a worthwhile addition to any library." - Kerry Gough, Birmingham City University "Absolutely wonderful.

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Katy Perry Academic Case Study on the 'Manifestation of Sexual Representation

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Katy Perry Academic Case Study on the 'Manifestation of Sexual Representation

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Abstract

Michel Foucault had discussed that the repression of sexuality was a manipulation of ideology by dominant group. He stated that sexual repression was nothing but a hypothesis that allowed the agencies of power (bourgeoisies, or males) to verbalize sexuality to satisfy their pleasures and desires. On the other hand, women repression has been long existed in popular music culture. The empowerment and independence of women, therefore, became a breakthrough in the history of popular music. However, the author made an assumption that the repressive hypothesis also occurred in this music-gender context. This paper critically analyzed Katy Perry's hit single "Teenage Dream" by applying Foucault's statements in finding the implication of the women repressive hypothesis. The study showed that the traditional context of sexual repression has been transferred to a masculinity-femininity conflict where the repression of womenwas only a hypothesis, raising a conclusionthat the liberation of women in popular music is the pleasures of the patriarchy.

Keywords

Repression of sexuality; Patriarchy; Repressive hypothesis; Popular music

References

Alcoff, L. (2010). Cultural feminism versus post-structuralism: The identity crisis in feminist theory. In W. K. Kolmar & F. Bartkowski (Eds.), Feminist theory: A reader (3 rd ed., pp.368-378). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Cohen, S. (1997). Men making a scene: Rock music and the production of gender. In S. Whiteley (Ed.) Sexing the Groove: Popular music and gender (pp.17-36). London, UK: Routledge.

Danaher, G., Schirato, T., & Webb, J. (2000). Understanding foucault. London: Sage Publications.

Dinh, J. (2012). Katy Perry's 'Part of Me' film inspired by Madonna. MTV.

Foucault, M. (1978). The History of Sexuality, 1. New York: Pantheon Books.

Frith, S., & McRobbie, A. (1990). Music and sexuality. In S. Frith & A. Goodwin (Eds.), On record: Rock, pop, and the written word (pp.371-389). New York: Pantheon Books.

Larrain, J. (1996). Stuart Hall and the Marxist concept of ideology. In D. Morley & K Chen (Eds.), Stuart Hall: Critical dialogues in cultural studies (pp.47-70). London: Routledge.

Lewis, L. A. (1993). Being discovered: The emergence of female address on MTV. In S. Frith, A. Goodwin & L. Grossberg (Eds.), Sound and vision: The music video reader (pp.129-151). London: Routledge.

Longhurst, B. (1995). Popular music and society. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press.

McDonald, P. (1997). The male body in Take That videos. In S. Whiteley (Ed.), Sexing the groove: Popular music and gender (pp.277-294). London, UK: Routledge.

Mercer, K. (1993). Notes on Michael Jackson's Thriller. In S. Frith, A. Goodwin & L. Grossberg (Eds.), Sound and vision: The music video reader (pp.93-108). London, UK: Routledge.

Sawicki, J. (1991). Discipling foucault: Feminism, power, and the body. New York: Routledge.

Shepherd, J. (2003). Media, industry and society. Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of The World, 1. London: Continuum.

Vena, J. (2008). Katy Perry responds to rumors of parents' criticism: 'They love and support me'. MTV.

Whiteley, S. (2000). Women and popular music: Sexuality, identity and subjectivity. London: Routledge.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/4460

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repression of sexuality; patriarchy; repressive hypothesis; popular music

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Abstract Michel Foucault had discussed that the repression of sexuality was a manipulation of ideology by dominant group. He stated that sexual repression was nothing but a hypothesis that allowed the agencies of power (bourgeoisies, or males) to verbalize sexuality to satisfy their pleasures and desires.

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When Google searching. 'Katy Perry Sexy' on google, there is 64,400,000 views, including several YouTube compilations, photos and porn website references.

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Similarly to the other Cosmopolitan Article below, this uses several sexual references with words such as 'sex' in bold to attract the audience's attention. Perry is also seen to pose in a sultry manner in this photoshoot.

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The article cover demonstrates how Perry is often sexualised and viewed as a 'sex symbol'. This article contains many sexual references such 'oragasm', 'sex' and 'porn'. This jargon would not be featured on many other mainstream female artists.

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Katy has released many personalised products through Cover Girl and promoted them. This fits perfectly with her fashion related persona.

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NEW: Katy Perry Pumps Up With PLUMPIFY | COVERGIRL Commercial

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In this article, the Huffington Post discuss how Perry has always been problematic from the beginning of her career.

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Katy Perry has a new album out, which means the obligatory promo tour. Instead of doing the usual talk show circuit, Perry and her people have been savvy enough to identify where her young fans actually watch content; YouTube. The result is the #WitnessWorldWide live-stream. Lasting 96 hours this week, the real-time video saw Perry perform live versions of her hits while hanging out with pop culture beloveds like RuPaul and Anna Kendrick.

One segment in particular captured the attention of fans and critics alike; an interview with Deray McKesson, during which Perry owned up to some of her previous "problematic" behaviour, specifically the accusations of cultural appropriation in her music videos and live shows.

Perry has often cited her sheltered upbringing by strict religious parents as the reason for her delayed journey to wokeness, claiming to still be "unlearning" habits and biases. And that excuse might hold some weight when we're talking about the garbage heteronormative views expressed in 'I Kissed A Girl' and 'UR So Gay', the two most wilfully attention-grabbing songs from her debut album (although it does beg the question, what excuse does the average pop music consumer of 2008 have for giving such tacky homophobia a pass?).

That was nearly a decade ago. Since then we've seen Katy in Egyptian drag, Katy in cornrows, Katy as a geisha -- all to add colour, flair and kitsch value to her material. "I didn't know that I did it wrong until I heard people saying that I did it wrong," she says, softly, in her interview with Deray, "I may never understand... but I can educate myself, and that's what I'm trying to do along the way."

In the live-stream, Perry speaks about the friends, or "empowered angels" as she calls them, who hold her accountable and continually help her to broaden her understanding of the world. One such angel, she recalls, took her to one side after she publicly claimed she wasn't a feminist, and showed her the dictionary definition of feminism. To be clear; Katy Perry needed somebody to help her look up a word in the dictionary.

"It takes someone to say, out of compassion, out of love, 'Hey, this is what the origin is'" she says. It is our responsibility, she believes, to speak to her with "love" when educating her in the ways she is erasing black women, or perpetuating homophobia. "It's hard to hear those clap backs sometimes," she continues, "your ego just wants to turn from them." So in a conversation about a famous white woman's appropriation of other cultures, apparently it is her ego we should be concerned with protecting.

Let's put to one side for a moment the fact that this "apology," praised by Perry's fans, doesn't appear to feature an actual apology. Her contrition would ring so much truer if it weren't doled out during an elaborate promotional campaign for her new album. Here's hoping that, once she's recovered from the ordeal of living in a Big Brother-style bubble for four whole days, one of Perry's "empowered angels" will take her to one side and help her look up the word "sorry" in the dictionary.

To her credit, Perry seems to have made attempts to walk the woke walk lately, putting on a Saturday Night Live performance that was inclusive to drag queens and LGBTQ people of colour -- but even that was met with criticism due to her collaboration with rapper Migos, whose public comments on homophobia seemed to taint Perry by association, and led to all kinds of conflicting rumours that the queer performers were treated badly on-set.

Moving forward, all Perry can do is make a visible effort to listen to her marginalised fans. Because after ten years of borrowed goodwill, she really can't afford another strike.

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Will Katy Perry Ever Not Be Problematic?

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That was nearly a decade ago. Since then we've seen Katy in Egyptian drag, Katy in cornrows, Katy as a geisha -- all to add colour, flair and kitsch value to her material. "I didn't know that I did it wrong until I heard people saying that I did it wrong," she says, softly, in her interview with Deray, "I may never understand...

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Variety Article about Perry's accused Sexual Assault

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Variety Article about Perry's accused Sexual Assault

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In this 2019 Variety Article, it examines the sexual assault claim that Perry's 'Teenage Co-star' has conducted against her. This damages her 'sex symbol' star image by suggesting that she takes her 'sexual nature'  too far making her appear problematic.

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Actor-model Josh Kloss, who starred in Katy Perry 's "Teenage Dream" music video in 2010, has accused the singer of exposing him at a roller skating rink.

Writing on Instagram, Kloss described his interaction with Perry: "It was Johny Wujek's birthday party at moonlight roller way. And when I saw her, we hugged and she was still my crush. But as I turned to introduce my friend, she pulled my Adidas sweats and underwear out as far as she could to show a couple of her guy friends and the crowd around us, my penis. Can you imagine how pathetic and embarrassed I felt?"

Kloss also detailed his working history with Perry, recounting another experience on set for a music video during which Perry allegedly called kissing him "gross." Following the music video, Kloss claims that Perry's representatives prevented him from speaking about his time with the singer.

"I just say this now because our culture is set on proving men of power are perverse," Kloss wrote. "But females with power are just as disgusting."

Kloss played Perry's love interest in the video for the iconic hit song. Their scenes together involve driving in a convertible and partying on a beach.

Reps for Perry declined to comment.
RELATED:

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'Teenage Dream' Co-Star Accuses Katy Perry of Sexual Misconduct

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Actor-model Josh Kloss, who starred in Katy Perry 's "Teenage Dream" music video in 2010, has accused the singer of exposing him at a roller skating rink. Writing on Instagram, Kloss described his interaction with Perry: "It was Johny Wujek's birthday party at moonlight roller way.

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'Putting Her on the Shelf' by Alyxandra VeseyView 

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'Putting Her on the Shelf' by Alyxandra VeseyView 

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In this academic article, it discusses Perry as a 'post-feminist entrepreneur'.

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This article analyzes discourse around pop stars Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj as fragrance spokeswomen. It mobilizes the term "post-feminist entrepreneurialism" to describe business strategies for female recording artists representing themselves as workers and capitalist subjects through the endorsement of mass-produced, hegemonically feminine consumer products that exploit individual brands to engender feelings of proximity and empowerment in consumers. Because such entrepreneurial efforts extend female pop stars' industrial viability, post-feminist entrepreneurialism is defined through a critical reclamation of "shelf life," or the timespan that a commodity can be stored before it spoils. This concept is meaningful for female celebrities who embody the passage of time in complex ways and defend themselves against industrial and cultural perceptions of their own disposability. Post-feminist entrepreneurialism describes the contradiction between empowerment and the erasure of agency for such media professionals. Thus "shelf life" metaphorizes the affective registers embedded within the consumption of endorsed products and the demands placed on female pop stars to sell normatively feminine ancillary properties.

Additional information

Author information

Alyxandra Vesey
Alyxandra Vesey is a feminist media scholar who uses industry and production studies approaches to explore the relationship(s) between gender, labor, and music. Her dissertation analyzes identity and music-based intermediary practices in post-network television. Her work has appeared in Antenna, Flow, In Media Res, The Moving Image, Cinema Journal, Studies in French Cinema, and Saturday Night Live and American TV. She is also an editor for Antenna and The Velvet Light Trap. E-mail: vesey@wisc.edu .

Acknowledgements

The author received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

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This article analyzes discourse around pop stars Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj as fragrance spokeswomen. It mobilizes the term "post-feminist entrepreneurialism" to describe business strategies for female recording artists representing themselves as workers and capitalist subjects through the endorsement of mass-produced, hegemonically feminine consumer products that exploit individual brands to engender feelings of proximity and empowerment in consumers.

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In this academic report by Catherine Palmer, she discusses the concept of 'soft activism'. This concept of soft activism 'describes the social maneuvers that celebrities – be they actors, television personalities, musicians or, in this case, sporting figures – perform in order to effect change'.

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Within the research on sport and social protest, there has been little consideration on the role celebrity foundations might play. Through an analysis of the charity foundations of three of the world's richest and most popular sport stars globally - Roger Federer, David Beckham and Andre Agassi -, this paper maps the potential impacts of their foundations for activism and social justice. The paper argues that it is a particular kind of "soft activism' that sporting celebrities engage in through their philanthropic organisations. Through their foundations, sporting figures operate as well-intentioned celebrities and institutional entrepreneurs who care from afar. Such work does not threaten the hierarchies and inequities built into the institutions of sport but instead legitimate a form of social activism that is fully enabled by and enabling of wider narratives of celebrities 'doing good work'.

Additional information

Author information

Catherine Palmer
Catherine Palmer is Professor of Sociology at the University of Tasmania. He current research focusses on fitness philanthropy and sport and alcohol

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

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Charity, social justice and sporting celebrity foundations

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Within the research on sport and social protest, there has been little consideration on the role celebrity foundations might play. Through an analysis of the charity foundations of three of the world's richest and most popular sport stars globally - Roger Federer, David Beckham and Andre Agassi -, this paper maps the potential impacts of their foundations for activism and social justice.

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In 2012, Perry made a documentary about her life called 'Part of Me', named after her song. The documentary was unavailable on streaming platforms and the only place it was available was cinema or DvD.

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Hollywood Reporter Article on Perry's Trever Project Award

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Hollywood Reporter Article on Perry's Trever Project Award

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This article discusses Perry's acceptance speech where she stated "My mantra has been, ‘Be yourself enough and you can be anything,’ so I’m so proud to be honored by an organization that believes the same exact thing,".

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"My mantra has been, 'Be yourself enough and you can be anything,' so I'm so proud to be honored by an organization that believes the same exact thing," said the "Firework" singer.

Sunday night was filled with hope, support and laughter at "Trevor Live," an evening of musical performances, inspiring speeches and the presentation of the Trevor Hero Award to honoree Katy Perry.

Among the Hollywood stars in attendance were Modern Family's Sarah Hyland, Glee's Kevin McHale and American Idol's Jessica Sanchez, who showed their support for The Trevor Project at the Hollywood Palladium with Parks and Recreation star Amy Poehler as the evening's host.
PHOTOS: Katy Perry: Pop's Candy-Colored Princess Gets Serious
Inspired by the Academy Award-winning 1998 short film Trevor, The Trevor Project has become the leading organization that aims to help LGBTQ youth by preventing suicide, providing support and saving young lives through its national call center, mobile devices and online services.

Trevor Project chairman Kevin Campbell noted how the cause originated in Hollywood while explaining to The Hollywood Reporter why the "Firework" singer was selected as the recipient of this year's Trevor Hero Award.

"Katy Perry has such a message of being yourself," said Campbell. "I watched the Katy Perry documentary a few views ago ... and she's just like, 'I just want to be the best Katy Perry.'"

"If that's not the Trevor message, then I don't know what it is," Campbell continued. "So we're very proud to have Katy help spread the message about Trevor. She's amazing."

The star-studded event concluded with director Adam Shankman ( Rock of Ages) presenting Perry with the award, which he said "honors an individual for empowering youth and increasing visibility and understanding of the [LGBTQ] community."
STORY: Billboard Celebrates Katy Perry, Carly Rae Jepsen With Women in Music Issue
"I finally feel accepted," the singer-songwriter cracked in her acceptance speech.

"I think we all know the real heroes are the folks at the call center," Perry continued. "As much as I wish we didn't have to, they are there -- day in and day out -- reminding people that there is value in staying. The organization has educated me so much."

Billboard's woman of the year, who grew up with a strong religious background, revealed during her speech that she was once told the LGBTQ community it was "an abomination."

"But when I started to ask questions, it was hard to find an answer that made rational sense from the bubble around me," said Perry. "As I've grown up, I've freed myself from that mindset."
STORY: 20,000-Plus Turn Out for Obama Rally with Katy Perry in Milwaukee
Perry concluded: "My mantra has been, 'Be yourself enough, and you can be anything,' so I'm so proud to be honored by an organization that believes the same exact thing, and I'm so active in reminding LGBTQ young people about it. I'm looking forward to working more closely with The Trevor Project in years to come, and I thank you all for this award and for educating me so that I can educate others."

Previous honorees of the Trevor Hero Award have included Lady Gaga, Susan Sarandon, Daniel Radcliffe, Kathy Griffin, Neil Patrick Harris and Vanessa Williams.

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'Trevor Live': Katy Perry Presented With Trevor Hero Award by Director Adam Shankman

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Sunday night was filled with hope, support and laughter at "Trevor Live," an evening of musical performances, inspiring speeches and the presentation of the Trevor Hero Award to honoree Katy Perry.

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Hollywood Reporter on Perry's 'Part of Me' Video.

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Hollywood Reporter on Perry's 'Part of Me' Video.

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This article examine Perry's 'Part of Me' Video where she is dressed as a marine. The article states 'Shedding her sugary sweet image, Katy Perry opts for a pixie cut and camouflage in her music video for “Part of Me.” Perry wants the song to represent inner strength and she dresses like a marine to portray this.

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Shedding her sugary sweet image, Katy Perry opts for a pixie cut and camouflage in her music video for "Part of Me."

The singer pairs her infectious radio hit with a military theme, promoting female empowerment in the wake of a messy breakup.

The video opens with a confrontation as Perry leaves her straying boyfriend behind. In the scenes that follow, the raven-haired singer decides to join the marines - chopping off her lengthy locks and enlisting in basic training.

The Ben More-directed video was shot in February at the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base in Oceanside, Calif. "Part of Me" debuted on Wednesday, March 21, during an MTV Special, MTV First: Katy Perry.

"It's an affirmation of strength, so I wanted to go the strongest route I ever could," Perry said during the show. "Literally, I was like, 'I'm gonna join the service. I'm gonna join the Marines.' We used only Marines. ... For three days, I was a wannabe Marine, which was so difficult."

Perry's latest single will be featured on her forthcoming Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection, due out March 26.

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Katy Perry Joins the Marines in 'Part of Me' Music Video

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Shedding her sugary sweet image, Katy Perry opts for a pixie cut and camouflage in her music video for "Part of Me." The singer pairs her infectious radio hit with a military theme, promoting female empowerment in the wake of a messy breakup. The video opens with a confrontation as Perry leaves her straying boyfriend behind.

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Story Pick Article of Perry's Most Empowering Songs

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Story Pick Article of Perry's Most Empowering Songs

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This article talks about Perry's most empowering songs discussing many of the lyrics. This shows that she is constantly creating music that she wants to empower people and make them happy within their own skin.

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Katy Perry. When you hear or read this name, the first thing that comes to your mind are the lyrics, "I kissed a girl, I liked it!". With these simple words, Katy Perry questioned and challenged something way bigger than the world of pop stars. She has become quite an icon of freedom of expression and the freedom to have any hair colour you want as well. 😛

Here are our picks for her most empowering words through her upbeat melodies and a powerful voice.

1. Roar

2. Firework

3. This Moment

4. Legends Never Die

5. I Kissed A Girl

6. Part Of Me

7. Dark Horse

8. Rise

9. Not Like The Movies

10. International Smile

Thanks, KatyCats! We love you! <3

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10 Most Empowering Songs Of All Time Only Katy Perry Could've Come Up With

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Katy Perry. When you hear or read this name, the first thing that comes to your mind are the lyrics, "I kissed a girl, I liked it!". With these simple words, Katy Perry questioned and challenged something way bigger than the world of pop stars.

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In this online chat show, the presenter criticize Perry for saying that she 'is not a feminst' whilst excepting her award for Billboard's 2012 Woman of the Year Award.

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In 2012, Billboard honoured Katy Perry with the Woman of the Year Award.

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Katy Perry will take home the Woman of the Year Award at the 2012 Billboard Women in Music event on Friday, Nov. 30, in New York City, capping off a year that's seen the pop star break chart records, release a 3D feature film and bring her candy-colored tour all over the world.

After launching into the mainstream with the saucy single "I Kissed a Girl" and hit album "One of the Boys," Perry set fire to the charts with 2010's "Teenage Dream." The record-setting album notched five Hot 100 No. 1s, a first for an album by a female artist, and has sold 2.5 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. "Dream" spent over 100 weeks in the Billboard 200.

PHOTOS: Katy Perry's 40 Most Outrageous Outfits

Perry's impressive numbers also include a record nine No. 1s on the Pop Songs chart, a record seven on the Adult Pop Songs chart, 10 on Dance/Club Play Songs and an overall seven atop the Hot 100. She's sold 48 million songs in the U.S. alone, according to SoundScan, with tracks such as "Firework" and "California Gurls" among the top 30 downloads ever.

Her chart dominance extended to her ambitious "California Dreams" tour, which sold out 124 arenas while helping fund charity efforts for the Children's Health Fund, Generosity Water, the Humane Society and the Red Cross. The tour was documented earlier this year in "Katy Perry: Part of Me," the 3-D concert film that Perry both starred in and produced. She debuted the film in Los Angeles with a special performance for Billboard and Pepsi's Summer Beats series this summer, shutting down the Hollywood and Highland intersection for hundreds of fans.

Perry debuted her latest hit single, "Wide Awake," during a high flying performance on the Billboard Music Awards on May 20 in Las Vegas. The song went on to reach No. 2 on the Hot 100.

"Katy Perry broke into the industry not even five years ago, and has already accomplished more than most artists can hope for in an entire career," Bill Werde, Billboard's editorial director, says. "We are thrilled to celebrate these incredible achievements and her amazing past 12 months by honoring her with the Billboard Woman of the Year Award. With what seems like a never-ending supply of record-breaking, chart-topping hits, coupled with her unique and fresh style, Katy Perry is hands-down one of the most exciting and inspiring artists in the industry today."

Billboard's annual Women in Music Event, now in its seventh year, celebrates the most powerful and talented women in the music business, coinciding with the publication of Billboard's Women in Music Power Players list. This year's event will be taking place on Friday, Nov. 30 at Capitale in New York City. Previous honorees include Taylor Swift, Fergie and Beyoncé.

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Katy Perry Is Billboard's Woman of the Year

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Katy Perry will take home the Woman of the Year Award at the 2012 Billboard Women in Music event on Friday, Nov. 30, in New York City, capping off a year that's seen the pop star break chart records, release a 3D feature film and bring her candy-colored tour all over the world.

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The lyrics within her song state 'I got the Eye of the tiger, a fighter...and you're gonna hear me roar!'

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This article discusses how many of Perry's songs empower women, specifically her single 'Roar' which was realised after her divorce from Russell Brand. By releasing a song that suggests overcoming hard times in life she is allowing her audience to relate to her. This empowers her audiences to do the same.

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American singer Katy Perry might be one of the sexiest women in the world, at least according to the millions of men who vote for her in numerous polls, but she's also a pretty good role model for women as well. After all, what woman wouldn't want to be as sexy as Katy Perry, as beautiful and, of course, as successful - and with a personality that pretty much says she's going to do what she wants to do and don't try to stop her.

That's why I'm listening to Katy Perry's ' Roar ' today as my Repeat Rotation Video. Because it's an awesome female empowerment song and even has a fabulous video to match. And, well.....it's Katy Perry. Enough said.

Katy Perry's 'Roar', of course, is one of the biggest hits she's ever had. Over 9 million singles sold, and over 667 million views on the YouTube video so far, making it one of the most successful YouTube videos ever.

Want to support female empowerment and give her a few more views? Then click on the video below and play it for your Repeat Rotation Video today, just like I'm playing it for mine.

And as usual - play it loud, with headphones, and personally I don't do eyes closed on this one as.......it's Katy Perry......she's beautiful and, yep....... dance.

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Katy Perry's 'Roar' - Female Empowerment at Its Best: Repeat Rotation Video

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American singer Katy Perry might be one of the sexiest women in the world, at least according to the millions of men who vote for her in numerous polls, but she's also a pretty good role model for women as well.

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This is a extract taken from Perry's Part of Me Documentary. In this clip, she breaks down over her marriage breakdown with Russell Brand. She discusses how she thought she could have a career and a marriage but that was not the case. Her breakdown of emotions allows the audience to see a vulnerable side of Perry which contrasts with the crazy pop persona which many people are accustomed to.

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In 2016, Katy Perry publicly endorsed Hillary Clinton supporting her rights for equality and fair education for all. This adds to the humbleness of her star image that she wants to give back to something that she never had.

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The Trevor Project is an organisation committed to raise money and awareness for LGBTQ+ teenagers to prevent suicide.

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Katy Perry Picks Up Her Award From The Trevor Project

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The 'Teenage Dream' singer attended the Trevor Live event in Los Angeles where she was honoured for her work raising awareness of the issues facing LGBT youth.

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In the Guardian article titled 'Katy Perry says she tried to 'pray the gay away' as an adolescent.' Perry states that there was a lot of controversy about her first single titled 'Ur So Gay' with many people saying it was demeaning to gay people. However, Perry argues this helped start the conversation about connotations of the word 'gay'.

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Guardian Article on Perry's National Equality Award Win

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Guardian Article on Perry's National Equality Award Win

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This article discusses Perry's speech after excepting a National Equality Award at the 2017 Human Rights Campaign Gala. In her speech, Perry discusses how her religious upbringing taught her to 'pray the gay away' but how her views have drastically changed. This article showcases Perry's acceptance of the LGBT Community and adds to her positive and excepting star image.

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Katy Perry has opened up about her Christian upbringing and being taught to "pray the gay away at Jesus camps" while accepting an award for LGBT rights advocacy.

The 32-year-old pop star made an emotional speech while accepting the National Equality Award at the 2017 Human Rights Campaign Gala in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

Perry referred to her breakout hit single, I Kissed a Girl, in describing herself as "just a singer-songwriter".

"I speak my truths and I paint my fantasies into these little bite-sized pop songs, for instance: I kissed a girl and I liked it."
'Purposeful pop': can stars like Katy Perry create change through music?
The song was controversial upon its release in 2008, criticised as being demeaning to gay people - particularly when considered in the light cast by her first single, UR So Gay ("and you don't even like boys").

But Perry implied on Saturday night that it was based on lived experience.

"Truth be told, I did more than that. But how was I going to reconcile that with the gospel-singing girl raised in youth groups that were pro-conversion camps?

"What I did know was that I was curious and even then I knew sexuality wasn't as black and white as this dress.

"Honestly, I haven't always gotten it right, but in 2008 when that song came out, I knew that I started a conversation that a lot of the world seemed curious enough to sing along to."

Her more recent advocacy for LGBTQ rights, including her campaigning for Hillary Clinton before the US election last year, led to her being honoured with the HRC's National Equality Award on 18 March.

Chad Griffin, the HRC president, said in a statement that Perry had used her "powerful voice and international platform to speak out for LGBTQ equality".

"Her compelling advocacy, from the stage to the campaign trail, has had a profound effect on the lives of LGBTQ people -- and, in particular, young people. Katy's message of inclusion and equality continues to inspire us and the world."

Perry's religious upbringing is widely known, with her parents both Protestant pastors. In 2001, before her breakout pop success, she released a collection of Christian gospel songs as Katy Hudson.

"My first words were 'mama' and 'dada', 'God' and 'Satan'," said Perry on Saturday night. "... When I was growing up homosexuality was synonymous with the word 'abomination' and 'Hell', a place of gnashing of teeth, continuous burning of skin and probably Mike Pence's ultimate guest list for a BBQ. ... So most of my unconscious adolescence, I prayed the gay away at my Jesus camps.

"But then in the middle of it all, in a twist of events, I found my gift. And my gift introduced me to people outside my bubble, and my bubble started to burst.

"These people were nothing like I'd been taught to fear. They were the most free, strong, kind and inclusive people I had ever met. ... Oh my goddess, what a revelation - and not the last chapter of the Bible.

"Suffice to say, it's been a long road for me and I'm sure a long road for many of you out there. I know it doesn't always feel safe to live out who you are, but here's the thing, though: I would not have chosen a different road. ...

"You don't get to choose your family, but you can choose your tribe."

KATY PERRY (@katyperry)
I will never cease to be a champion, an ally, a spotlight and a loving voice for all LGBTQ-identifying people. ❤🌈💪🏻(part 1) https://t.co/Swaz38wUwr

KATY PERRY (@katyperry)
I feel sparkly as fuck! Truth be told, I think a lot of that has to do with the magic that has rubbed off on me, from all of you.✨🌈❤(part 2) https://t.co/IZrjbVGdXP

Perry also spoke about embracing the identity of feminist.

"One time I said I'm not a feminist because I don't grow hair underneath my arms and stuff like that, because I really didn't understand what that meant.

"This whole time ... I'm a feminist."

She concluded her speech with a plea to continue the fight for equality, pointing to her own experience of breaking out of her "suppressive shell ... retiring [her] past frame of mind".

"We all know everything good takes work, but we can't let our past get in the way of our brilliant future.

Actor America Ferrera was awarded the Ally for Equality award, presented to her by Girls creator Lena Dunham. Australian singer-songwriter Troye Sivan performed.

Founded in 1980, the Human Rights Campaign is the largest LGBTQ civil rights advocacy group and political lobbying organisation in the US.
Topics

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Katy Perry says she tried to 'pray the gay away' as an adolescent

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Katy Perry has opened up about her Christian upbringing and being taught to "pray the gay away at Jesus camps" while accepting an award for LGBT rights advocacy. The 32-year-old pop star made an emotional speech while accepting the National Equality Award at the 2017 Human Rights Campaign Gala in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

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After her famous feud with rival popstar Taylor Swift, Perry reunited with Swift on her music video 'You Need to Calm Down.' This song is described as 'Pro-LGBT' and features Perry dressed in flamboyant outfits. This adds to Perry's accepting star image, showcasing that she is in full support of the LGBT+ Community.

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LOS ANGELES - Following the release on Thursday of her pro-LGBT song "You Need to Calm Down" and a surprise performance at New York's gay landmark Stonewall Inn on Friday, Taylor Swift has tripled down on her Pride Month activity Monday morning with the release of the video for "Calm Down."

She promised in a social media post last week that "there's a lot going on in the video" and she wasn't kidding: The vibrantly colored, surreal video features her reunion with Katy Perry (with the two of them dressed as french fries and a hamburger) along with appearances from Ellen Degeneres, Ryan Reynolds, Dexter Mayfield, Laverne Cox, Karamu Brown, Rupaul, Antoni Porowski, Jonathan Van Ness, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Justin Mikita, Bobby Berk, Tan France, Billy Porter, Adam Lambert, Todrick Hall, Hayley Kiyoko, Chester Lockhart, Adam Rippon and more.

Perry tweeted shortly after the clip dropped, "This meal is BEEF-free."

The setting is a pastel-colored trailer park, with anti-LGBT protesters being faced down or ignored by the flamboyantly dressed stars; the clip culminates with a massive foot fight. And if Swift's meaning weren't already clear enough, it closes with the message: "Let's show our pride by demanding that, on a national level, our laws truly treat all of our citizens equally. Please sign my petition for Senate support of the Equality Act on change.org.

In the video, Ferguson, who hosted Swift's Stonewall appearance on Friday, is shown kissing a man in a mock-wedding ceremony.

The song's lyrics make her intentions clear, come verse two, she's getting socially conscious in a way that will surprise only anyone who slept through the celebrity news cycle in the first two days of Pride Month, "Why are you mad when you could be GLAAD?" she asks, echoing the last phrase for good measure. "Sunshine on the street at the parade / But you would rather be in the dark ages / Makin' that sign must've taken all night."

For anyone who wasn't clear on her intentions from the mere acronyms of the previous verse, she gets more explicit with the "shade never made anybody less gay" line in the pre-chorus. A possible (probable?) Billy Porter mention comes up in a different iteration of the refrain: "Can you just not step on his gown?"

In a statement reacting to the song on Friday, Anthony Ramos, director of talent engagement at GLAAD, said: "Taylor Swift is one of the world's biggest pop stars. The fact that she continues to use her platform and music to support the LGBTQ community and the Equality Act is a true sign of being an ally. 'You Need to Calm Down' is the perfect Pride anthem, and we're thrilled to see Taylor standing with the LGBTQ community to promote inclusivity, equality, and acceptance this Pride month."

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Taylor Swift reunites with Katy Perry in star-studded, pro-LGBT 'Calm Down' video

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LOS ANGELES - Following the release on Thursday of her pro-LGBT song "You Need to Calm Down" and a surprise performance at New York's gay landmark Stonewall Inn on Friday, Taylor Swift has tripled down on her Pride Month activity Monday morning with the release of the video for "Calm Down."

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In this article, her body is described as 'though sketched by a teenage boy'. This suggests that people view her as having the 'perfect body' that many people idealise.

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Katy Perry: ELLE Canada interview | Elle Canada

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A new album. A new fragrance. A new look. Has Katy Perry reinvented herself? Find out in our celebrity interview.

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'I Kissed a Girl' was Perry's first number one single. The lyrics contain homosexual references with the chorus stating 'I kissed a girl and I liked it.' The music video for this showed Perry surrounded by women dressed in their underwear. This single added to Perry's star image breakthrough and as a consequence many people initially thought of her as a highly sexualised popstar. This song and video added to her sex symbol image.

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This is arguably Perry's more sexualised video, with her appearing naked in the video. There is also a shot of her shooting whipped cream from her chest which has a sex-related connotation.

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In this 2012 article, it discusses the awards Perry had won at the People's Choice Awards, one being for her TV guest appearance in How I Met Your Mother.

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Katy Perry may be regretting her last minute decision to cancel on the People's Choice Awards, where she was honored with five awards out of the six for which she was nominated.

"Unfortunately I will not be able to attend the People's Choice Awards," she tweeted on Jan. 9, just two days before the ceremony. "I want to thank u all for voting for me, fingers crossed! #KATYCATS"
PHOTOS: People's Choice Awards Red Carpet Arrivals
Though she lost to Demi Lovato in the favorite pop artist category, Perry nabbed a total of five awards for the evening - none of which were broadcast during the show itself. A full list of winners posted online reveals that Perry was selected as the favorite TV guest star for her stint on How I Met Your Mother, beating out Gwyneth Paltrow ( Glee), Jim Carrey ( The Office), Kristin Chenoweth ( Glee) and Michael J. Fox ( The Good Wife).

"THANK U to every1 who voted for me for the @peopleschoice tonight!" Perry tweeted after the Jan. 11 awards show. "We won so many! Now I need to get more books 2 successfully display them!"
PHOTOS: 54th Annual Grammy Award Nominees
Among Perry's additional awards are favorite female artist, favorite song of the year for "E.T.", favorite music video for "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" and favorite tour headliner.

The People's Choice Awards were expected to be Perry's first public appearance since news broke of her impending divorce from comedian Russell Brand. During the media frenzy that followed, Perry's father -- an evangelical minister -- was quoted as making several off-color remarks during his sermons. He later apologized.

Perry is next expected to attend the Grammy Awards on Feb. 12, where she is nominated for record of the year and best pop solo performance for "Firework."

To see the complete list of People's Choice Award winners, click here.

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Katy Perry Wins Five People's Choice Awards Including Fave Guest Star for 'How I Met Your Mother'

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Katy Perry may be regretting her last minute decision to cancel on the People's Choice Awards, where she was honored with five awards out of the six for which she was nominated. "Unfortunately I will not be able to attend the People's Choice Awards," she tweeted on Jan.

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In 2011, Perry starred as a guest in an episode of How I met Your Mother. In this episode, she pays an extremely gullible woman who is referred to as 'Honey'. In this episode one of the main characters, Barney, is enamoured by Perry's character because of her beauty. By appearing in this, Perry is adding to her sex symbol status by playing a highly sexualised character and appearing on a show dominated by a young demographic audience.

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Fighting to keep her marriage alive: Sobbing Katy Perry's despair over Russell Brand split revealed in new film Part Of Me

As her marriage to Russell Brand crumbled, Katy Perry was ever the professional, performing to thousands of fans on her concert tour.

But in her new documentary film Part Of Me, the singer is seen breaking down in tears and unable to speak as she struggled to comprehend her relationship problems.

The movie, which was filmed over her 2011 tour, saw the singer and comedian initially happy and in love.

But as the tour continued and they spent increasingly amounts of time apart, Katy has allowed the cameras to capture her despair.

As well as showing that she was the one making the most journeys to visit her husband, the film also reveals their different attitudes to family.

While Russell, 37, appears to be looking forward to parenthood, at 10 years younger and with only a few years of success behind her, Katy isn't quite ready.

The film shows Katie sobbing backstage in Brazil, unable to communicate whether or not the show should go ahead.

But after composing herself, she plasters a big smile on her face and is happy for her audience as the gig starts.

Another scene shows an exhausted Katy on a plane asking one of her entourage when her next break in the tour is so she can fly and see her husband.

She looks distressed when she is informed she won't be able to see him for another 18 days.

In another shot, a crewmember asks Katy is Russell is coming to visit her.

An angry Katy responds: 'He should but he's not.'

She later admits: 'I'm fighting to keep my marriage alive.'

A friend then adds: 'She should be resting, but she wants to fly to wherever Russ is to show she cares. She's running herself ragged.'

Reflecting on her documentary, Katy said this week: ' Every ten days or so I would put everybody (on the tour) on pause for three or four days so I could go back and re-charge and see to my relationship and give that time, which was very intense for me because the show was still on the road.

' But I made that sacrifice because it was important for me and I had made a commitment at that time.

'Sometimes I had to fly in on the day of the show, completely jet-lagged and feeling like I had been hung by my ankles, and have to go on stage. But it's like I pushed a button when I walked out (on stage.'

In another sequence, Katy receives a text from Russell mentioning their future children, to which she says: 'I will be a mother when I decide to be a mother, but not right now. A baby can't have her baby.'

A second text then prompted the singer to break down in tears.

Russell filed for divorce from Katy - who was on tour at the time - in December 2011 after 14 months

In a scene filmed shortly after their split, Katy admits she still misses him: 'I'm a romantic and I believe in the whole fairytale.

'Love is a dream but the reality is making it work. I did everything I could - but its still failed.'

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Fighting to keep her marriage alive: Sobbing Katy Perry's despair over Russell Brand split revealed in new film Part Of Me

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As her marriage to Russell Brand crumbled, Katy Perry was ever the professional, performing to thousands of fans on her concert tour. But in her new documentary film Part Of Me, the singer is seen breaking down in tears and unable to speak as she struggled to comprehend her relationship problems. The movie, which was filmed over her 2011 tour, saw the singer and comedian initially happy and in love.

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In Andrew Tolson's academic article 'Being Yourself': The Pursuit of Authentic Celebrity, he expresses Goffman's terms that individuals are said to 'possess an inner irreducible essence, a ‘real self’ behind whatever public face they might project.' By being 'real' with her audience, Perry appears authentic which allows her fans to relate to her.

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Within this article Perry is described as 'a full-on male fantasy'. This article also describes many sexual related comments which Katy made during the interview. This creates the idea that Katy is a star who is very comfortable being 'sexualised' and within her sexuality.

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It smells like weed in here. Weed and doughnuts.

We're in the basement of the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, backstage at the American Music Awards, in a dressing-room suite that would be spacious if not for all the frenzied humanity crammed inside. Katy Perry sits atop a tall director's chair surrounded by the many, many members of her team: voice coach, two hairstylists, one makeup artist, a costumer, and several others who hover and hand Perry things without her asking: Breath mints. Her phone. Eye drops for her enormous anime eyes. Special pills prescribed by her ear, nose, and throat guy to keep her voice from drying out pre-performance. "It happens," Perry says. "It's the nerves."

She doesn't seem the slightest bit nervous. Which is impressive when you consider that the 29-year-old diva (who's never really seemed like one) is trying something different tonight. Perry has always played a dual role in the culture: at once a full-on male fantasy and a symbol of empowerment who inspires young girls. No other artist has so seamlessly blended teenage dreams and grown-up misadventures, singing about hickeys and crushes, yes, but also threesomes, blackouts, and strangers in your bed. Now, on prime-time television, she's about to twist her image one more quarter turn, transforming from America's audacious, outrageous cleavage-bot into its selfless, doting concubine. At precisely five o'clock, she will kick off the awards show with a Japanese spectacle featuring fluttering fan dancers, four men pounding on gongs, a forest of rolling topiary, and a metric ton of faux cherry blossoms.

DON'T MISS THIS

Now the smell of a different type of flora-Cannabis sativa-wafts in from the hallway.... Ah, okay, Rihanna's suite is twenty feet away. "Everyone is high!" Perry declares, giggling. She means everyone else: "The weed-I'm not friends with it." She is bare-shouldered, bare-legged, barefooted-bare-everythinged, basically, except for the wig cap on her head and the teensy light blue Hello Kitty terry-cloth wrap that cinches above her breasts and ends where butt meets thigh. "I can't do that stuff. I'd be like in the corner: 'Are you trying to kill me?!' "

But that sugar-sweet doughnut reek? Perry takes responsibility. The doughnuts are gone-the victims, it seems, of a fried-dough orgy that ended before I arrived.

She starts warming up her voice: "Eee, eee, eee, eee, EEE, eee, eee, eee, eee!" Five notes up, four notes down, a sort of pitch-perfect keening.

"A little whinier and looser," her voice coach commands. "Make your tongue super-loose."

"Ex-cuse me?" she responds, batting her lashes, enjoying the vague reference to naughty things one can do with one's mouth, then blasts out another scale. "Good," says the coach, dodging a mascara wand and a hot curling iron to play another note on his iPad keyboard. "Now, really whiny. Say: Gwah!"

"Gwa, gwa, gwa, gwa, GWAH," Perry projects, extending her legs, crossing them at the ankles and resting her heels on the makeup table. As someone slips a pair of glittery tabi socks onto her feet, a blur of others poke at her and tug at her and dust her face with Super White theatrical powder.

"It takes a village!" she trills, and the crew laugh anxiously. Her geisha wig has yet to be secured to her head. Her pink kimono is draped on a hanger. In just twenty-five minutes, she's supposed to go live.

It's been six years since Katy Perry announced herself with "I Kissed a Girl," which became her first hit single (and somehow made Chapstick sexy). Ever since, her immense popularity has stemmed largely from her ability to straddle that divide between Madonna (one of her idols) and girl next door. Far more wholesome than that twisted genius Lady Gaga, Perry still exudes vastly more heat and sensuality than, say, Taylor Swift. Part of that's due to Perry's top-heavy physicality, but her sly lyrics and full-throated delivery deserve credit, too. In her music, all of which she co-writes, she handily mixes innocence with lust. She wants to be your homecoming queen and made her mark singing about reading Seventeen and learning how to shave her legs. But she also yearns to melt your Popsicle and see your peacock, cock, cock. When you add in God-she was raised Pentecostal and once recorded on a Christian label-things get even more complicated.

Lay me down at your altar, baby, she sings in "Spiritual," a bonus track, written with her sometime boyfriend John Mayer, off her latest album, Prism-which has sold 771,000 copies (and garnered two Grammy nominations) since it debuted in October. Your electric lips have gotten me speaking in tongues. Somehow, though, when she sings about sex, it doesn't come off as raunchy so much as...uplifting. Positive. And downright good for you. No wonder she has more Twitter followers (48 million) than anyone on earth.

"Fifteen-minute warning!" Perry's assistant manager, a petite woman named Ngoc (rhymes with "sock"), calls out.

The kimono is on now. So are the fake eyelashes. Angular and immense, they stand out against Perry's now ghostly skin. She decided on the geisha act, she says, because she loves spectacle, and she loves Japan (she calls it "the capital of adorableness"), and she thinks the theme fits the song she's about to sing, "Unconditionally," which she wrote for Mayer the last time they broke up. (They're together again now.)

"I was thinking about unconditional love, and I was thinking: Geishas are basically, like, the masters of loving unconditionally." She's so earnest, I don't have the heart to point out that in the gamut of human interactions, the courtesan-patron relationship is, um, maybe the most conditional relationship there is? (Days later, when asked if she followed the mini furor that her performance ignited-some said it amounted to singing in blackface-she tells me she respects the debate but thinks her critics misunderstood. "All I was trying to do is just give a very beautiful performance about a place that I have so much love for and find so much beauty in, and that was exactly where I was coming from, with no other thought besides it.")

The middle child of two traveling ministers, Perry moved around a lot as a kid and developed a canny intelligence that owes more to life living than book learning. By the time the family settled on the poor side of wealthy Santa Barbara, Perry-whose given name is Katheryn Hudson-was more focused on singing and growing up than on studying.

"I lay on my back one night and looked down at my feet, and I prayed to God. I said, 'God, will you please let me have boobs so big that I can't see my feet when I'm lying down?' " At age 11, "God answered my prayers," she says, glancing south. "I had no clue they would fall into my armpits eventually."

By then, she'd already discovered what she calls her "magic trick": When she sang, people would pay her for it. At 13, "I'd go to the farmers' market in Santa Barbara, and I'd put out my guitar case, and I'd test out these little ditty songs that I would write, and I would get a couple of avocados, a bag of pistachios, and, like, fifteen bucks. That was a lot of money for me."

The family was poor, as in eating-from-the-food-bank poor. "We kind of barely got by," she says. "Money was always the biggest problem in our house." So she set out to make some. Her parents-she calls them "oddballs, but I love them"-encouraged her. They'd done some wild living-her mom once went dancing in Spain with Jimi Hendrix, Perry says, and her dad used LSD when he hung with Timothy Leary's circle. Perhaps to make up for that, they were committed, now, to God and to protecting their children from temptation. Perry and her brother and sister were forbidden to listen to rock 'n' roll, to eat Lucky Charms (luck evokes Lucifer), or to watch racy movies.

But Perry was her own girl. She found ways to listen to Incubus, Morcheeba, Queen, and Portishead. She lost her virginity at 16 in the front seat of a Volvo sedan while listening to Jeff Buckley's album Grace. "Love that record so much," she tells me. That was in Nashville, where she'd gone to record her first album, a gospel-rock effort on a soon-to-be-extinct label. When that fizzled, she found herself back in Santa Barbara writing songs. She managed to get a meeting with Glen Ballard, who produced Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill. He encouraged her to move to L.A., where they made an album that was never released because, she was told, it didn't sound enough like Avril Lavigne. She was signed and dropped by two major labels, all while doing odd jobs and passing bad checks before getting picked up by Capitol.

She didn't quit, she says, because she believes in "a cosmic energy that is bigger than me," although she has abandoned many of the teachings of her parents. ("I do not believe God is an old guy sitting on a throne with a long beard.... I don't believe in heaven and hell as a destination.") Today, hers is a faith born of possibility and optimism, she says, adding that she takes being a role model seriously. "I've never had any plastic surgery," she says proudly. "Not a nose, not a chin, not a cheek, not a tit. So my messages of self-empowerment are truly coming from an au naturel product."

She is, in every way, a California gurl. "I see everything through a spiritual lens," she says. "I believe in a lot of astrology. I believe in aliens."

Uh, what?

"I look up into the stars and I imagine: How self-important are we to think that we are the only life-form? I mean, if my relationship with Obama gets any better, I'm going to ask him that question. It just hasn't been appropriate yet."

Relationship with Obama?

"I might have won Wisconsin for him," she says. "Actually, I didn't do too much, but he called on me a couple of times. Which was very nice."

"What if I have a nosebleed in this makeup?" Perry asks in a way that doesn't demand an answer. Which is good, because everyone around her is too busy to speak. With ten minutes to go, the lead wig man, a wiry guy named Clyde, looks a little clammy. He's charged with making sure Perry's heavy hairpiece-it's actually five pieces, complete with bangs and a topknot the size of a loaf of bread-doesn't fall off mid-show.

"Sew it to my head!" Perry commands, then squeals as Clyde cinches it down. "Do it, do it, do it quick!"

She takes a breath, and the voices down the hall can be heard, faintly, through the walls. It could be J.Lo, right next door, or Gaga, two doors down. It might be Perry's good friend Rihanna or Ariana Grande. Whomever we're hearing, though, the cacophony of scales fills Perry with delight. She worked so hard to get into this club, and now she's here. "Listen!" she yells. "Listen to all the other professional people!"

Perry is nothing if not a pro. As a performer and a songwriter (her work has been recorded by Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears, and Selena Gomez), she seems to hit her mark every time. Not so much in her romantic life. Her 2010 marriage to Russell Brand ended when he infamously texted her that he was filing for divorce. She was in the midst of her tour for Teenage Dream-a global marathon marked, she tells me, by the fact that Brand never once came to visit. Six months after their parting, she started seeing Mayer, but to hear her tell it, meditation and a lot of psychotherapy-not the man who has also dated Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Simpson, and Taylor Swift-proved to be her real salvation. One song on the album, "By the Grace of God," which portrays her lying miserably on a bathroom floor, addresses the suicidal feelings she had after Brand's exit: I looked in the mirror and decided to stay / Wasn't gonna let love take me out that way. In "Roar" she sings, I let you push me past the breaking point / I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything.

You get the sense that she's determined not to fall quite so hard again. When I ask her how she and Mayer have come back together, she says simply, "I think that I needed to grow up." She stresses that they're just dating. "I'm just having a wonderful experience with a wonderful guy. There's no rush."

In her dressing room, of course, there is nothing but rush. "Toothbrush, Tamra!" Perry calls out, and her assistant immediately hands over an electric. Perry puts it in her mouth but keeps talking. "Cad I had a cub?" she asks.

Tamra offers a cup. "Spit!" she tells Perry, who obeys.

Teeth clean, Perry appraises her cleavage, which is rosier than her face. This is unacceptable. Pulling off a "full geish," as everyone has taken to calling this look, requires a shocking amount of Super White. Jake, the makeup man, is powdering her furiously: breasts, legs, hands. The air is thick with chalky dust.

"Everyone stop touching me, so that Jake can finish," Perry says, and they step back as he moves in to fix her mouth. A real geisha sports a bow of color right in the center of her lips. Perry's got too much at the corners of her mouth, which Jake now wipes off in a garish red smear. "This is how a geisha really looks at the end of the night," he says, oh-snappily.

"Okay, everybody out!" Perry yells, and her dressing room empties into the hallway just as Christina Aguilera struts by in a white long-sleeve peekaboo gown. A beat later, Perry emerges and strides purposefully down the hallway after her. "Four and a half minutes to show!" a stagehand yells as Perry takes her place behind a rice-paper screen. "Clear, please!" All nonperformers are ushered offstage. And for a moment, she's alone: a teenybop pop star determined to be seen, finally, as an adult artist.

The clock strikes five, and an unseen voice booms, "Ladies and gentlemen, Katy Perry!" Then the music starts and the gongs clang and, for the next four minutes, Perry does what she does so well. She brings it, 100 percent, complete with a crescendo ending: Stepping under a torii gate, she disappears from the stage in a gust of smoke. By the time the audience rises to give her a standing ovation, she is already halfway back to the dressing room. When she bursts in, Team Katy applauds.

"All right," she says, smiling. "Let's take it all off!"

Amy Wallace(@msamywallace) is a GQ correspondent.

Video: Katy Perry's GQ Cover Shoot

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Katy Perry's GQ Cover Story - February 2014

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It smells like weed in here. Weed and doughnuts. We're in the basement of the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, backstage at the American Music Awards, in a dressing-room suite that would be spacious if not for all the frenzied humanity crammed inside.

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In 2010, Perry gained the top spot on Maxim's 100 Hotlist. This creates the idea that she was known for her sex appeal and many people agreed she was one of the sexiest people in the world.

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The definitive list of the world's most beautiful women.

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In this article, Perry is referred to as a 'Singer and Philanthropist' due to her significant volume of charity work. The article discusses how many of Perry's single and album proceed have been donated to many charitable causes, including funding in schools for under-privileged children. This shows Perry wants to prevent children from going through similar circumstance that she experienced in her youth.

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Singer and Philanthropist Katy Perry is One of Forbes' 'Most Powerful Celebrities'

You might be familiar with American singer Katy Perry for her mark on contemporary pop culture, but did you know that she is also a dedicated philanthropist? The young singer recently made Forbes' list of the "Most Powerful Celebrities," for her massive earnings as a musician, and is commended for her ongoing commitment to charity work in addition to entertainment.

As of June 2014, Perry's estimated yearly earnings fall around $40 million, which is incredibly impressive for a woman who emerged as a powerful force in pop culture a mere 5 years ago. Unlike Beyoncé, who ranks #1 in Forbes' "Most Powerful Celebrities" roundup and performed a whopping 95 shows last year, Perry keeps a somewhat lower profile despite her immense popularity, and devotes much of her time to humanitarian efforts. An LGBT rights activist, Perry has been involved with efforts such as the It Gets Better Project, and The Trevor Project, the latter which presented her with the Hero Award for her work and activism on behalf of LGBT youth.

Supporting organizations that advocate for youth has been one of Perry's most notable contributions within the realm of philanthropy. She has donated to charities such as Little Kids Rock, The Children's Health Fund, the Boys Hope/Girls Hope foundation, and UNICEF, and was officially named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2013.

Perry has used proceeds from record sales to support many causes, especially those that support youth, LGBT causes, hunger, and animal rights. The Humane Society of the United States as well as the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals are prominent animal rights organizations she has supported. As an artist herself, Perry is also dedicated to supporting arts and music programs throughout the country. In March of 2014, she joined an A-list group of celebrities in raising $2.4 million for the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and previously donated $175,000 worth of music tour proceeds to the Tickets-For-Charity fundraiser.

You can expect that more of Perry's future endeavors will involve the combination of music and philanthropy. Stay tuned for more about this inspiring young singer and humanitarian.

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Singer and Philanthropist Katy Perry is One of Forbes' 'Most Powerful Celebrities'

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Singer and Philanthropist Katy Perry is One of Forbes' 'Most Powerful Celebrities' You might be familiar with American singer Katy Perry for her mark on contemporary pop culture, but did you know that she is also a dedicated philanthropist?

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In this Youtube clip, Perry is seen to be performing at the One Love Manchester concert which was organised by Ariana Grande in memory of those victims who were bombed at Grande's concert in 2017. By performing at this event, Perry appears to audiences as good person as we knew she was not paid for this concert, making her more likeable and 'authentic'.

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Within this clip, Perry is seen to be visiting and helping in Madagascar raising awareness for the cause. This convey's Perry's Star image be creating authenticity, which makes the audience feel as though they have seen her 'real self'.

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Katy Perry visits Madagascar as UNICEF ambassador

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This article shows how Perry's fashion style has changed from her early years to more recent times. The article indicates that her older style at the beginning of her career was more 'retro and pin-up' but since her popularity it has shifted to 'sequins and costumes'. This suggests Perry has embraced her stardom and put on more of a persona with her crazy costumes.

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W Magazine | Women's Fashion & Celebrity News

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Katy Perry's Style Isn't Limited to Outrageous Costumes and Colorful Wigs

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This article discusses Katy Perry's fragrance Killer Queen which was described as 'androgynous' because it appealed to her queer fan base.

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This article analyzes discourse around pop stars Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj as fragrance spokeswomen. It mobilizes the term "post-feminist entrepreneurialism" to describe business strategies for female recording artists representing themselves as workers and capitalist subjects through the endorsement of mass-produced, hegemonically feminine consumer products that exploit individual brands to engender feelings of proximity and empowerment in consumers. Because such entrepreneurial efforts extend female pop stars' industrial viability, post-feminist entrepreneurialism is defined through a critical reclamation of "shelf life," or the timespan that a commodity can be stored before it spoils. This concept is meaningful for female celebrities who embody the passage of time in complex ways and defend themselves against industrial and cultural perceptions of their own disposability. Post-feminist entrepreneurialism describes the contradiction between empowerment and the erasure of agency for such media professionals. Thus "shelf life" metaphorizes the affective registers embedded within the consumption of endorsed products and the demands placed on female pop stars to sell normatively feminine ancillary properties.

Additional information

Author information

Alyxandra Vesey
Alyxandra Vesey is a feminist media scholar who uses industry and production studies approaches to explore the relationship(s) between gender, labor, and music. Her dissertation analyzes identity and music-based intermediary practices in post-network television. Her work has appeared in Antenna, Flow, In Media Res, The Moving Image, Cinema Journal, Studies in French Cinema, and Saturday Night Live and American TV. She is also an editor for Antenna and The Velvet Light Trap. E-mail: vesey@wisc.edu .

Acknowledgements

The author received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

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This article analyzes discourse around pop stars Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj as fragrance spokeswomen. It mobilizes the term "post-feminist entrepreneurialism" to describe business strategies for female recording artists representing themselves as workers and capitalist subjects through the endorsement of mass-produced, hegemonically feminine consumer products that exploit individual brands to engender feelings of proximity and empowerment in consumers.

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Fuse Article on Perry's most Patriotic outfits

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Fuse Article on Perry's most Patriotic outfits

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Star-Spangled Style: Katy Perry's 14 Most Patriotic Outfits

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Baby, she's a firework! When it comes to eye-catching costumes, nobody plays dress up quite like Katy Perry. We've compiled her most America-inspired ensembles for you to pledge allegiance to

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When google searching 'Katy Perry Patriotic', there are hundreds of images of Perry wearing clothing that represents the USA. This demonstrates that Perry is a popstar who likes to show she is proud of her background and country.

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Macy's 4th of July often receives millions of viewers. With Perry appearing on this show wearing an American Flag costume, she identifies herself with American Culture. This makes her star image appear 'American Born and Bread'.

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Katy Perry Performs Macy's 4th of July Spectacular

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Katy Perry performed at the 49th Superbowl which was watched by millions of viewers. This is a fundamental event in American Culture. Being selected to perform at the half time show is something many stars aspire too.  Perry understands that being part of this will go down in American history and therefore she must want to be a part of that.

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Since 2018, Perry has been on the judging panel for American Idol. By being on one of the most popular television shows on American Television that is called 'American Idol', she shows how her star image has matured. She is now critising new potential popstars and giving them advice that she has gained through her career. By being part of a show that is on at prime time, she is embedding herself in American Culture.

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Perry identifies her star image as being an 'all American girl' through her successful career. She epitomizes the idea of someone who achieved the American dream by becoming one of the biggest popstars in the world even though she was born into a poor family.

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Economic theory is about the fundamentals of economics and how they apply to current events. Learning about economic theory may help you better understand the global economy.

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This article discusses many aspects of Perry's early life. It articulates how she was born into a strict Christian family and how she was often on the poverty line. This supports Perry's humble pop star image as it identifies that she was able to make something of herself.

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Katy Perry is one of the most recognizable people in the world. We've all watched her journey from a budding artist into a huge superstar but her massive success didn't happen overnight. How much do you really know about Perry's stunning transformation?

Born into religion

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Born as Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson on October 25, 1984, Katy Perry was raised, along with her younger brother, David, and older sister, Angela, in Santa Barbara, California by Pentecostal pastors, Mary Christine and Maurice Hudson.

The family helped set up churches across the country and Perry attended religious schools without the highest standards. In fact, of the experience, the star said, "The schools were really makeshift. Education was not the first priority. My education started in my 20s, and there is so much to learn still."

Her parents had very strict rules and she was not allowed to celebrate Halloween and believed that Jesus brought her Christmas gifts. Certain words were also off-limits including "deviled eggs" (which were renamed "angeled eggs") and Dirt Devil.

Raised in poverty

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Growing up, money was sparse and the family struggled financially. To feed their family, the Hudsons sometimes relied on using food stamps and eating from the food bank designated for the followers at their church.

Perry can remember panhandling and begging on the streets for change but quickly learned that she could earn more by capitalizing on some of her natural assets. After explaining that she would hit up thrift shops for pencil skirts and snug-fitting cardigans, the singer said, "I have had this body for a very long time and I would pour into those clothes very well-so it worked!"

After achieving such great success, Perry has chosen to pay it forward by working as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and visiting areas affected by extreme poverty.

A lack of diversity

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As her parents attempted to shield her from diversity in the world, Perry remembers that she was not "allowed to interact with gay people... and there is some generational racism" in her family. In her earlier years, Perry attended youth group sessions where they supposed conversion therapy and camps and she even admitted to having tried to " pray the gay away."

She believes that her sheltered upbringing makes her "miss references all the time" and that she sees the opportunity to see the world while on tour as an opportunity for "reeducation." Perhaps, this lack of exposure has led her to make choices that many equate with cultural appropriation and potential racism.

Her Christian music career

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Back when she was just Katy Hudson, Perry was an aspiring gospel and Christian rock artist. In a video on a tour bus from these early days in her career, Katy exclaimed, "I'm with the best Christian bands and I'm on tour with them and hanging out with them and they actually laugh at my jokes. It's awesome!"

That's great and all, but was Katy Hudson's music actually any good? Christianity Today reviewed her debut album and wrote, "Her songwriting skills are so strong, it's difficult to believe she's only 16-and was merely 15 when she wrote most of these songs. The lounge-jazz meets art-rock feel of it is pure ear candy with the message that we're being molded perpetually into Christ's image."

While Billboard echoed the sentiment writing, "Hudson delivers a textured modern-rock collection that is equal parts grit and vulnerability" the album was a commercial flop.

Her musical transformation

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To avoid confusion with actress, Kate Hudson, Katy Perry emerged (she took on her mother's maiden name) as a bolder, more mainstream artist singing about formerly taboo topics.

Perry believes that her breakout hit, "I Kissed a Girl," was so successful because, "finally someone was singing about something that existed. But it really was [meant to be] fun; there was no agenda." At the same time, she learned that being risqué could come at a price-especially, for a female artist. When asked if the song was based on a personal story, she explained, "I said no, I hadn't experienced it, even though I had, because I didn't like where the guys were taking the interviews."

Meanwhile, her father, who referred to her as a "devil child" during this time, was very blunt when addressing his daughter's new persona. "I was at a concert of Katy's where there were 20,000," he said. "I'm watching this generation and they were going at it. It almost looked like church. I stood there and wept and kept on weeping and weeping. They're loving and worshipping the wrong thing."

Still, that did not dissuade her from continuing to push the envelope by releasing songs such as "Teenage Dream," and "California Gurls," the latter of which produced a very sexual music video. When MTV asked about it, there was not a hint of regret. Perry said, "The cotton-candy clouds! I am a little bit naked. I was naked. And, hi, Mom! Hi, Dad!"

She achieved sex symbol status

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Along with her new sound, Katy Perry transformed from an awkward teen with, as she described, "pizza face," into what GQ claimed was a "full-on male fantasy." Elle magazine took it a step further and said that the singer looked "as though sketched by a teenage boy."

Perry, who has openly shown love for her body, has had fun with her sexually liberated existence and, as Vogue has said, is "never exactly one to shy away from the outrageous or the extreme in any realm."

Indeed, she has a quirky, versatile look. She can look fresh and natural one moment but be decked out in a peppermint swirl dress the next. Any review of her style evolution will reveal anything from a watermelon jumpsuit to a sleek number for Fashion Week.

She upset Sesame Street viewers

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While many approved of Perry's sexy style makeover, there were others who felt that she needed to reel it in for certain occasions. Indeed, her appearance on Sesame Street drew criticism due to her wardrobe choice.

Perry called being invited to guest star on the children's show " the highlight of her career" and said, "I think some of these songs, even though sometimes they have a naughty dimension to them, they are so pop infectious it gets into kids, just like whatever parents are saying around the house will get into kids and I love that "Hot N Cold" could translate to Sesame Street. I just love that. I'm gonna have kids someday, and I love that some pop star out there is gonna change their lyrics to make my kids bounce in their diapers."

Unfortunately, not everyone was as enthusiastic. Parents were upset about the amount of cleavage Perry showed alongside Elmo so the spot was cut from Sesame Street's 41st season. When appearing on Saturday Night Live soon after, Perry poked fun by wearing a low-cut Elmo shirt while SNL cast member, Maya Rudolph rhetorically asked, "Who cares if kids are looking at boobs? Boobs feed babies... I turned on CSI the other night, and there's a dead guy with a worm in his eye. But we can't look at the tops of boobs?"

Her changing beliefs

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Over the years, Perry has been open about how her beliefs continue to evolve. While showing off her Jesus tattoo in 2010, Perry told Rolling Stone, "God is very much still a part of my life but the way the details are told in the Bible-that's very fuzzy for me. And I want to throw up when I say that. But that's the truth... I still believe that Jesus is the son of God but I also believe in extraterrestrials, and that there are people who are sent from God to be messengers, and all sorts of crazy stuff."

Three years later, she told Marie Claire, "I'm not Buddhist, I'm not Hindu, I'm not Christian, but I still feel like I have a deep connection with God. I pray all the time-for self-control, for humility. There's a lot of gratitude in it. Just saying 'thank you' sometimes is better than asking for things."

Today, she proudly sings the praises of Transcendental Meditation, a mindfulness technique that she practices twice a day. "It's a game-changer," she told Vogue. "I will feel neuro pathways open, a halo of lights. And I'm so much sharper. I just fire up!"

Her marriage to Russell Brand failed

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Perry married British comedian Russell Brand late in 2010 in a traditional Hindu ceremony in India. Their wedding "featured a procession of camels, elephants and horses, plus fire jugglers, snake charmers, dancers and musicians."

At the time, Perry addressed their spiritual differences saying, "Russell is into Hinduism, and I'm not [really] involved in it. He meditates in the morning and the evening; I'm starting to do it more because it really centers me. [But] I just let him be him, and he lets me be me."

Unfortunately, things came to a screeching halt on New Year's Eve 2011 when she received a text from Russell asking for a divorce. "There were two weeks of my life after I found out the truth of my marriage where I was like, 'OK. All right. I can't feel this. This is too intense right now,'" Perry said. "I was, like, just eating Flamin' Hot Cheetos and drinking, and that's it."

While Brand once referred to Perry as a " vapid, vacuous celebrity" after their split, his tone has softened now that he has become a father. He explained, "I have come away from that experience," Brand said. "I still feel very warm towards her. I feel like, when I hear about her or see her, 'Awe, there's that person. There's that person in the world.'"

Her shark-filled Super Bowl show

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Perry made history on February 1, 2015 as the headliner for the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show. The broadcast set a Guinness World Record for being the "most viewed TV broadcast in US history." Joined by guests Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliot, Perry delivered a very memorable performance.

While no one could deny how well Perry worked through a medley of her biggest hits including "Roar," "Dark Horse," and "Firework," it was an unlikely figure who stole the show.

For weeks following the performance, people could not stop talking about the "left shark" who appeared on stage alongside Perry. Compared to the dancer in the shark costume on her right, the "left shark" seemed to go rogue, making up his own moves, much to the delight of viewers at home.

She's a LGBTQ rights activist

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In 2008, Perry openly opposed Proposition 8, "a voter referendum that overturned an earlier Supreme Court decision legalizing marriage equality at the ballot box." Despite the loss, she continued to stand up for equality.

Of the resistance to LGBTQ rights, Perry said, "hopefully, we will look back at this moment and think like we do now concerning [other] civil rights issues. We'll just shake our heads in disbelief, saying, 'Thank God we've evolved.' That would be my prayer for the future."

Perry was a huge supporter of Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Presidential Election, the candidate who regularly promoted equality for the LGBTQ community. After Clinton lost to Donald Trump, Perry designed a shoe in her honor. She's come a long way from believing in the merits of conversion therapy and "praying away the gay" in her youth.

She's also a philanthropist

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Perry makes an effort to help those in need and 2013 was a big year for her. Not only did she team up with UNICEF to provide food and education to children in Madagascar but she also became one of the organization's Goodwill Ambassadors "with a special focus on engaging young people in the agency's work to improve the lives of the world's most vulnerable children and adolescents."

Additionally, Perry donated a portion of the ticket sales from her Prismatic World Tour went to UNICEF and spearheaded the " Make Roar Happen" project along with Staples to provide $1 million to DonorsChoose with the mission of providing funds for classroom resources in public schools.

Not only did Hillary Clinton present Perry with UNICEF's Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award in recognition of her efforts but the singer also received the Human Right Commission's 2017 National Equality Award. "I speak my truths and I paint my fantasies into these little bite-sized pop songs, for instance: I kissed a girl and I liked it," she said during her acceptance speech. "Truth be told, I did more than that. But how was I going to reconcile that with the gospel-singing girl raised in youth groups that were pro-conversion camps? Honestly, I haven't always gotten it right, but in 2008 when that song came out, I knew that I started a conversation that a lot of the world seemed curious enough to sing along to."

Her many awards

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While it's clear that she's been heralded for her humanitarian efforts, Perry's professional work has also been acclaimed. She has won Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards, People's Choice Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, and Teen Choice Awards and was nominated for 13 Grammy Awards.

It's mind blowing to consider the fact that, from May 2010 to September 2011, she actually spent 69 consecutive weeks in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 which, of course, is record-breaking. By the time 2012 rolled around, Billboard declared her " Woman of the Year."

As if that's not enough, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry declared Perry the "Top Global Female Recording Artist" of 2013 and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has recognized her "as its most awarded digital act in the history of Gold & Platinum awards." Of her achievement, Perry told Billboard, "Hitting No. 1 is always a great moment, but when it turns into a small piece of history, you're reminded of how many millions of people are connected to each other by even one tiny event."

In an interesting turn of events, Perry has now denounced award shows saying, "All the awards shows are fake and all the awards that I've won are fake. They're constructs."

She feuded with Taylor Swift

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Much has been made of the feud between Taylor Swift and Katy Perry but, until recently, it was all just speculation. Incredibly, the two were once close friends, publicly expressing admiration for each other on social media but, one day, it all changed. The cause for the shift is still a little murky but we do know that Swift once dated John Mayer and things didn't end well. After divorcing Russell Brand, Perry and Mayer became an item. The two women appeared a lot less chummy after that.

After she released the 2014 song, "Bad Blood," Swift addressed rumors that it was about the feud and said, "She did something so horrible, I was like, 'Oh, we're just straight-up enemies.' And it wasn't even about a guy! It had to do with business. She basically tried to sabotage an entire arena tour. She tried to hire a bunch of people out from under me... So now I have to avoid her. It's awkward, and I don't like it."

Recently, Perry participated in a round of Carpool Karaoke with James Corden and admitted, "I tried to talk to her about it and she wouldn't speak to me... I do the right thing any time that it feels like a fumble. It was a full shutdown and then she writes a song about me, and I'm like, 'Okay, cool, cool, cool, that's how you want to deal with it? Karma!'"

Perry again commented on the feud while talking Arianna Huffington and said, "I forgive her and I'm sorry for anything I ever did, and I hope the same from her."

Her revealing confessional weekend

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As she released her album, Witness, Perry invited fans to follow her through a " confessional weekend," giving them full access to her life for 96 hours as she ate, slept, meditated, and underwent therapy. It was definitely eye-opening. During this time, she admitted that she wants to return to being more like "Katheryn Hudson," and struggles with being "Katy Perry," sometimes. She revealed a battle with depression and suicidal thoughts saying, "I feel ashamed that I would have those thoughts, feel that low and that depressed."

On a lighter note, she sat down with late-night talk show host James Corden and revealed that, if she had to rank her top three lovers, DJ/producer Diplo would be in last place, actor Orland Bloom would be second, and singer John Mayer would be in first place. Surprisingly, she also admitted that tenor Josh Groban is the one that got away and counts him among her "good friends."

While she already had a commanding Twitter presence and set a Guinness World Record for Most Twitter Followers back in 2015, it seems that this all-access weekend may have given her an extra boost-she has officially become the first person to have more than 100 million followers on the site. After reaching the milestone, she tweeted, "Thank you, @Twitter, for always giving me an opportunity to have a voice! #LoveKaty."

Her third #1 album

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Perry is no stranger to success. In fact, she can now claim three #1 albums in her repertoire. That's quite a feat for any artist and, certainly, points to the fact that, despite evolving over the years, she continues to connect with her fans.

Teenage Dream took the top spot back in 2010 and included tracks such as "Firework," "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)," and "California Gurls." Of the project, Perry said, "I wanted to call it Teenage Dream because, really, there's a song on the record... I wrote that song in Santa Barbara and it was a really pure moment for me because that's where I'm from. And it was where I started my creative juices, and it kind of exudes this euphoric feeling like everyone remembers what their teenage dreams were."

When Prism exploded in 2013, Perry explained the inspiration behind one of the biggest tracks saying, "When I was writing 'Roar,' I was like, 'I need to find my voice again. I need to be heard. I need to find that empowering thunder in my chest again.'"

Of her mindset as she released Witness, Perry explained, "I feel very empowered, extremely liberated, liberated from the conditioning of the way I used to think, spiritually liberated, politically liberated, sexually liberated, liberated from things that don't serve me." We can't wait to see what Katy Perry will do next!

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The stunning transformation of Katy Perry

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Getty Images Katy Perry is one of the most recognizable people in the world. We've all watched her journey from a budding artist into a huge superstar but her massive success didn't happen overnight. How much do you really know about Perry's stunning transformation?

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This article discusses Katy Perry's most memorable looks of all time. This article highlights Perry's star image by the language used. The writer states 'her playful style lives in the whimsical land of pop stocked with cartoon-inspired outfits and pop-culture homages'. This highlights Perry's distinct style and how fundamental her image in to her star image.

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We're convinced Katy Perry was sprinkled with fairy dust at birth. Her playful style lives in the whimsical land of pop stocked with cartoon-inspired outfits and pop-culture homages ( her patchwork denim dress à la Britney Spears comes to mind). Even when our girl decides to don a serious gown, she brings in her mirth through a pastel dye job or fun accessory. Bottom line: Perry isn't afraid to embrace her quirk.

Whether she's sashaying a wearable chandelier up the stairs at the Met Gala or posing in an elegant curve-hugging gown, Perry always keeps us guessing with her style. So, in honor of her fashion fearlessness-and the pop star's 34th birthday!-we've assembled her most wild, personality-defining looks that prove she's a unicorn.

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Katy Perry's 34 Most Memorable Looks of All Time

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We're convinced Katy Perry was sprinkled with fairy dust at birth. Her playful style lives in the whimsical land of pop stocked with cartoon-inspired outfits and pop-culture homages ( her patchwork denim dress à la Britney Spears comes to mind).

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GIVEAWAYS

As a member of katyperryfanclub.com you enjoy the benefit of exclusive giveaways just for KatyCats

MEMBER CHAT

Make new friends and talk to other KatyCats on the site!

FORUM

Show us your pictures with Katy, tell us your stories or join other interesting topics about Katy Perry! See ya...

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GIVEAWAYS As a member of katyperryfanclub.com you enjoy the benefit of exclusive giveaways just for KatyCats MEMBER CHAT Make new friends and talk to other KatyCats on the site! FORUM Show us your pictures with Katy, tell us your stories or join other interesting topics about Katy Perry! See ya...

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During her KOST 1035 Interview, Perry discusses how she loves doing 'normal things' such as going to the beach with no make up and eating frozen food from Trader Joes and shopping in Target. She also states that she often still likes to fly commercial because she 'loves the human experience'. This highlights that Perry stays humble and although she has an incredibly high net profit, she cares more about being human. This helps her create an 'authentic self'.

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This article is dedicated to showcasing Perry's best outfits of all time. It shows 165 photos of her best looks. This connotes the idea that Perry is a fashion icon with many people evidently looking at her for fashion inspiration.

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Can we talk about the cheeseburger ensemble?

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This was filmed during the 2018 season of American idol, where Perry was a judge. American Idol made a compilation of Perry constantly discussing food and her snack obsession. This contrasts with the associated expectations of a popstar living in Hollywood.

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Katy Perry EATING HABITS Behind The Scenes | American Idol 2018

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During this interview, Perry discusses being open in previous relationships and how difficult the dating scene is. She also discusses insecurities including body image, stating that people always think she's in her second trimester of being pregnant...I have to work out a bit more...I can get insecure about that.' Later throughout the interview she claims that during her career she has often 'conned herself into confidence'. This makes her seem like a celebrity which audiences can relate too which gives her a relatable star image.

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Katy Perry On Being Insecure, 'Small Talk', Being Normal & More!

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Perry has her own fashion website selling shoes and handbags. The site uses phrases such as 'Katy's style is anything but ordinary', suggesting that her fashion is often quirky and 'out there'.

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Katy Perry Collections | The Official Store

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This Is How We Do... Shoes! Express yourself when you shop Katy Perry's Footwear Collection, designed from the creative mind of the musician herself!

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In this article, Perry is photographed in sweatpants on her off day. This reveals that she is not afraid to be 'real' with the public. Although she is known for her fashion, she demonstrates that she is still a real person who wears normal outfits like everyone else which allows her star image to appeal to her audiences because they can relate and resonate with her.

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Katy Perry rocks casual ensemble of sweatpants and hoodie for day of shopping with pals

Katy Perry headed back to work as a judge for the season 17 premiere of American Idol on Sunday.

Come Tuesday and the songstress enjoyed some downtime with friends for a day of shopping in the Larchmont neighborhood of Los Angeles.

While out and about, the 34-year old singer appeared to want to keep on the down-low and not draw any attention to herself.

Going makeup free, Perry rocked her casual go-to look of Adidas sweatpants with a black hoodie that she wore over a black baseball cap.

She added a pair of dark slip shoes and, at times, she donned a pair of dark sunglasses.

Despite the casual attire, the pop superstar made sure she wore her new daisy-shaped, $5 million engagement ring fiancé Orlando Bloom proposed with on Valentine's Day.

After some shopping, the Fireworks singer and her friends grabbed some dinner to-go at Larchmont Village and then drove off.

There was no shortage of raw emotion during Sunday's premiere of Idol.

All three judges, which includes Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, had a hard time holding back tears due to the amazing triumph-over-tragedy stories of some of the contestants.

At one point, Perry told the sweet story of how she first fell for fiancé Orlando Bloom when he tried to steal her burger at In-N-Out after the Golden Globes in 2016.

'So I had my security guard grab 10 In-N-Outs and all of a sudden I see my boyfriend's hand - he wasn't even sitting at our table - he just swoops in and he grabs it and I was like, hey that's my burger!'

Fellow judge Luke Bryan chimed in: 'And you were like, oh, you're on the other end of that hand,' to which Perry responded, 'Yeah I did.'

American Idol is back Wednesday, March 7, on ABC at 8/7c.

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Katy Perry rocks sweatpants and hoodie for a day of shopping in LA

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Katy Perry headed back to work as a judge for the season 17 premiere of American Idol on Sunday. Come Tuesday and the songstress enjoyed some downtime with friends for a day of shopping in the Larchmont neighborhood of Los Angeles.

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This Guardian Interview with Perry discusses her career from the beginning until 2017. It explores many aspects of Perry's life including her religious upbringing to her political views.  This article allows us to see a 'relaxed Katy' who seems to be speaking honestly to the interviewer allowing Katy to appear 'down-to-earth.'

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In among the typical recording detritus of New York's Jungle City Studios - boxes of foam ear plugs, rolls of tape, untouched buttons on a soundboard the size of a London studio flat - sits a Febreze candle, its lime-green wax emitting a scent like sweetened detergent. It's the first thing Katy Perry notices as she suddenly appears behind me. "It's so chic," she says drolly, her immaculately constructed outfit of orange mesh top, cropped tartan trousers and Adidas sliders topped off by a shiny black pore strip stretched tight across the bridge of her nose. "At some point I'm going to give myself the pleasure of peeling this off," she laughs, smoothing it down over her bulky nose ring.

Suddenly the mise-en-scene makes perfect sense: surface glamour underpinned by a hint of down-to-earth realness is very much Katy Perry's MO, and has been since she emerged almost a decade ago with the global hit I Kissed a Girl. Perry is the girl-next-door-turned-megastar you want to hang out with, have a laugh with, possibly talk about blackheads with. If, on the superstar scale, Beyoncé is almost superhuman then Perry prides herself on being, as she puts it later, "super human; like, really human".

She recognises me from a previous interview we did three years ago in Belfast, one in which she was hampered by a cold so violent I lost track of the amount of snot I saw her wipe on her sleeve. Today she apologises for being an hour late, and thanks me for pushing my flight back after our initial interview date was postponed by 24 hours. Her tardiness is understandable; she's just announced details of her fifth album, Witness, her first since 2013's Prism, a world tour of the same name, and has been busy preparing for that evening's (we meet in late May) performances on Saturday Night Live.

She's keen to make it clear nothing is off limits: "I'm going to give you everything and more," she beams. But before we start, she shows me her iPhone, which is already recording. "We all know that tone and context are everything, so this might be one of my last print interviews," she says, setting her phone down next to my Dictaphone. "Because. People. Do. Not. Get. It. These. Days," she adds, each word punctuated by a handclap. She settles into her chair, grey cardigan resting on crossed legs. While her persona in TV interviews and music videos is often hyperactive, goofy older sister, this afternoon she's earnest, bordering on businesslike. "This is my disclaimer: my intention is so pure these days," she states. "I know nothing. All the thoughts and opinions I express are my own. Period, end of story."

Like all the best pop superstars, Katy Perry seemed to emerge fully formed - a riot of cartoonish exaggeration - when she bulldozed into the public consciousness in 2008. I Kissed a Girl - a stone-cold pop classic - expertly positioned her in the middle of a perfect storm of tabloid-baiting playfulness, knowing kitsch and just enough relatable charm to keep things family friendly (in 2015 she described her appeal as "soft-serve sexiness"). Alongside the more self-consciously outre Lady Gaga, who emerged the same year, and Single Ladies-era Beyoncé, Perry started to dominate the female-led pop landscape, following I Kissed a Girl with a clutch of sugar-coated hits, before enjoying a purple patch of record-breaking success with 2010's Teenage Dream. It was an album that defined the two sides of her musical personality - from the candyfloss swirl of California Gurls to the self-help sloganeering of Firework. By the summer of 2011, Perry had become the first woman in US chart history to have five No 1 singles from one album, equalling a record previously held by Michael Jackson in his 80s pomp.

She also started dominating a more modern popularity metric, becoming the most followed person on Twitter in 2016 (her follower count is steadily creeping towards 100m). In February 2015, in the middle of a gruelling world tour in support of the Prism album, which added Roar and Dark Horse to her growing pop canon, she performed at the Super Bowl halftime show with a stage set that included a gargantuan gold-plated mechanical lion and a beach scene complete with meme-ready dancing sharks. The 12-minute extravaganza garnered the highest Super Bowl rating s of all time, with 118 million people tuning in for Perry (4 million more than for the sports bit either side of it).

Hopefully there's a real change coming. We have to change. We have to shake some things up

With astute awareness of her position in the pop cosmos, Perry has always understood the power of reinvention, moving from vintage pin-up ( One of the Boys) to kitsch vamp ( Teenage Dream), to pick-yourself-up-and-carry-on warrior (the more spiritually minded Prism, released after her divorce from Russell Brand). Her current, more politicised iteration feels the boldest. Witness's first single, February's disco-pop confection Chained to the Rhythm, heralded what Perry - a long-term supporter of Hillary Clinton - referred to as the arrival of "purposeful pop", and was written in the aftermath of Donald Trump's victory. The lyric, rapped by Skip Marley, calls on people to wake up to the world's troubles: "Break down the walls to connect, inspire / Ay, up in your high place, liars / Time is ticking for the empire." During her performance of the song at that month's Brit awards, she was joined on stage by giant skeletal effigies of Donald Trump and Theresa May.

The song's intention, it seemed, was to connect the dots to her newly updated Twitter bio that read "Artist. Activist. Conscious" (it's recently been changed to "I know nothing"). So how does she feel about the election result now? "Listen, there's a time of mourning. I think with Hillary, it was something bigger than her, and she had to be the person to pull the sword out of the stone and wake up this movement, which is really important. What I started to realise was that it's not about one person: it's about the kingdom, it's not about the king. It's about us. We write the rules as a community, and so I'm so grateful that Hillary was strong enough to withstand everything and also wake the sleeping giant. We are the sleeping giant."

She starts to pick at the pore strip, which ends up flapping at half-mast. "I'm a realist but I'm definitely an optimist, and so hopefully there's a real change coming, there isn't just complacency coming. We have to change. We have to shake some things up."

She is keen to include those who voted for Donald Trump in her broad church. "That's something I'm going to do on tour - I can't wait to meet those people. I just want to hear what they have to say, and hope they can hear what I have to say."

In April, Chained to the Rhythm was followed by Bon Appétit, an innuendo-heavy, nudge-nudge wink-wink ode to oral sex ("got me spread like a buffet") that featured Migos, the Georgia rap trio recently accused of homophobia following a Rolling Stone interview in which they expressed surprise at the support shown to recently out rapper iLoveMakonnen. That same week an Instagram livestream showed an apparently upset Perry, resulting in fans starting a WeLoveYouKaty hashtag. "They tried to make me out to be a victim," she says. "I am not a victim. I never cried." On the day Bon Appétit entered the US chart at a lower-than-expected 76, Perry went on holiday. Again, in the hyper-scrutinised world of pop, fans picked up on it. "I went on a vacation that I had planned weeks and weeks ago with my girlfriends. Everybody calm down. Why don't people ask me what my story is?"

Perry's story is a unique take on the American dream. Born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson 32 years ago in Santa Barbara, California, she is the self-confessed "black sheep" daughter of two born-again Christians, both Pentecostal pastors. It was a restrictive, regimented childhood dominated by censorship: secular music was banned (along with her family, she picketed concerts by both Marilyn Manson and Madonna); Lucky Charms cereal was verboten because luck was linked to the devil (devilled eggs became angel eggs), and Perry spent summers at youth groups, some of which, she said recently, were in favour of gay conversion camps. Singing became a form of escapism, both in church and alone with an acoustic guitar she was given at age 13. That same year she persuaded her parents to take her to Nashville to record a gospel album, and, two years later, aged 15, she discovered Queen, an epiphany that broadened her pop horizons. "That was my first perspective on that world, and I just loved it. I felt so free and accepted," she told Vogue last month.

At 17 she left school and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a music career. In 2001 an independently released gospel album sold roughly 200 copies, while subsequent record deals with Island and Columbia both came to nothing. "People saw me as damaged goods," she has said of that time. By 2006, having had a pop/rock album she'd been recording for years shelved, she found herself working for an independent A&R company and singing at open mic nights. A year later, however, those songs ended up with the head of Capitol Records, who promptly signed her. After swapping Hudson for her mother's maiden name, Katy Perry, the multi-platinum-selling (she's shifted around 81m singles globally), award-winning, apparently unstoppable hit machine was born.

Part of Perry's early appeal was a sense of fantasy. The larger-than-life character she'd created - sort of Betty Boop meets LA party girl with a heart - felt like the perfect encapsulation of every young girl's pop star dreams, with the determined, never-give-up-on-yourself backstory chiming with every TV talent show. (To bring it full circle, Perry has just signed up to be a judge on the returning American Idol.)

I'm not going to please everyone, and I'm not trying to. If you run around pleasing everyone, you're done

The reality of Perry's construction, she says now, was more prosaic. "A lot of people are living in fear from something that happened in their childhood, or some form of PTSD they picked up along the way, and I created this wonderful character called Katy Perry that I very much am, and can step into all the time, but I created that character out of protection," she says. "I was scared that if you saw me, Katheryn Hudson, the girl wearing the Bioré strip on my nose, you'd be like, 'that's not glamorous'. It was me going, 'OK, I've been upset my whole childhood so I'm going to show the world I am something, that I am going to do something and that I am enough'. I didn't want to be Katheryn Hudson. I hated that, it was too scary for me, so I decided to be someone else." Finally, she yanks the gloopy strip clean off her nose. She looks at it and sighs. "It didn't really take enough stuff out."

The disadvantage of creating a character with such a broad appeal is that it can be difficult to remain all things to all people, especially when, as she puts it, "liberating [yourself] from everything". Chained to the Rhythm, though painted with broad brushstrokes, was Perry's statement of intent, and one with implications, both personally and professionally. She's respectful of her Republican parents' political views but keen to engage them in debate. "If you can have patience and don't flip the table, then a healthy discourse is so important," she says.

Did she worry about the commercial risks involved? "I'm not going to please everyone, and I'm not trying to. If you run around pleasing everyone, you're done. If you stand for nothing then you're done."

Her words suddenly become more pointed. "I think it's actually quite selfish: if you're all about 'the people' but you don't want to help 'the people', because you don't want to say things when things get tough, then what are you about? Protecting your brand? Making sure you don't lose zeros in your bank account?"

Have you lost money from speaking out? "Some people said, 'look we can't do this thing with you any more because we've gotten letters'. Basically, corporations are like, 'don't have an opinion', and I'm like, 'so if I was vocalising for the other side, you'd still get letters, you know that right'. What they're asking me to do is not to speak at all. So, God bless you on your journey." She unleashes a huge grin.

Given purposeful pop's statement of intent, there was a palpable sense of disappointment from some of Perry's fanbase in April when Bon Appétit returned to Carry On-style kitsch with its awkward buffet-based sexual metaphors. "[Bon Appétit] is full-on sexual liberation!" Perry insists, visibly annoyed. "Liberation doesn't just come in the form of talking about politics. Some people will get turned on by it - I've seen it happen."

Obviously me and her [Taylor Swift] have our stuff, and I have offered it up to her to work out

We talk about Migos, and how some of her gay fanbase were disappointed at their inclusion. "First and foremost, I didn't know about [the Rolling Stone interview] when I met them. I didn't do a background check. Some people don't say the things you want them to say, because they don't know how to say them," she continues. "There's also a double standard - no one said anything about Frank Ocean, who worked with them on a track, or Liam Payne, who uses [Migos's] Quavo [on his new single]. Nobody's talking about that."

The conversation quickly escalates into a broader monologue about the dangers of online tribe wars. "The problem is that these fan groups think that everybody is in competition, and everybody needs to stop with that shit," she says. "Everybody's trying to pit everyone against each other, especially with all this bullshit about women hating women. I am so disgusted by it and done with it. You can ask me that question, I can't speak for [Migos], but anything I do - let me reiterate - my intentions are pure. I don't know everything, and I'm going to fumble, but don't fucking double standard me."

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Perry with former husband Russell Brand at an event in Beverly Hills, 2010. Photograph: John Shearer/WireImage

Even when angry, Perry's words are often delivered with a measured, Zen-like calm, something she ascribes partly to a new maturity ("I left my 20s, I've embraced and surrendered to my 30s, and I love it. I wouldn't go back at all") and partly to her passion for transcendental meditation. "TM changed my life," she says. "I studied it five years ago in India during my wedding [to Brand], and it was an incredible thing that I received from that time. Some people get very nervous about the spiritual connotations of things, but TM is very medical and scientific. This [she prods at her mobile] is the new form of sugar. It's the new dopamine, the new stimulant, and everybody has 20 minutes once a day to turn it off and meditate. When I do it, I can feel the cobwebs lifting and can feel this halo. I think that TM is a beautiful way to find real stillness. You should do it."

Its calming influence is on display when talk turns to Taylor Swift and their fractured relationship, said to be the subject of Swift's song Bad Blood, although neither star is on record as to exactly how the feud began. Swish Swish, Witness ' third single, has reopened old wounds. "You're calculated, I got your number," sings Perry over 90s-inspired house, before adding: "Don't you come for me, no, not today." Does that song feel like exorcising some demons from your past, I ask. "No, I think the trolls come hard at me all the time," she says. So it's not about Taylor Swift? "It's a message to all of the people who have tried to tear me down. All the haters, the trolls, the negativity. It's liberation from all of the negativity. It could be liberation from" - she pauses and lowers her voice to a whisper - "the biggest troll that's in office right now. Why is it one thing?" Before I can answer, she adds: "Obviously me and her have our stuff, and I have offered it up to her to work out. In person. Over the phone. The whole bit. When she's ready to do that, then I'm ready to do it. I'm ready to just let that all go. We need to have a conversation about it, totally, and I love her, I really do. But this is something that's different."

You can see her point. It feels like a contradiction to, on the one hand, dismiss the constant pitting of women against each other ("it's the spawn of Satan", she says), and then on the other to keep stoking the fires of an ongoing feud. Perry surrounds herself with a lot of women - does she prefer female energy right now? "I love the female energy. Females in general are so beautiful and powerful. They're the ones that have enough power to bring life into this world. I'm not saying they're better, because everyone plays their role, and a good man is so beautiful. What I'm saying is that women should really know their power and that's what power is about. It's about 'when did you decide to give away your power?'"

We chat about Perry's imminent Glastonbury debut; she's excited about bringing "the bells and whistles and the authenticity in between" to Worthy Farm. "I've only been to the luxury of Coachella," she laughs, referring to the California desert-based festival, which this year hosted an afternoon brunch to help Perry launch her new shoe range. Given the curious decision to have her warming up on the Pyramid stage for beardy alt-rockers the National and default festival fodder Foo Fighters, would she like to one day come back and headline? "Sure, if they'll have me." She shrugs. "I'm happy with where I'm at. The thing is, don't cry for me. I'm all right. I'm happy."

At one point, as the interview starts to unspool and our time together comes to an end, we get into a surreal discussion about ice-cream flavours, and an off-the-cuff comment about a song being "too vanilla" leads to raised voices and dodgy accents.

"Do you know what real, homemade Italian vanilla tastes like, with vanilla bean? It's the most luxurious taste in the world."

I just see vanilla as a bit basic, I confess.

"People like vanilla!" she screams in mock anger, her springy office chair bouncing up and down. "That's why it's one of the top three Neapolitan flavours, motherfucker! It's strawberry, chocolate and vanilla!"

The word vanilla starts to roll around her mouth with a slight New York-Italian twang. "Who the fuck said vanilla is the barometer for basic? People like vanilla!"

The conversation ricochets back to Witness. "There are 15 flavours on the record!" she says. "Get your Rocky Road, get your vanilla, get your chocolate, get your strawberry, get your mint and chip - they're all there."

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'Gloriously anarchic': Katy Perry poses with fans as she leaves her intimate gig at the the Water Rats in King's Cross last month. Photograph: Ricky Vigil/GC Images

Five days later, and those various flavours are being road-tested in the unlikeliest of environments. Nine years after she made her UK live debut at the Water Rats, a dingy, shoebox pub venue in London's King's Cross, Perry's back there, performing at the launch of the new Capital Breakfast show. It's a gloriously anarchic, hit-stuffed hour that starts with Perry trying to connect to the internet so she can livestream the show to the millions who couldn't make it. "You know me, always doing the most, always trying to do it all," she laughs. At one point she gives her phone to a guy in the front row so he can film it, before kissing a female fan full on the lips during I Kissed a Girl. "I love this because there's no format for tonight," she beams. "It could be anything!"

Later, before a stripped-back version of 2012's plaintive Part of Me, she refers to the Manchester terrorist attack, and the unifying power of music (she will go on to play at the One Love fundraiser alongside Ariana Grande, Liam Gallagher and Justin Bieber, among others). "Whatever you can do to help, you should - and if you can't do anything, that's fine," she says through tears. "But what you should do is not let them win."

It's a powerful moment, and one that seems to amplify the gig's back-to-basics catharsis for Perry. "When I come to the UK, I'm going to do a ton of these types of shows," she says later, eyebrow slightly raised as she adds the inevitable, "I want to get intimate with you."

Before the closing self-empowerment treaty of Roar, the super-fans pressed at the front launch into an impromptu rendition of Fingerprints from 2008's One of the Boys, a rallying cry to overcome people's expectations. By the time the assembled chorus gets to "I'm leaving you my legacy, I got to make my mark," Perry joins in, screaming the lyrics she wrote all those years ago when she was still unknown. "I got to run it hard," she sings, a huge grin smeared across her face, "I want you to remember me."
Katy Perry's Witness is out now (on Capitol). She plays Glastonbury's Pyramid stage on 24 June, returning to the UK on her world tour in June 2018 Topics

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'I created this character called Katy Perry. I didn't want to be Katheryn Hudson. It was too scary'

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In among the typical recording detritus of New York's Jungle City Studios - boxes of foam ear plugs, rolls of tape, untouched buttons on a soundboard the size of a London studio flat - sits a Febreze candle, its lime-green wax emitting a scent like sweetened detergent.