The broadcast and cable news networks extended saturation coverage to the Blue Origin all female flight crew of pop star Katy Perry, Oprah Winfrey’s BFF Gayle King, Jeff Bezos’ fiancé Lauren Sanchez, social entrepreneur Amanda Nguyen, film producer Kerianne Flynn, and honest to goodness rocket scientist Aisha Bowe. The inclusion of Bowe did not give any legitimacy to this 11-minute fantasy flight, they might as well have sent six Hooter girls to space.
Blue Origin proudly declared that the celebrity crew had officially become astronauts. However, according to rules issued by the FAA, Perry and her fellow passengers are not really astronauts at all. They are technically classified as “space travelers,” in fact they are just glorified space cadets.
This was not an example of female empowerment, but another glaring example of our obsession with celebrity culture. It appears that most of the preparation for this joy ride was spent lathering on the make-up.
The millions wasted on this made-for-TV event should have been used to pay for university scholarships for dozens of financially needy women.
Katy Perry melodramatically kissed the ground after returning from her flight. Really? Anybody who thinks this circus deserved saturation media coverage can kiss my ass.
