Katy and Britney are friends and Britney still liked Katy after that joke, which was widely seen as an insult to Britney by audiences
I honestly wonder if this joke, though received as being made in bad taste, was really just an insult to Hollywood
This was at a time when she was absolutely torching the media (“Dance to the distortion”) and Hollywood (the commentary on commodification of women in the Bon Appétit video) during the Witness era, and sure enough, the industry did sabotage Katy when she became rebellious like Britney
While Britney was pushed far past her limits to the point of shaving her head, Katy too was nearly made to snap, and ended up suicidal, with her career dismantled (it was confirmed by a journalist last year that the downfall was inorganic and orchestrated by the media)
The video clip that was shared actually lacked the context of the interview, where Katy was joking about how women have to reinvent themselves over and over to stay relevant in Hollywood, and was saying that after all the different hair colors she had tried to keep audiences engaged, the next step would be to shave it off altogether, and it’s honestly… pretty funny
Obviously the media immediately jumped aboard the narrative that she was tearing Britney down, and people followed that without questioning it
Katy had been super supportive of Britney elsewhere and made many comments showing solidarity with her so I wonder if this was an off-color joke about the machine as a whole, rather than Britney herself
I wouldn't doubt Britney was on her mind at the time but she was also quite literally on the verge of her own public "breakdown" at the time. Britney shaved her head to have some control over her own narrative. Katy shaved her head not long after that interview to try and see herself as Katheryn Hudson VS Katy Perry. Its sad people see that as a reason to tear a woman down considering they both went through similar industry struggles.
I mean, trying to be seen as Katheryn and not Katy is also literally to have control over her own narrative. Katy was just luckily able to be more preemptive about it than Britney.
Britney was also trying to be seen as a human and not as a commodity - Katy did the same thing. These are not two different things, even if phrased differently.
Katy said what she said in response to the insane expectations placed on pop stars. I don’t think it was a dig at Britney as much as it was a commentary on the sacrifices and unrealistic expectations placed upon women in the music industry by the record industry AND the public. Anyone would lose their shit under that pressure! Some people make it out like Katy and some people break.
Perhaps it would have been better to speak generally and not refer to Britney, one of the most beloved pop figures of all time and the most unfortunate given what her father did to her. It was obvious that Britney's fandom and the general public would be angry with Katy, and even today, many Britney fans have not forgotten that moment.
I think the reference to Britney was necessary. Britney was the lightning rod and the ultimate example of the way the fame machine swallows up its pawns. I think Katy said it with concern and empathy for Britney, but it landed very clunky due to the specific video clip that got circulated. Britney’s fandom and the public did not interpret the joke correctly due to the spin the media put on this exchange.
What you say may be true, but as often happens, in the social media era, the media pays close attention to the words a celebrity says and how they say them. Even if the intentions are the best possible, it takes very little to distort the content, exploit them, and reverse the meaning of what's been said, even for the purpose of turning celebrities against each other and selling copies, likes, and views. A lot also depends on the celebrity in question: unfortunately, Katy has never been regarded so positively by public opinion and critics, so everything she does is always under scrutiny. Let's add that Britney's fandom is very fierce and cares deeply about her, given that she was one of the most famous victims of the music industry's treatment, as well as the globally recognized Princess of Pop. Consider that the incident Katy cited was Britney's bald head, one of the most sensational and dramatic episodes of that period, for which the fandom would have immediately attacked her harshly. In short, being a celebrity has become more exhausting these days because social media is relentless and capable of sparking controversy even where it's unnecessary because there was no intention on the part of those involved (like this episode). There's so much frustration. That's why I like, for example, the way Adele operates: she releases an album, does residencies and theater shows, then disappears for a few years without being too much in the eye of the storm and maintaining a quiet life, then comes back when she decides.
I think it was abt Britney
A dig at Hollywood. Madonna influenced Britney influenced Katy influenced Olivia Rodrigo. There’s always the next generation of PopStars .
Cool
The words she used explicitly referenced Britney's well-known moment and were understood by most as a dig at her. Could it also reflect frustration with fame/industry pressures? That's a reasonable interpretation, but not something Katy clearly stated at the time
Explicitly? No. She said she tried every hair color and the next step was to shave it all off, and the interpretation of it as a dig against Britney is forced.