Why is Katy Perry getting so much hate?

It seems that lately, not a day goes by without a headline slamming Katy Perry.

As the face of the recent “American Idol” reboot, Perry has been criticized for her judging ability, her playful antics with contestants and for supposedly breathing life into her feud with Taylor Swift. Although she’s no stranger to intense media attention, it seems as though the pop superstar is on the verge of Anne Hathaway levels of public criticism — but enough is enough. Without veering into Chris Crocker “Leave Britney Alone” territory, it’s time to call out the Katy Perry hate for what it really is: an unwillingness to let a female artist grow, learn and change.

First things first: Katy Perry is a music superstar. Since bursting on the scene in 2008 as the raven-haired pin-up that was equal parts quirk and sex-kitten, Perry has cemented herself as one of the most successful artists in music history.

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Since the 2016 U.S. presidential election, when Katy Perry firmly aligned herself with Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, we’ve seen a version of Perry who cares less about kitsch and romance and more about making a difference politically and socially. While some of her contemporaries remained silent during the election, a strategic move to appeal to the masses, Perry showed honesty on the campaign trail – opening up about her family’s right-wing beliefs and canvassing on college campuses on behalf of Clinton to support women’s rights.

The newly “woke” Perry continued her image overhaul post-election by cutting off her famous raven-haired locks. The transformation away from the perfectly packaged songstress who epitomized the conventional standard of beauty to an empowered, sometimes flawed, but always honest human is in a sense, groundbreaking. Without a formal education, Perry has still managed to evolve into an activist — and feminist. Unlike artists such as Miley Cyrus, who experimented with her look and lifestyle in her early 20s, Perry is in her early 30s, so her actions aren’t interpreted as a “phase.”

Perry’s evolution upsets what we think we know about ourselves – Wouldn’t life easier if we were famous like Katy Perry? Wouldn’t we be loved if we looked like Katy Perry? Perry instead reveals herself to be just as flawed as the rest of us – but that doesn’t stop her from continuing her personal journey in the public sphere.

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The best example of Perry’s transformation is her new role on “American Idol.” As a judge, she is honest and firm, but with the same playful antics that made her famous. Alongside Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, Perry is arguably the most recognizable for the younger generation of “Idol” fans and has received the most criticism on everything from her reported $25 million salary to her interactions with contestants. As the highest paid judge and the lone female on the panel, it seems as though critics are looking to Perry to prove herself worthy: an impossible feat for critics who rely on negativity to increase page views.

As women with opinions often are, the empowered Perry is an easy target for critics. What’s happening to Perry is a reaction to progress – both regarding Perry personally, and women socially. There seems to be a limit to how much attention a woman is allowed before she becomes annoying or how much power she can have before she is branded a bitch. A woman who carves her own path disrupts the system and there is a desperate attempt to brand or label women to maintain control.

“American Idol” has revealed a side of Katy Perry that women everywhere need to see — a woman who is in the driver seat of her own life, her own work, someone who makes mistakes, but always pushes forward, never asking for permission to grow and change.

Katy Perry is a human in progress – just like the rest of us. So just like Britney – leave Katy alone.

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