“Did you see that Katy Perry went to space?” is a text message I could never have imagined sending. Like many people, I have fallen numb to the never-ending influx of bizarre news headlines, but nothing could have prepared me for the news that Katy Perry, teary-eyed and holding a daisy, was floating around in zero gravity.

On April 14, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ space technology company Blue Origin sent its first all-women crew on an underwhelmingly short — 11 total minutes — trip to space. While the journey was initially praised for advancing gender equality in the realm of space exploration, it faced intense media scrutiny, causing the public to note the discrepancy between impactful representation and a well-funded publicity stunt.

Despite the legacies of groundbreaking women in the aerospace arena such as Katherine Johnson and Sally Ride, women remain an overwhelming minority among the NASA workforce, making up a mere third of their personnel. Blue Origin’s all-women crew had the opportunity to make an empowering statement about women in outer space, but unfortunately, they severely missed the mark.

Despite what Blue Origin might be trying to accomplish, these astronomic trips are only accessible to the ultra-rich population. With a $150,000 deposit, it is unlikely that these missions will contribute to the democratization of space. 

Four of the six women on this pay-to-play mission, though successful in their respective fields, have no affiliation with STEM — save Aisha Bowe, former NASA rocket scientist, and Amanda Nguyen, a bioastronautics research scientist — which hollows the so-called “representation” the trip was attempting to achieve. Donned in full hair and makeup alongside designer space gear intended to look “flattering and sexy,” the mission carried a heavy undertone of superficiality. 

In addition to the undeniably vapid nature of the trip, consumers and celebrities alike criticized the crew for distracting the media, which is currently overwhelmed by growing global concerns, with their joyride through space. 

Deeming the trip “gluttonous,” celebrities such as Olivia Wilde and Amy Schumer have publicly mocked the sheer absurdity of high-profile celebrities choosing to spend their money on a brief trip to space instead of meaningfully contributing to life-saving organizations. 

In a time when people are struggling to secure their rights and make ends meet, this joyride felt especially insensitive. Perry made matters worse by using her time in zero gravity to promote the setlist for her upcoming tour. Ultimately, the Blue Origin mission was never about breaking barriers for women: It was about fame, wealth and spectacle.

The critique didn’t end when the women touched back down on Earth — in fact, it had just begun. Upon landing from their trip that was shorter than the average grocery run, the crew became incredibly emotional, which was understandable considering they had just witnessed the breathtaking and rare sight of Earth from above. However, some of the exhibited behaviors, most notably those of Perry, were questionable to say the least.

Perry’s post-trip interviews demonstrated spacey (no pun intended) behaviors, like kissing the ground and saying she felt “super connected to love” whilst waving around a tiny daisy in honor of her daughter. 

In interviews, Perry accepted the title of “astronaut,” equating her momentary trip to space with the years of rigorous studying and training real astronauts undergo before earning that title. As model and actress Emily Ratajkowski said in response to the press coverage of this event, “being privileged is not an accomplishment.”

It’s unfair to claim that every celebrity is obligated to use their platform to save the world, and people have the right to spend their money however they please. As these high-profile journeys become increasingly common, it’s necessary to discuss the growing commodification of space and how best to balance the ethics of space travel in conjunction with business interests and media expectations. 

While space travel is slowly becoming available to a select few, this does not inherently make them astronauts, nor does it require them to use their trip to space as an opportunity to make a political statement.

I’m sure this won’t be the last time we see an over-the-top celebrity mission to space take over the news. In fact, I hope it’s not — the backlash created from this fiasco resulted in a rare level of consensus across the internet, which was oddly refreshing. 

Celebrities who choose to embark on a mission to space and who will subsequently be scrutinized by the media should be conscious of the way they carry themselves and be certain about the impact they want to leave. While they’re watching the world from a spaceship, the world is watching them.