I had no idea so many of you gave a turd about Katy Perry and her chart-topping “I Kissed A Girl” song that isn’t even an homage to Jill Sobule.
But those of you who were all over me for not getting the BeliefNet RSS feed back in June should know that this news is still relevant, because now her parents are speaking out about it:
Katy’s parents, both evangelical Christian preachers, say they are deeply ashamed of the star for ‘promoting a sin’. And her mother, Mary Hudson, declared: ‘I hate the song. It clearly promotes homosexuality and its message is shameful and disgusting.
‘Katy knows how I feel. We are a very outspoken family and she knows how disappointed her father and I are. I can’t even listen to that song. The first time I heard it I was in total shock. When it comes on the radio I bow my head and pray.’
Personally I’d be more embarrassed by how crappy the song is than by its message, but I get that where they’re coming from, this is pretty much the worst thing ever.
Her mom went on to say this:
‘Katy was spotted by a music producer who invited her to LA. That’s when she started to change.
‘I was worried she’d start doing drugs and drinking alcohol. I still am. I spoke to her only recently. She said, “Oh Mum, I’m not going to turn into Amy Winehouse”.’
Huh, speaking of Amy, Katy recently said of her “the only thing that girl needs is prayer.” Kind of suggests that Katy’s still a practicing Christian, albeit one who is into bi-experimentation and cheating on her boyfriend.
And in any event, I’d say she’s more Britney Spears than Amy Winehouse, given how she talked to Blender about the realness of her boobs and how she recently staged a fake wedding in Vegas.
Not all Christian religions are against homosexuality, and I think whatever makes being gay more acceptable and more mainstream can only help in the end. I realize there are two sides of the issue, but I know no one would be upset if the lyric was “I kissed a boy”. The song exposes one of the largest double-standards in this country: no one cares if girls are out with boys, getting pregnant (as made obvious by the blatant heterosexuality in music, media, etc., as well as the anti-birth control pundits out there) but yet if they kiss a girl it’s a horrible thing. I’d rather a woman experiment with kissing a girl than bring yet another unwanted child into this country for the rest of us to pay for.
I think they’d be pretty upset if it was a Jonas Brothers song …
I’m sure her parents put up all sorts of road blocks so that their daughter wouldn’t sign with the record company to collect the mountains of cash. No?
Well then, no praying required…indeed
Bet that they don’t turn down the royalties.
I can echo Nasty41’s sentiments… there’s all types of anti-biblical and downright disgraceful crap being encouraged by their daughter (we can start with the music itself), but really – it does say a lot about them that that one particular thing is what gets them to bow their heads and pray.
At least her parents aren’t actively pimping her to the media, unlike a certain Joe S. was/has been doing with his kids…
Considering North America’s laws are rooted in the bible, it’s no wonder our culture would support anti-gay feels. Yes, in Canada same-sex marriage is legal, but there are people out there trying to change that. Stupid potato head Stephan Harper is someone who opposes gay marriage. What, I believe, all Christians need to do is to realize that if two gay people want to get married, it’s none of their business.
I honestly would think her parents wouldn’t mind the song so much though. She is not encouraging a gay lifestyle, more like expoliting it to sell records. She is making a mockery of being gay/bi because it is arousing and it sells. She is taking the power away from people who are truly gay, making that lifestyle seem like the happenings of drinking too much at a party.
Nasty41, what sect of Christianity supports gay marriage? I realize that there are liberal Christians in every sect, but I’ve never heard of one church that supports gay marriage. Are they in the States?
I hated this song right up until I read her parents’ reaction. Now I still hate the actual song but I love that she recorded it. Rock and roll is about rebellion. Screw Mom and Dad.
Still hate her. Still hope she dies in a fire.
i can see why her parents are worried about her, but it’s her life to live…let her do what she wants to.
“Kind of suggests that Katy’s still a practicing Christian, albeit one who is into bi-experimentation and cheating on her boyfriend.”
OH COME ON! you are basing these things off of a song!?!? just cause she sings a song about or jokes about doesn’t mean she does any of that stuff.
who are you to judge anyway?
I’m still waiting for “I Kissed My Brother” or “I Kissed My Four Other Wives.”
One day.
While I think the evangelical message is a little bit radical, I think reading this leads me to dislike Katy Perry even more than I had.
But, like I said, when it’s convenient to piss on your own values for fame, it’s no matter whether who agrees or disagrees with them. A phoney is a phoney, and an attention whore who believes money is more important than her own principles is still an attention whore who believes money is more important than sticking with what she believes is right.
What a corrupted, brainwashed bimbo. The best part is, is that she apparently recorded the song to offend her family members, which is not only the way a fifteen year old would try to get back at her parents, but also that she made a buck off of pissing off her parents. Any respectful human being wouldn’t intentionally record a song that they knew would upset any member of their family.
I don’t disagree with her family’s beliefs, but they’re not in the wrong in this instance, she is for having little to no family values. Grow the hell up. Unless your family doesn’t care about you at all, your family will ALWAYS be there, especially when you’ll be f*cking bankrupt in five years.
Live it up, skank.
Side note: I wish I would have noticed that I wasn’t my own name before I submitted my post. Sorry about that.
I’m with Discordia on this one. Her parents are probably happily better off than they were before this song became an inexplicable hit. They need to not speak to the media if they are really so outraged because they have to know that the attention they are bringing to this “sinful” tune is only going to guarantee more exposure.
I hate this song even more now because it is making me over think it.
This song is nothing more than male fantasy set to “music”. I don’t feel that it is a mockery of gay or real bi people because it isn’t about them at all. Girl on girl action is the number one sexual fantasy of most straight men out there, Christian and otherwise, and this is exactly what this song is meant to appeal to. I don’t get the impression that her boyfriend will mind when I hear this song, and I don’t believe that I am meant to. This is no more a mockery than lipstick lesbian porn. It’s a popular “kink” for a straight man and an often unattainable fantasy.
And it’s entirely passe.
I had posted before that this makes me dislike Katy Perry even less than I already did.
Even though I disagree with Katy Perry’s parents, I think she’s majorly in the wrong. Knowing her family obviously disapproves of homosexuality, this is appears to be a childish act of pseudo-rebellion. I think she’s a tasteless, tacky tramp.
What she did was made money off of doing something she knew was going to offend her own family, and that’s as two-faced as two-faced gets. Whether you disagree with her parents or not, a phoney is a phoney, and a disrespectful one at that. Any pious human being would not go so far as to do something they knew would upset their family, but I guess if you’re Katy “Perry”, money and fame means more than family values.
I’m not sure about hers, but family is family no matter what, and you know they’ll be THE FIRST to support her when she (hopefully) is bankrupt in five years, so Katy live it up. Better not let it get to your head too quickly- oh wait, it already did.
oh wow. i wonder if she even speaks to her parents anymore? i had no idea they were really into their religion.
Well, you see, I write for this blog…
I really think you’re trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill with Katy Perry.
There is quite the difference between an evangelical christian nut that prays everytime a song comes on the air and your run of the mill christian that doesn’t let their religion interfere with who they are (but keeps their faith private as it should be). There’s also a huge difference between a run of the mill christian and say someone like Britney Spears who says she’s a christian (y’all). Maybe Katy Perry believes in the power of prayer, making out with a girl every now and then and squashing rumors about her breasts before they emerge.
Could Katy Perry be using bi-curious experimentation as a gimmick, sure, but considering how she’s got another song called “UR SO GAY” - she probably feels she has a relationship with the GLBT community and can poke fun at it’s misconceptions. As a gay man, she hasn’t offended me, and I don’t find her a hypocrite like the PETArds or Enviro-nuts you guys do excellent coverage on.
Sorry Holly, you need to do a tad bit more digging and find a real nugget of hypocrisy before you change my mind
But keep trying, I keep an open mind about all the (potential) celeb schmucks out there
@ Zorg - You might have had a point if anything Katy Perry has made thus far could be could be considered “rock & roll” in anything but the most abstract sense.
@ Christina X - I think you’re one of my favourite commenters on here. What you said about attention whoring vs. sticking to your beliefs and values hits the nail on the head. The interview indicates that Katy does still speak with her parents. It also indicates that they’re struggling to be loving and forgiving with their daughter. I know if my kid was out making music this shitty, I’d probably be struggling, too.
Fun note – I used to work in a Christian bookstore, and when I saw the picture of the “Katy Hudson” CD I realised that we had a copy of it in the discount rack.
No one ever bought it…
I think Christina X is right. There’s nothing more painful or appalling than to see someone you love and you struggled to raise right get seduced by the wrong people and the wrong values.
Yeesh. I think you all need to chill out and relax.
@ Christina X - save the sob story about how “family is family no matter what” for an episode of Full House, m’kay? This isn’t a matter of her parent’s views and her views in disagreement or rebelling against her parents but rather that her parent’s views are WRONG. I’ll all for arguing both side of the coin here but the narrow minded views shared by the millions of narrow minded christians out there is something that shouldn’t be tolerated. Why? Because it’s those views that hinder human rights from progessing all over the world. Is Katy Perry some revoltionary out to ensure gays around the world are allowed to do what they please when they want? No, of course not. Does her song bring to the surface that some people find it “gross” and “icky” that some girls kiss other girls “and like it!” and conversely that some boys kiss other boys “and like it!” Sure does! And that is only a good thing in my book.
Maybe her mother is a horrible person that’s slapped her around a few times for being a “tacky tramp” as you so eloquently put it? Maybe her father wanted his daugther to be a submissive boob that should’ve been seen and not heard - whatever the reason, Katy Perry isn’t her mother or father and doesn’t have to curb her career to make sure mommy isn’t stuck praying in traffic everytime her song comes on the air, she’s not 16 and not legally under their care. Hell SHE’LL be the one buying THEM a house one day
Let’s grow up a little, please?
“I had no idea so many of you gave a turd about Katy Perry and her chart-topping “I Kissed A Girl” song that isn’t even an homage to Jill Sobule.”
————–
THANK YOU! I thought I was the only one who remembered that song.
In fact, when everyone started talking about this Katy Perry piece of crap, I thought this song had made a comeback, on some TV show or movie, or just some kid watching old episodes of Much Music (you know, Rick, George, Jenn…the good times?) and telling their friend’s about the candy coloured, fifties styles sick video.
But noooo. It’s this shitty ditty that gets the attention.
OK, Sobule’s version wasn’t a huge masterpiece, but still a lot cuter and more taboo than this one.
OH, Katy, you’re bi!?!? OH NO!!! SO IS EVERY OTHER EMO/SCENE KID RUNNING AROUND TODAY!
Fuck her.
Thank you for remembering the nineties.
Oh, try me.
It’s obvious that she does still have a relationship with her family, and the icing on the cake is her attitude.
I believe in gay rights as much as the next person, and it’s a shame they don’t. However, it appears to me that since she still prays for people that she’s still a relatively religious person and why the name change? I think that for some reason that Katy Perry is ashamed of her religious background.
Katy Perry is the girl who ditches her friends to sit with the popular kids at lunch, and for someone so jumpy about making conclusions, you’ve made several yourself. You assume that since I disagree with Katy Perry’s actions, that I’m taking the moral high ground as not being judgmental. Well, I’ll have you know that I judge people all the time, and while you may pretend that you don’t, we all do.
I don’t know how many times I need to reiterate for the blindly oblivious, but I’m so sorry that I don’t believe some half-naked “attractive” woman is writhing about on MTV singing about bisexuality in a very tacky manner. You can pretend that just because she’s “bisexual”, that nothing she does is inappropriate all you want, but I BELIEVE she’s attempting to exacerbate the male libido, and $ex sells.
I’m oh so sorry I don’t believe some tart who came out of the woodwork a few months ago after recording this song who a little too easily admits to behaving badly. And before you freak out and put words into my mouth, I’m not linking bisexuality with reckless behavior; I didn’t know how else to word it. I’m sorry I don’t believe a word that comes out of this woman’s mouth who expressed the desire to make out with Miley Cyrus, TV’s favorite “virginal” teen queen. If that isn’t pining for controversy, what is?
Hmm, reasons why Christina X might believe Katy Perry’s an attention whore? I gave you THREE reasons why I do, and in case you missed it the first time:
1. The overeroticized video for “I Kissed a Girl” which actually appears to appeal more toward straight men if anything.
2. The sudden “misbehavior”/rebellion.
3. Saying she wants to make out with a fifteen year old girl who herself has attracted a lot of negative attention through “misleadings”.
Everything this woman says and does is for shock value. But let’s not make assumptions for the this poor martyr after she’s basically lain it all out on the table, but we’ll suggest that her family beats her, because, you know, you don’t agree with them.
Two wrongs don’t make a right, and she’s an adult now. The “rebellion” is a little bit late for a grown woman who has been on her own. If she’s still acting out and making poor decisions at the age of 23, that’s not her freaky parents’ responsibility, it’s hers.
@ Christina X
“I believe in gay rights as much as the next person, and it’s a shame they don’t. However, it appears to me that since she still prays for people that she’s still a relatively religious person and why the name change? I think that for some reason that Katy Perry is ashamed of her religious background.”
So she prays for people? So what? She could very well be a christian or someone that believes in the power of prayer, that’s not making her a hypocrite. You can be religious and support gay rights too - she’s just not overtly religious, not evangelical about her beliefs. As for being ashamed of her religious background - if my mother was a nut bar that prayed in traffic over a song that sings about NOTHING WRONG I’d be ashasmed of that religious background too.
“Katy Perry is the girl who ditches her friends to sit with the popular kids at lunch, and for someone so jumpy about making conclusions, you’ve made several yourself.”
How do you know who Katy Perry is? I certainly don’t and never said I did. I made an assumption based on the fact that in her song she talks about kissing a girl and liking it. She also has another song called “UR SO GAY” in which one lyric is “you’re so gay and you don’t even like boys” - as a gay man, I can see she has a relationship with the GLBT community where she can poke fun (in a playful way, she’s not talking about killing batty boys and all that) and still respect us. Ergo, she probably has gay friends, ergo she probably doesn’t go and sit with the “popular” kids as gay kids in school where never popular but are usually harassed. I’m not saying she’s an angel but my deductions about the type of person she MAY be have a little more backing than the type of person you’re claiming she is (and over what exactly? pissing off her parents? over SOMETHING THAT IS NOTHING WRONG to begin with?).
“You assume that since I disagree with Katy Perry’s actions, that I’m taking the moral high ground as not being judgmental. Well, I’ll have you know that I judge people all the time, and while you may pretend that you don’t, we all do”
Oh honey, don’t flatter yourself, I would never assume someone that makes baseless accusations about someone she’s never met takes a moral high road. I’m guessing Katy Perry is a fairly decent person because she’s stood up against a backward way of thinking - SOMETHING SHE WAS RAISED IN, NO LESS - and quite frankly didn’t care who she pissed off, her parents included (because - say it with me now - her parents ARE WRONG FOR THINKING WHAT THEY DO). I could very well be wrong - hell she could turn around and vote for McCain and become Queen Douche of all Douchedom and I will gladly pray to the gods for forgiveness and never question anything you say again - but she hasn’t done anything hypocritical in my book. Not like Pam Anderson or John Edwards or that midget super strong chick from Heroes.
“I don’t know how many times I need to reiterate for the blindly oblivious, but I’m so sorry that I don’t believe some half-naked “attractive” woman is writhing about on MTV singing about bisexuality in a very tacky manner. You can pretend that just because she’s “bisexual”, that nothing she does is inappropriate all you want, but I BELIEVE she’s attempting to exacerbate the male libido, and $ex sells.”
Good point! But she hasn’t done anything for you to warrant that thinking - you have clear examples of people that have done it, Britney, Christina, Madonner, etc etc etc - but she’s never claimed she’s bisexual or bi-curious or anything. Who knows, she may have had a little experiment and wrote a song about it. I dont see what’s tacky when her in her song is “I kissed a girl and liked it” - she’s not saying “I kissed a girl because my boyfriend begged me too” or “I kissed a girl because I was drunk and didn’t know what I was doing” or anything lame like that. She talks about her boyfriend in the song but she’s not talking about living out HIS fantasy but HER own. That’s a pretty positive stance about bisexuality if you ask me.
“I’m oh so sorry I don’t believe some tart who came out of the woodwork a few months ago after recording this song who a little too easily admits to behaving badly. And before you freak out and put words into my mouth, I’m not linking bisexuality with reckless behavior; I didn’t know how else to word it. I’m sorry I don’t believe a word that comes out of this woman’s mouth who expressed the desire to make out with Miley Cyrus, TV’s favorite “virginal” teen queen. If that isn’t pining for controversy, what is?”
Then we can only agree to disagree can’t we? Neither of us has proof the other is wrong or neither of us has proof that we’re right. As for Miley Cyrus - that abstienence touting c*nt needs to make out with a girl and stop thanking her lord and saviour jeebus at every award she’s given just in time for the next set of her semi-racy (and highly un-christian) photos from surfacing.
“1. The overeroticized video for “I Kissed a Girl” which actually appears to appeal more toward straight men if anything.”
Really cuz I wouldn’t be surprised if bi-ladies and lesbaisn got off on a young, hottie in a corset dancing around a bunch of other girls in equally tight clothes talking about her like of kissing girls behind her boyfriend’s back. I’m fairly certain if the all the sexes in that video were reversed, it would be my utlimate fantasy - except for dudes in corsets, perhaps boxer shorts or jeans…and I’m back.
“2. The sudden “misbehavior”/rebellion.”
Who says it’s sudden? It’s perceived as sudden because it’s come out all at once. I remember an interview she did here in Toronto before her song became a “hit” (back in May) and she talked about how very religious her parents are and how they had their arguments before the CD went public and how concerned her mother was and blah blah blah - so this wound’s been festering for at least as long as she’s been in the studio.
“3. Saying she wants to make out with a fifteen year old girl who herself has attracted a lot of negative attention through “misleadings”.”
I really think Katy Perry’s intetion was said in the sense to loosen Miley Cyrus up; not in the complete and literal sense of an adult wanting to mack on a kid. And at this point, I’m going to venture that Miley Cyrus has had more action than Katy Perry.
“If she’s still acting out and making poor decisions at the age of 23, that’s not her freaky parents’ responsibility, it’s hers.”
You haven’t convinced me she’s acting out. Where are the photos of her drunk on the street and puking her guts out and driving while intoxicated and getting preggers at 23 and marrying at 24 and blah blah blah. She wrote a song about kissing a girl and she liked it. Her parents disagree with her - are digusted with her in fact - hence they’re douches and she SEEMS like a pretty alright lady in my books. For now.
It’s worth noting that the two songs indicating her supposed “relationship with the GLBT community” were not even really written by her…
I also like how the AllMusic.com entry states specifically that she’ll do “anything for attention”. Seems to be pretty on the money to me. Objectifying one’s self for the sake of attention and profit does not make anyone a hero in my eyes, no matter how much her tartiness incidentally furthers a good cause.
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gnfpxzujldfe
Austin
According to wikipedia, she’s listed as a co-writer for both songs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Kissed_a_Girl
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ur_so_gay
“Objectifying one’s self for the sake of attention and profit does not make anyone a hero in my eyes” - have you seen the videos? She’s clothed in both! Much more than any teen pop princess has been in other videos.
I’m still not seeing how she objectifies herself - there’s a difference from putting your face out there and making sure ONLY your face is out there, in whatever way possible. Most people don’t know even know her name!
Just because she’s better clothed doesn’t mean she isn’t selling herself on her looks more than her talent. And just because she’s clothed now, doesn’t mean she will be in the very near future. If she’s going to establish her career on provactive innuendo and vaunting the lifestyle of debauchery and indulgence (which thus far, she has done, as Katy Perry, at least), then my money would be on her shedding her clothes at a good steady rate to be a complete washout within the next five years. If that long.
She’s also a co-writer, key word there. She wrote this song with producers, and anyone who can look past the thinnest layers of music-industry chicanery can see that basically means as much as that they wrote it.
Perhaps it would do well to read the rather insightful review of her album that I linked to previously. Just because you’re blind to the half-hearted corporate shenannigans used to push bad music on the unwashed masses, doesn’t mean the rest of us are.
“Just because she’s better clothed doesn’t mean she isn’t selling herself on her looks more than her talent. And just because she’s clothed now, doesn’t mean she will be in the very near future. If she’s going to establish her career on provactive innuendo and vaunting the lifestyle of debauchery and indulgence (which thus far, she has done, as Katy Perry, at least), then my money would be on her shedding her clothes at a good steady rate to be a complete washout within the next five years. If that long.”
So you’re just going on a hunch then? You can’t blame someone for selling on their looks in Hollywood of all places. Again a difference between selling out and selling your image. She’s selling her image, it’s her career, and she hasn’t done anything as hypocritical has other stars listed on this site.
“She’s also a co-writer, key word there. She wrote this song with producers, and anyone who can look past the thinnest layers of music-industry chicanery can see that basically means as much as that they wrote it.”
Can’t really prove that claim can you?
“Perhaps it would do well to read the rather insightful review of her album that I linked to previously. Just because you’re blind to the half-hearted corporate shenannigans used to push bad music on the unwashed masses, doesn’t mean the rest of us are”
I did - it’s one review on her album. Your idea of bad music is different from everyone elses. Her song is catchy, fun to dance to and not just a repeated lyric to a repeated beat. I can’t stand James Blunt and I’ve been near crucification for proclaiming that in public - one review on one album primarily done on one song is hardly something to garner the bad press she’s been facing over not bending over backward to please her parent’s misguided and wrong views of the world.
She could very well turn around and become the biggest hypocrite in the world - my heart would break if she came out as saying she’s a die hard PETA fan or scientologist - but until (and more importantly, IF) she does, there are far worse “role models” to pick apart and string up out there.
“but until (and more importantly, IF) she does, there are far worse “role models” to pick apart and string up out there.”
Hey! Something we can agree upon! I mean, just look up to the latest entry about Posh Spice, after all…
But even if she’s not the worst, she’s still not good, and in the end, I’m just as concerned about what she’ll wind up doing to herself in her pursuit of fame and fortune as I am about how many impressionable, star-idolising kids she’ll take with her.
Let me rephrase that last… phrase.
Should say “impressionable, star-idolising kids she possibly could take with her.” She hasn’t reached Miley Cyrus status yet, after all.
(Darn hitting “submit” before editing!)
dont get me started on miley cyrus
Dont even get me started…
As for her outcome - as sad as I am saying this, she’ll probably become a one hit wonder so your fears are unfounded
Well, I’m all for compromise so, I guess we’re going to have to disagree on Katy Perry. She’s always come across as slightly bitchy and obnoxious if you ask me, but some people don’t think so. It’s nothing personal.
I don’t think her parents are right, and I don’t want anyone thinking I actually agree with them.
But I don’t know EVERYTHING about Katy Perry. I didn’t know who she was until that song was recorded, and you’ll have to pardon my ignorance about her past as a musician or whatever. I only recognize Katy Perry for what’s in the now.
And I don’t disagree there are worse role models out there.
This girl isn’t going around that one. Just another one hit wonder…
i’m just glad there is another tramp for our daughters to look up to-brittney, madonaa, and the lovely pam aderson just were not enough.
i tihnk Katy Perrys mom is gay , Who would sing a song call “I kissed a boy” Like EVERY girl does that , what she gonna say int he song if i was i kissed a boy ” - I kissed a boy and i liked it i hope my other Boyfriend Dont mind it ?