New Delhi, April 17 -- Pop superstar Katy Perry boarded Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket for an 11-minute suborbital flight last week-and instantly became the internet's favourite punching bag. Promoted as a "step forward for women in space", the mission has instead triggered a heated backlash over climate hypocrisy, performative feminism, and celebrity indulgence in the name of empowerment.

While the flight was framed as inspirational, many weren't buying it.

One X user wrote, "When my daughter was 13 she designed, built, launched + retrieved a near-space cube satellite. So forgive me if I'm not at all impressed with Katy Perry's 11-minute-makeup-perfecting-selfie-op space trip. That doesn't inspire little girls. Real science inspires ...