The post Wendy’s Roasted Katy Perry for Space Flight — Then Chickened Out appeared first on Consequence.
Upon her return to Earth following her 11-minute sub-orbital voyage aboard Blue Origin, Katy Perry claimed that the flight had the unique opportunity to unify the country: “I hope they can see the unity that we modeled and replicate that and understand that we weren’t just taking up space, we were making space for the future.” Arguably, she was correct — though likely not in the way she intended — as the idea of a bunch of rich celebrities blasting into the upper echelons of the atmosphere at the cost of hundreds of millions of dollars, while millions of people both domestically and abroad struggle to pay their bills amid increasing economic uncertainty and international conflicts, proved to be universally rebuked by liberals, conservatives, and just about everyone else alike.
Even Wendy’s — yes, as in the fast food chain — mocked the flight. In a viral tweet responding to Perry’s successful return to Earth, the brand wrote, “Can we send her back.” Kesha subsequently used Wendy’s post as a way to take a dig at her longtime rival, Perry.
But now, after someone on Perry’s team apparently complained, the corporate lameos at Wendy’s have gotten involved and released a heavily sanitized statement seemingly meant to get back in the singer’s good graces. “We always bring a little spice to our socials, but Wendy’s has a ton of respect for Katy Perry and her out-of-this-world-talent,” the fast food company said in a statement on Thursday.
Wendy’s corporate response followed a lengthy five-paragraph (!) statement provided to PEOPLE and attributed to a “source close to situation” that derided Wendy’s for posting a “blatantly inappropriate” tweet that was meant to “publicly demean a woman.” My favorite part is the source saying Wendy’s should have have known better since they have a female mascot. Anyhow, here is the statement in full:
“Wendy’s didn’t make a joke — they made a choice. Their recent posts on X aimed at Katy Perry were not only disrespectful, but blatantly inappropriate.”
“This wasn’t harmless banter, this was a billion-dollar brand using its platform to publicly demean a woman,” the source added, contending that “when billion-dollar brands join in, it’s irresponsible.”
“[Wendy’s is] not adding to the conversation, they’re dragging it down and this kind of behavior contributes to a culture where women are punished for standing out or a woman daring to do something different is a target.”
“Telling a woman that she should be ‘sent back’ is shameful bullying and reflects a troubling willingness to tear down in today’s society. What’s worse is that the face of Wendy’s is a woman, which makes this decision not just hypocritical, but painfully ironic.”
“Everyone expected more from a brand with this kind of platform. Wendy’s should ‘do the right thing’ (the name of one of their core values) apologize and do better in the future.”
It’s worth noting that beyond Wendy’s, some of the most pointed criticism of Perry and co. came from women themselves — including Olivia Wilde, Olivia Munn, Emily Ratajkowski, Jessica Chastain, and Amy Schumer. “Look at the state of the world and think about how many resources went into putting these women into space… For what? What was the marketing there,” opined Ratajkowski in a TikTok. Meanwhile, Wilde shared a meme of Perry kissing the ground after landing with the message, “Billion dollars bought some good memes, I guess.”
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