--- title: The Problem With Katy Perry’s Halftime Show Coverage description: The public isn't focusing on her singing canonical: https://time.com/3686749/taylor-swift-katy-perry-super-bowl/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-01-29T22:36:25.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:05:58.738Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: The Problem With Katy Perry’s Halftime Show Coverage og:description: The public isn't focusing on her singing og:url: https://time.com/3686749/taylor-swift-katy-perry-super-bowl/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf7989c8e6468fc8b/69877c6f8e06014dc4459ff1/katy-perry.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Katy Perry attends the 'Fashion Los Angeles Awards' Show on Jan. 22, 2015 in West Hollywood, California. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Problem With Katy Perry’s Halftime Show Coverage twitter:description: The public isn't focusing on her singing twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf7989c8e6468fc8b/69877c6f8e06014dc4459ff1/katy-perry.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why Taylor Swift Drama Is The Real Story of Katy Perry’s Halftime Show by [Natalie Morin / FindTheBest](https://time.com/author/findthebest/) ## Natalie Morin / FindTheBest Jan 29, 2015 10:36 PM UTC  Katy Perry attends the 'Fashion Los Angeles Awards' Show on Jan. 22, 2015 in West Hollywood, California. Katy Perry attends the 'Fashion Los Angeles Awards' Show on Jan. 22, 2015 in West Hollywood, California.Charley Gallay—Getty Images/2015 Charley Gallay by [Natalie Morin / FindTheBest](https://time.com/author/findthebest/) ## Natalie Morin / FindTheBest Jan 29, 2015 10:36 PM UTC The media has been abuzz with excitement for Super Bowl Sunday, and, more specifically, the halftime show. This year, pop singer Katy Perry has snagged the [coveted halftime performance slot](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE7H4RGdKdY), which, if the game sets another [viewership record](http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2015/1/26/7913941/2015-super-bowl-prop-bets-nielsen-tv-ratings-record), will equate to playing for an audience of more than 112 million people. Rumors are flying back and forth about Perry and the upcoming show, as is to be expected with such a high-profile performance–but with one important difference. Instead of focusing on her singing, the public is focusing on _who_ she might sing _about_. Ever since country-turned-pop star Taylor Swift revealed the inspiration of her new song “[Bad Blood](http://mic.com/articles/99056/taylor-swift-s-bad-blood-is-giving-women-a-bad-name),” which describes a feud between her and a fellow female artist who she refused to name, speculation was thrown in all directions about the woman in question. Swift accused her of “sabotaging her area tour” and stealing dancers out from under her. “She did something so horrible,” Swift told [_Rolling Stone_](http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/taylor-swift-1989-cover-story-20140908?page=4). “I was like, ‘Oh, we’re just straight-up enemies.’” Soon after, Perry tweeted, “Watch out for the Regina George in sheep’s clothing,” which confirmed the public’s suspicion that Perry and Swift were the women with “bad blood” between them. > [](https://twitter.com/katyperry/status/509247190280065025) Now that Perry will have America’s attention for 12 solid minutes, the media is expecting a rebuttal. And besides a headline here or there about her many costume changes and special guests, that’s all anyone can talk about. HollywoodLife.com [writes](http://hollywoodlife.com/2015/01/03/katy-perry-taylor-swift-diss-super-bowl-performance/), “Now that Taylor has taken over the music scene with huge success from_1989_, Katy wants to ‘show she is the biggest female act,’ while performing at the 2015 Super Bowl.” “Katy Perry Wants To Get Back At Taylor Swift During The Super Bowl,” reads a [Refinery29 headline](http://www.refinery29.com/2015/01/80267/katy-perry-taylor-swift-super-bowl). ### See How Katy Perry Has Changed Over the Years  Katy Perry visits Knott's Scary Farm October 11, 2014 in Buena Park, Calif. Sean Teegarden—Knott’s Scary Farm/Getty Images  Perry performs live during her 2014 'The Prismatic World Tour' at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on September 26, 2014, in Las Vegas. Justin Paludipan—Splash News/Corbis  Perry shows an impressive array of colors during the Prismatic tour at Staples Center on Saturday, September 20, 2014 in Los Angeles, Calif. Paul A. Hebert—Press Line Photos/Corbis  Perry performs at The BRIT Awards 2014 at the O2 Arena on February 19, 2014 in London. Matt Kent—WireImage/Getty Images  Katy Perry performs "Dark Horse" at the 56th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California January 26, 2014. Mario Anzuoni—Reuters/Corbis  Katy Perry performs at the 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards held at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, November 10, 2013. Sven Hoogerhuis—EPA/Corbis  Katy Perry performs at the 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards held at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, November 10, 2013. Sven Hoogerhuis—EPA/Corbis  Katy Perry on the Red Carpet at The MMVA's 2012 in Toronto, June 17th, 2012. Brian Patterson—Corbis  Katy Perry poses at the 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year tribute honoring Paul McCartney in Los Angeles, February 10, 2012. Danny Moloshok—Reuters/Corbis  Katy Perry performs during Super Bowl XLVI week at the Direct TV Super Saturday Night concert on February 4, 2012 in Indianapolis. John A. Angelillo—Corbis  Katy Perry arrives at the 2011 American Music Awards in Los Angeles November 20, 2011. Danny Moloshok—Reuters/Corbis  Katy Perry accepts the award for video of the year for Firework at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles, August 28, 2011. Mario Anzuoni—Reuters/Corbis  Katy Perry performs at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California February 13, 2011. Lucy Nicholson—Reuters/Corbis  Katy Perry interacts with the crowd at the Y100 Jingle Ball Concert held at the Bank Atlantic Center in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. December 11, 2010. Sozufe Adeleri—Retna/Corbis  Katy Perry performs at KIIS FM's Jingle Ball concert in Los Angeles December 5, 2010. Mario Anzuoni—Reuters/Corbis  Katy Perry performs at the VH1 Divas Salute The Troops presented by the USO show at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego on December 3, 2010. K.C. Alfred—Zuma Press/Corbis  Katy Perry performs 'Firework' at the 2010 American Music Awards in Los Angeles November 21, 2010. Mario Anzuoni—Reuters/Corbis  Katy Perry waves during the launch of her fragrance 'Purr' at Selfridges department store on Oxford Street in London November 12, 2010. Stefan Wermuth—Reuters/Corbis  Katy Perry poses during the launch of her fragrance 'Purr' at Selfridges department store on Oxford Street in London November 12, 2010. Stefan Wermuth—Reuters  Katy Perry performs 'California Gurls' at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards in Los Angeles, June 6, 2010. Mario Anzuoni—Reuters/Corbis  Katy Perry performs in the 2010 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in New York. Scott McDermott/Corbis  Katy Perry performs in the 2010 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in New York. Scott McDermott—Corbis  Katy Perry poses backstage after performing at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards in Los Angeles June 6, 2010. Danny Moloshok—Reuters/Corbis  Katy Perry presents the MTV Europe Music Awards at the O2 World in Berlin, Germany, November 5, 2009. Rainer Jensen—dpa/Corbis  Katy Perry performs at the Vans Warped Tour 15th Anniversary Celebration at Club Nokia on September 6, 2009 in Los Angeles. Jared Milgrim—Corbis  Katy Perry performs a live concert at the "T in the Park" music festival in Kinross, Scotland on July 12, 2009. Simone Cecchetti—Corbis  Katy Perry performs part of The Hello Katy Tour at The Fillmore in San Francisco, California, Jan 28, 2009. Tim Mosenfelder—Corbis  Katy Perry performs at the Q102 Jingle Ball at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, New Jersey, on December 14, 2008. Brian Hineline—Retna/Corbis  Katy Perry perfoms onstage at Spike TV's 2nd Annual "Guys Choice" Awards at Sony Studios on May 30, 2008 in Culver City, California. Jason Merritt—FilmMagic/Getty Images  Katy Perry attends the Betsey Johnson 2008 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2008 at The Tent at Bryant Park on February 4, 2008 in New York City. Stephen Lovekin—Getty Images  Katy Perry on stage at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards in Liverpool, UK. Stephane Cardinale—People Ave/Corbis  Katy Perry on stage at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards in Liverpool, UK. Stephane Cardinale—People Ave/Corbis  Katy Perry at the 2008 Vans Warped Tour kick-off party at the Key Club in West Hollywood. Jared Milgrim—Corbis  Katy Perry attends the EMI/Capitol Records Grammy party held at Boulevard3 on February 11, 2007 in Hollywood, California. Marsaili McGrath—Getty Images  Katy Perry attends the DKNY Jeans Presents 'Mick Rock Live in L.A.' Exhibit at the Lo-Fi Gallery on March 24, 2005. J. Vespa—Getty Images  Katy Perry attends the Nintendo DS Pre-Launch Party at The Day After in 2004. Mark Sullivan—WireImage/Getty Images  Katy Perry poses during a portrait session on September 12, 2002 in West Hollywood, California. Lester Cohen—WireImage/Getty Images The problem isn’t so much that they’re fighting in the first place, but rather that the public is feeding into this notion that women can’t revel in each others successes–they have to compete against each other. From rappers Nicki Minaj and Lil’ Kim to [directors Jane Campion and Kathryn Bigelow](http://api.viglink.com/api/click?format=go&jsonp=vglnk%5F14224088185037&key=d315a21d6d5a1bf22f62a7d4512f1e04&libId=4d648dcb-3cac-460a-9e26-e3e0c2b9b33c&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fhellogiggles.com%2Ftaylor-swift-katy-perry&v=1&out=http%3A%2F%2Fwomenandhollywood.com%2F2009%2F09%2F24%2Fsexism-alert-the-catfight-begins%2F&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fhellogiggles.com%2Ftaylor-swift-katy-perry%2F2&title=Why%20Do%20We%20Pit%20Cool%2C%20Powerful%20Women%20Against%20Each%20Other%3F%20-%20HelloGiggles&txt=directors%20Jane%20Campion%20and%20Kathryn%20Bigelow), we constantly pit powerful women against each other, which encourages a culture in which women are made to feel like they can’t be allies. This internalized female competitiveness is socially driven, not biologically. As Sarah MacDonald of [Feminspire](http://feminspire.com/why-women-should-hate-the-patriarchy-instead-of-each-other/) puts it, “Why are little girls told that if a girl is mean to them, they should avoid her, but if a boy is mean to her, it means he likes her?” And as the girl grows up, she’s surrounded by shows such as “The Real Housewives of….” and “Bad Girls Club,” which completely revolve around watching women fight. [According to Julie Frechette of Worcester State University](https://books.google.com/books?id=FEB1q%5FHyvN4C&pg=PA129&lpg=PA129&dq=media+pitting+women+against+each+other&source=bl&ots=bwiAmdEsX4&sig=kUSVT1ihSCbuQpGXqqg2Aqk1k5I&hl=en&sa=X&ei=8jPIVK%5FFF8fN8gWmnoHICA&ved=0CEoQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=media%20pitting%20women%20against%20each%20other&f=false), “this pattern of pitting women against each other for their personal and professional choices exemplifies the feminine-feminist conflict at the core of media stories about women’s identity and search for fulfillment in the realms of work, sex, and motherhood.” As women consider being prized by others (especially men) as their ultimate goal, they feel as though they need to compete against each other in order to win. In terms of the media’s coverage of this year’s Super Bowl, this sexism is apparent when compared to the coverage of a male artist . If you look at the headlines surrounding Bruno Mars’ halftime performance last year, they are devoid of gossip or talk about Mars’ personal life. Instead, they have to do with his career. “Bruno Mars Isn’t a Superstar Like Other Super Bowl Alumni, and That’s Why He’s the Perfect Choice,” said [Adweek](http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/bruno-mars-isn-t-superstar-other-super-bowl-alumni-and-s-why-he-s-perfect-choice-155030), praising his talent and ‘70s influences later in the article. “Bruno Mars Super Bowl Music: What Songs Will The Artist Perform?” wrote [Examiner.com](http://www.examiner.com/article/bruno-mars-super-bowl-music-what-songs-will-the-artist-perform). The only thing approaching scandal seemed to be Bruno Mars’ [fear of the New Jersey cold](http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/12/26/bruno-mars-prepares-for-cold-weather-super-bowl-halftime-show/). The fact that Perry’s feud with Swift seems to be more important than her performance shows a fundamental lack of respect for Perry’s work and achievements as an artist. But the fact that the two singers have taken whatever disagreements they may or may not have to social media and interviews certainly doesn’t help. As women in positions of power, they both have a unique opportunity to change the conversation and be models of female empowerment. Hopefully, Perry will take the high road on Sunday and show those 112 million people that she is more than a gossip column. _This_ [_article_](http://celebrities.findthebest.com/stories/3388/problem-katy-perrys-halftime-show) _originally appeared on_ [_FindTheBest_](http://www.findthebest.com/)_._ _More from FindTheBest:_ * [13 Celebrities You Didn’t Know Were Buddhist](http://celebrities.findthebest.com/stories/3106/buddhist-religious-celebrities-may-surprise-you) * [15 Celebrities You Didn’t Know Were Republican](http://celebrities.findthebest.com/stories/3089/15-republican-celebrities) * [11 Terrifically Tall Female Celebrities](http://celebrities.findthebest.com/stories/1915/11-terrifically-tall-female-celebrities) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3686749/taylor-swift-katy-perry-super-bowl/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3686749/taylor-swift-katy-perry-super-bowl/"},"headline":"Why Taylor Swift Drama Is The Real Story of Katy Perry’s Halftime Show","datePublished":"2015-01-29T22:36:25.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:05:58.738Z","description":"The public isn't focusing on her singing","url":"https://time.com/3686749/taylor-swift-katy-perry-super-bowl/","keywords":["celebrities","Music","Media","Katy Perry","Taylor Swift"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf7989c8e6468fc8b/69877c6f8e06014dc4459ff1/katy-perry.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Natalie Morin / FindTheBest"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf7989c8e6468fc8b/69877c6f8e06014dc4459ff1/katy-perry.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Katy Perry attends the 'Fashion Los Angeles Awards' Show on Jan. 22, 2015 in West Hollywood, California.","caption":"Katy Perry attends the 'Fashion Los Angeles Awards' Show on Jan. 22, 2015 in West Hollywood, California.","creditText":"Charley Gallay—Getty Images/2015 Charley Gallay","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3686749/taylor-swift-katy-perry-super-bowl/","name":"Why Taylor Swift Drama Is The Real Story of Katy Perry’s Halftime Show"}}]}] ```