Staff Reports
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin recently launched its first all-female passenger crew into space, and the media wasted no time declaring it a historic leap for women’s empowerment. The six-person crew included pop star Katy Perry, journalist Gayle King, activist Amanda Nguyen, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, filmmaker Kerianne Flynn, and Bezos’ fiancée Lauren Sánchez. The 11-minute suborbital flight was marketed as a milestone, with headlines touting the “first all-female spaceflight since 1963.” But behind the self-congratulatory fanfare, the reality is far less revolutionary.
Despite the breathless coverage, the women on board were not astronauts or mission controllers. They were high-profile passengers- celebrities and influencers- taking part in a pre-packaged, billionaire-funded joyride. The rocket itself, its design, and its launch were all handled by a team that remains predominantly male. In other words, the so-called “empowerment” on display was more about optics than substance, with the real technical achievement belonging to those who built and operated the spacecraft, not those who simply rode along.
This episode is a textbook example of how the media and corporate elites manufacture moments of “progress” that are heavy on symbolism but light on genuine change. Much like the selective outrage and identity politics that dominate our national conversation, these events are designed to generate headlines and social media buzz, not to address the underlying issues of opportunity and merit. It’s reminiscent of the coverage surrounding Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court appointment, where the focus was on her identity rather than her judicial philosophy or qualifications.
The entertainment industry provides another parallel, where outrage and celebration are handed out based on who fits the preferred narrative. Jimmy Kimmel faces backlash for edgy comedy, but Dave Chappelle gets a pass for similar jokes-proof that the rules only apply when convenient for the cultural gatekeepers. The same selective celebration is now being applied to space tourism, where the mere presence of women is treated as a triumph, regardless of their actual role.
Real progress in any field comes from hard work, leadership, and meaningful participation, from orchestrated publicity stunts. If the goal is to inspire young women to pursue STEM careers or become astronauts, then the focus should be on expanding opportunities, supporting education, and recognizing those who break barriers in science and engineering. Until then, these headline-grabbing spectacles remain more about making noise for the cameras than about achieving genuine equality or advancement.
