Zero Gravity, Zero Self-Awareness

Why I Can’t Cheer for Space Tourism Dressed Up as Feminism

On April 14, 2025, Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket completed a historic suborbital flight with its first all-female crew, including Lauren Sánchez, Katy Perry, Gayle King, Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyen, and Kerianne Flynn. The 11-minute journey reached the Kármán line, offering the crew a brief experience of weightlessness and a view of Earth from space . The mission aimed to inspire future generations by highlighting diverse female representation in space travel.

- Vanity Fair

I truly struggled with whether I wanted to write about this topic, because it’s been talked about everywhere. At this point, I’m sure most people would roll their eyes and say, “Let it go already. It was a publicity stunt, who cares?”

Well, I do. I genuinely tried to shrug it off and tell myself, I don’t care, we’ve seen worse, and move on with my life. But something’s been simmering inside me ever since I saw the photos and clips, and when I sat down to write this week’s post, this just kept coming up. So please forgive me if you're sick and tired of hearing about it, but I really need to talk about this so-called “historic” all-female spaceflight that just added to the growing list of celebrity “astronauts.”

Where do I even begin? Let’s start with the fake feminism and “women empowerment” charade of it all. If these women were actual astronauts, i.e. trained, experienced, contributing to a real mission, I’d celebrate them, not just because they’re women, but because as women they had equal opportunity to participate in something meaningful and run a successful mission.

But let’s be honest. Hitching a ride on someone’s rich boyfriend’s fancy rocket—yeah, I said it—floating in space for ten minutes, snapping as many pics and videos as possible for your socials, and coming back down screaming like you just rode a rollercoaster… how is that an accomplishment for women? Someone please explain it to me.

And then you return to Earth, throw yourself dramatically onto the ground, leap into Jeff Bezos’s arms, and get welcomed back by Oprah, the Kardashians, and a parade of billionaires, as if you’re a hero or something? Give me a break.

Now, don’t get me wrong. As ridiculous and nauseating as it all is, I could live with it if it were just another episode of filthy rich people spending money on things us mere mortals can’t dream of. Their lives are already packed with private jets, global mansions, and luxury we can't even comprehend. It’s not fair, but whatever, life isn’t fair.

But when you try to spin it into something noble, something inspirational, that’s where I lose it. You want your worldview to change? You want to feel small in the grand scheme of things? Watch the actual news, not TMZ. You want to help young girls dream big? You don’t need to go to space. Just fly to Afghanistan and see what real courage looks like.

To be clear: I’m not saying rich people shouldn’t enjoy their money, or that they have to spend their lives grieving the chaos in the world. What I am saying is this: spare us the faux-altruistic, “I’m such a thoughtful human being” nonsense. Be bold enough to admit: I’ve worked hard, I’ve been lucky, I’ve made smart moves, and now I’m burning my money doing something cool.

I am sure I still find it ridiculous, but at least I wouldn’t be this angry.