If the #MeToo movement wants to promote gender equality in society, then women also should be called out when they abuse their power and sexually harass others.
That was the message of model Josh Kloss, who took to Instagram over the weekend to claim that singer Katy Perry made inappropriate and nonconsensual contact with him at a social event after they worked together in 2010, performing steamy scenes for her “Teenage Dream” video. Kloss alleged that the pop star greeted him at a party by pulling down his sweatpants and underwear to expose his genitals to the crowd.
“Can you imagine how pathetic and embarrassed I felt?” he wrote in one of several posts related to his allegations. “I just say this now because our culture is set on proving men of power are perverse. But females with power are just as disgusting.”
Perry has yet to publicly address the allegations, but her friends and fans have accused Kloss of “clout-chasing,” appropriating the good intentions of the #MeToo movement and fabricating allegations years after the fact in order to gain publicity and acting and modeling opportunities
Johnny Wujek, a former creative consultant for “America’s Next Top Model” and the guest of honor at the party Kloss mentioned, denounced Kloss’ accusations, writing on one of the model’s posts: “Oh hell no. … Katy would never do something like that.”
Another friend of Perry’s, jewelry designer Markus Molinari, also wrote on Kloss’ post that the model was romantically obsessed with the singer. “You were paid for a job like any other job you’ve had but your obsession with Katy has hit another level,” Molinari wrote. “Stop lying to yourself and find peace in your life. Move on.”
But others commenting on Kloss’ posts noted that it’s not the first time Perry has been accused of being overly flirtatious or even sexually inappropriate with men.
Indeed, Perry generated headlines for her heavy flirting with male contestants during her stint as a judge on Season 16 of “American Idol.”
Click here if you’re having trouble viewing this video on a mobile device.
Most notably, Perry kissed 19-year-old contestant Benjamin Glaze without his consent after he mentioned that he had never been kissed before. The cashier from Enid, Oklahoma, said on the March 2018 episode that he had never been in a relationship and “I can’t kiss a girl without being in a relationship.”
Perry beckoned Glaze over for what he thought would be a kiss on the cheek, but the pop star turned her head at the last minute and laid one on his lips instead.
The incident sparked discussion about whether a double-standard exists for female stars like Perry. Some on Twitter asked whether viewers would find it charming if an older male pop star had tricked a 19-year-old female contestant into kissing him.
“It was a forced sexual act,” one viewer posted in reply to an “American Idol” tweet. “Imagine if this was from a male judge. Has @katyperry not taken anything from the #metoo movement?”
Glaze told the New York Times that he didn’t feel sexually harassed. However, if Perry had asked if she could kiss him, he would have said “no … I was uncomfortable immediately.”
The New York Times said that Perry’s forced kiss on Glaze might have “made for a sweet pop-culture moment in a previous era.”
But post-#MeToo, the kiss came off as “exploitative” and even “lewd,” said Slate writer Christina Cauterucci. “ABC’s decision to treat it as a playful, feel-good moment—and use it to advertise the show—is bafflingly obtuse.
In subsequent episodes, Cauterucci said that “American Idol” and Perry continued to lean into her flirtatious behavior and “unrelenting” innuendo with male contestants.
Another episode featured the audition of 27-year-old construction worker Trevor Holmes, who admitted that Perry was his celebrity crush. When Holmes appeared in front of the judges, Perry said, “You’re so hot,” and offered “If you’re not going to Hollywood, maybe you could just come hang out with me in L.A.” She also joked suggestively, “He’s in construction, so he’s got lots of tools.”
Perry also flirted with an 18-year-old contestant named Johnny Brenns. “Eighteen-year-old girls would eat this up,” she said. On the show, fellow judge Luke Bryan had to ask her to stop flirting. She dismissed him, saying, “A 32-year-old cougar would eat it up.”
Perry’s “American Idol” behavior may fall in line with the high-status male who is a bit too handsy with women under the excuse of being a “hugger” or by saying it’s fun, harmless flirtation.
Kloss didn’t think Perry’s alleged actions with him were harmless. In his Instagram post, he described a woman he once admired who used sex and her status as a globally famous pop star to assert power over him. He said he was demeaned by the experience and made to feel like “a prostitute.”
In another Instagram post, he denied that he was looking to profit from his allegations against Perry. “I am putting us both out on display to increase and enlighten everyone,” he wrote.
“I was supposed to minimize myself and stay PC to protect her “image,'” Kloss added. “I listened and was a good boy. The fear sticks with you, when you are censored to protect someone else’s image. … And you hear over and over a million times that Males (sic) are the great evil on this planet. Meanwhile you know the truth POWER empowers what is corrupt in people, regardless of their gender.”
