Above photo: Katy Perry, the singer who brought us the iconic line “I kissed a girl and I liked it” in 2008, might be shocked to know that an American Idol contestant didn’t feel the same way about her. Courtesy of American Idol
By Emily Wunderlich
When Benjamin Glaze stepped onto the set of “American Idol” in October 2017, he was 19 years old and hadn’t yet had his first kiss.
He told judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan that he couldn’t kiss a girl without being in a relationship.
In a world with respect for personal boundaries, this is where the conversation would’ve ended, and Glaze’s audition would’ve begun.
Instead, Perry insisted that he come up to the judges’ table for a kiss. Glaze hesitated before offering her a peck on the cheek.
But one kiss just wasn’t enough. Perry demanded a redo because Glaze “didn’t even make the smoosh sound,” and with the turn of her cheek, she had planted her lips on his and broke away just as swiftly, laughing out a half-hearted “sorry.”
Poor Glaze was so stunned that he fell backward.
The unwanted encounter was enough to throw him off his game for the rest of the audition.
“(It) might’ve been the kiss of death,” Perry joked before Glaze began his cover of Nick Jonas’ “Levels.”
To add insult to injury, Perry called his performance “a little bit rushed,” and she and Richie told him to come back once he turned 21 and had “[kissed] a couple more girls.”
“I’m gonna give you a no, but you’ve already scored major,” Richie said regarding the kiss with Perry.
Bryan later came to Perry’s defense in an interview with People magazine.
“I gotta back Katy on that,” he told the magazine on March 20. “She’s in there working hard and making fun TV.”
The producers of the show capitalized off the awkward moment and used the clip to promote the season premiere March 11.
Glaze later admitted to the New York Times that Perry’s actions made him uncomfortable and that he wanted his first kiss to be special.
In an Instagram post, he later clarified that he did not feel as though he were sexually assaulted by Perry and that his views were not appropriately communicated through the media.
Even if Glaze does not consider himself a victim, this incident only magnifies the double standard and stigma surrounding male sexual assault survivors in today’s society.
If the roles were reversed and a 33-year-old man coerced a 19-year-old woman into kissing him on television, the outcome would have been different. The media would’ve undoubtedly portrayed him as a predator, the law would’ve held him accountable and his career would be in ruins.
Instead, Perry’s predatory behavior has been overlooked because Glaze is a man, and men are expected to enjoy kissing women, even when they do not consent.
And if Perry did ask for Glaze’s consent, and he was comfortable enough to say no, who’s to say the media wouldn’t then spin him as the only man alive who wouldn’t kiss Katy Perry?
Don’t be blinded by Perry’s stardom. She was wrong to assume that Glaze — or anyone — would want to kiss her without their permission.
As a self-proclaimed feminist, Perry should have known better. Advocating for gender equality takes more than embracing nudity in your music videos and using trendy hashtags on Twitter.
It starts with recognizing double standards and holding oneself accountable.
Perry’s move sends the message that there is something inherently wrong about a 19-year-old not having his first kiss.
In a quest to stay relevant and boost “American Idol’s” ratings, Perry robbed Glaze of a milestone that everyone should experience only when they are ready.
Some people just take longer to be ready than others.
