Let’s take a moment to look beyond the spectacle, designer attire, rich white women narrative and Katy Perry kissing the ground.
Social media has erupted with both celebration and criticism of the Blue Origin’s all-female spaceflight. While some hailed it as a feminist triumph, others questioned whether sending wealthy women to space truly advances gender equality. As I watched celebrities pose in designer spacesuits, I wrestled with conflicting perspectives on what this moment represents for women.
This spectacle arrives at a time when women globally are fighting for basic rights and dignity. The contrast between billion-dollar space tourism and ongoing struggles for reproductive rights, equal pay, and freedom from violence couldn’t be starker. The timing raises legitimate questions about priorities and privilege.
As Deborah Frances-White powerfully articulated, space tourism raises serious questions regardless of who participates. The environmental impact of these launches remains largely unaddressed in the celebratory coverage.
True feminist progress requires not just breaking glass ceilings but questioning whether the structures we’re entering are themselves sustainable and equitable.
Yet, raising these concerns isn’t about diminishing individual achievements. Instead, it’s about maintaining a critical perspective on how advancement happens and who benefits. Feminism, at its best, examines not just who gets access to power but how that power is defined and exercised.
Within this complex picture, Amanda Nguyễn‘s achievement stands as genuinely meaningful. As the first Vietnamese woman in space and a participant in the first all-female spaceflight in 60 years, her presence marks a historic milestone.
During this flight, she returned to the woman and girl she was before her assault, completing a circle of healing that transcends the commercialisation surrounding the event.
The personal journey it represents makes her story particularly powerful. Her zero-G indicator was a piece of paper with a promise to herself: “Never, never give up.” This was a sign and signal to all women and girls, and I resonated with it deeply.
Nguyễn’s journey represents something profound: the reclamation of dreams despite trauma, violence, and injustice. That’s significant to me.
While we must continue to critique space tourism’s environmental and economic implications, we can simultaneously celebrate when historically excluded groups claim their place among the stars.
Progress is rarely pure or perfect, but Nguyễn’s promise to ‘Never, never give up’ conveys a universal message that transcends the problematic aspects of her journey.
The true feminist victory will come when women from all backgrounds reach space not as exceptions or marketing moments but as equal explorers in humanity’s journey—unremarkable in their presence, remarkable in their contributions, and guided by values that benefit us all.
