A video of Katy Perry made the social rounds last week.
That in and of itself is nothing new. The superstar vocalist is as talented a singer as she is an entertainer and personal brand marketer.
However, this video, which was taken during a recent performance in Las Vegas, caught the eye of internet conspiracy theorists. Perry is shown seemingly having trouble with her right eye. While her left eyelid remains open, her right eyelid keeps closing. The singer is shown reaching up with her hand a number of times to address the issue.
Not too controversial.
The video was posted on social media and started making the rounds. Fans started expressing concern. A few chimed in to suggest Perry simply was having trouble with her eyelash glue. Nothing more. Then the comments took a turn. (As they are wont to do on social media.)
One, in particular, took root. This commenter suggested that the Katy Perry on stage was not the real Katy Perry but was, in fact, a robot version of Katy Perry. And, clearly, this robot Katy Perry was experiencing a malfunction.
Of course, we all know this as grandma’s recipe for a viral video: Mix together one superstar, one obsessed fan base and one unexplained video. Add dashes of conspiracy theories until desired level of global concern is reached.
Voila. Viral video.
CNN, Cosmopolitan and TODAY were among the national media outlets to post stories on the hullabaloo.
Perry eventually posted to her Instagram account poking fun at the situation:
“Welcoming all my #flatearthers #spaceisfakers #birdsarentrealers #skyisntbluers to come see my broken doll eye party trick IRL in Vegas next year!” says Perry. “This show is a nonstop party about finding unconditional love and strangely (for me) not political at all, heck I pour beer out of my tits (that’s a party trick too… I don’t actually lactate hops silly goose!).”
Either she isn’t a robot or robots these days are getting smarter. (Maybe both statements are true!?!)
Judge for yourself. We’ve got the videos below. Do they pass the eye test?