*Gayle King has responded to criticism of her Blue Origin space flight and the viral meme of her anxious pre-launch expression. As you can see in the pic/screenshot above, it’s been bizarrely labeled “I’m very skurrred face.”
Joining Jeff Bezos’ fiancée Lauren Sanchez, singer Katy Perry, and other notable women, King participated in an 11-minute suborbital mission that briefly offered zero gravity. While the six women eagerly rang a ceremonial bell before boarding, King’s somber demeanor, complete with a heavy sigh, stood out, instantly becoming meme material. As Daily Mail reports, one social media user joked that her face captured “going to work on a Monday,” while others said she looked like she “wanted to go to space the least.”
King addressed the viral moment on CBS Mornings, explaining, “I did not realize that I looked that serious… I was just thinking, ‘Let me get into my seat and follow instructions.’”
She admitted feeling scared and even updated her Instagram profile with the meme-worthy image. Her co-hosts defended her reaction, calling it her “game face.”
The journey, however, drew sharp public criticism. Celebrities like Olivia Wilde, Amy Schumer, and Emily Ratajkowski questioned the relevance of the trip, calling it frivolous. King pushed back on that narrative, saying on CBS Mornings, “Space is not an either/or… Just because you do something in space doesn’t mean you’re taking anything away from Earth.”
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Responding to criticism of the trip, King said, “This is what bothers me, I’ve certainly read some of the stuff being said online and it’s coming from people I know, people I consider friends.”
She also emphasized Blue Origin’s environmental mission and criticized the double standard in how female space travelers are treated.
“You have never said to a [male] astronaut, ‘What a ride.’ It’s called a flight or a journey,” she said.
Before launch, King told ELLE magazine she was nervous, admitting, “I had a lot of trepidation—I still do… I haven’t felt like this since childbirth.”
https://youtu.be/wc5QjenqUbo
READ MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: Gayle King’s Space Mission Met with Astrological Warning | WATCH
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