Katy Perry Emphasizes The Power Of Sisterhood

The "Rise" singer was one of the most vocal supporters of Hillary Clinton during the election, so the news that Katy Perry will be at the Women's March with her sister probably isn't exactly rocking your world, because, well, duh. But the news, which Perry posted to Instagram along with a picture of her and her sister as children, was accompanied by a statement that's going to give you an attack of the feels. If you're a big old softie, I'd suggest you get some tissues readied, because you're going to be tearing up fast.

Angela Hudson (Hudson is also Perry's real surname) is two years older than her sister, and if you follow Perry closely, you're probably already aware of how close the pair are from Perry's film Part of Me, which documents the singer confronting her fear of heights with a little help from her big sister. In the film, Perry confirms that her sister tours with her. She stated,

"My sister, not only does she like to work hard on tour, [but] she likes to play hard on tour. Any time we go to a city where we have a day off, she always likes me to explore something fun with her."

So, who better to take on the Women's March?

The adorable throwback above was accompanied by the following caption:

Marching with SO many sisters today but my heart is most proud to march with my blood sister, Angela, who has always been my guardian angel. We should all be guardians for each other.

I march today because I am not afraid anymore and I hope I can be an example of fearlessness and resilience.

I will not let anyone suppress me, silence me or clip my wings.For a long time I misunderstood the true definition of being a feminist, but now that I know, I am empowered! I am indisputably a feminist.

I am here today to break the cycle of suppression and inequality. I stand with you all! ❤#whyimarch @womensmarch

It's an undeniably moving statement, and I'm all for celebrating sisterhood with an actual biological sister as well as all your political sisters. This said, if you're anything like me, you probably pulled up short at the statement, "For a long time I misunderstood the true definition of being a feminist." What does this refer to?

Despite Perry's campaigning for Clinton, it wasn't so long ago that the musician suffered from a serious F-word allergy. On accepting the Women of the Year award from Billboard in 2012, she said, "I'm not a feminist, but I do believe in the power of women," something that felt a little like Taylor Swift's swerving the dreaded are-you-a-feminist question posed to pop stars that same year. At the time, Swift raised eyebrows when she said,

“I don’t really think about things as guys versus girls. I never have. I was raised by parents who brought me up to think if you work as hard as guys, you can go far in life.”

But just two years later, Perry had softened considerably toward the word "feminism." When asked if she was a feminist by Australian TV presenter Karl Stefanovic, she replied:

“A feminist? Um, yeah, actually, I used to not really understand what that word meant, and now that I do, it just means that I love myself as a female and I also love men. I am a strong woman. And hear me roar!”

Sure, it sounded as much of a plug of her latest record as one for the women's movement, but it was at least a step in the right direction, if not exactly a textbook definition of feminism.

But since then, the star has become more and more invested in women's rights and comfortable about talking about these issues publicly, from sharing how much she donated to Planned Parenthood to stressing why it's important to support them to describing actor Leslie Jones' hack as "misogynoir" (coined by queer black feminist academic Moya Bailey to describe the intersection between racism and misogyny used to oppress women of color).

Perry attending — and publicizing her attendance of — the march just shows how far she's come in reevaluating what feminism means to her. Here's hoping Perry and her sister have an inspiring time at the march on Saturday.