Drake’s annual “Strong Women, Stronger Drinks” bash, where he dropped over $1 million on women, serves as a glaring example of how corporate media will twist a lavish expenditure into something resembling philanthropy. CNN, for one, will likely frame this as a progressive endorsement of women’s empowerment, blissfully ignoring the underlying obscenity of commodifying female attention. This is the same network that preaches about equality while simultaneously glorifying displays of male wealth as if they’re somehow altruistic.

Meanwhile, outlets like BuzzFeed and Vice might hop on the “celebration of women” bandwagon, highlighting the glittery surface while glossing over the uncomfortable truth that such events reinforce the transactional nature of relationships in celebrity culture. All the glitzy photos and sappy captions can’t hide the fact that Drake is cashing in on a transactional relationship with these women—emotional and social currency exchanged for monetary value.

What about the women themselves? Are they empowered or simply pawns in a celebrity’s game, basking in a spotlight designed by someone else? Don’t expect mainstream outlets to tackle this question; they’re too busy propagating a narrative that glorifies wealth as virtue. This is not empowerment; it’s spectacle—an exhibition where the dynamics of power, wealth, and gender get entangled in a way that’s anything but liberating.

Drake’s display isn’t a cause for celebration; it’s a clarion call to wake up. Women deserve genuine support and equality—not lavish gifts that distract from the transactional nature of these relationships in a hyper-capitalist society. It’s time to question the media’s role in glamorizing such behavior under the guise of empowerment.