It's not "calling" it bubblegum, it's stating what it is. If you want to call it bubblegum with lyrics that mean something to your interpretation, that's fine too.

The hair band thing is what's called a "false choice" because one has nothing to do with the other.

But you can see some of those bands had poofy hair, just like anyone can see that Katy Perry is a bubblegum pop marketed artist. She's not marketed as rock/punk/metal/country/hip hop/etc.

I would bet that if you took snapshots of audience members at Katy Perry concerts, the ones that look like you (that weren't parents taking their kids to the show) would be a rarity vs the teenyboppers, so your iPod analogy is also moot.