Sabrina Carpenter: Man's Best Friend and Internet's Worst Nightmare?
- Amelie
- Jan 23
- 3 min read
Is Sabrina Carpenter really 'man's best friend'? Or is it just media literacy coming to an end? Music writer, Amelie breaks down the pop princess, the discourse, and the double standards at play.
Like Sabrina herself said, we’re thinking about her every night.
From her appearance on Disney’s Girl Meets World to dominating pop charts worldwide, Sabrina Carpenter has earned her crown as one of the biggest pop princesses in the music industry. Her music isn't the only thing that’s gone viral. Her signature bangs and bouncy blonde waves have absolutely taken over TikTok, and her iconic outfits from her Short n’ Sweet tour became one of the most popular Halloween costumes of 2024. Yet, despite all the love she’s been receiving, Sabrina has been flirting with controversy, particularly when the cover of her latest album, Man’s Best Friend, was revealed.
Before we dive into all the uproar surrounding this pop star, it’s worth looking at Sabrina’s unique brand that makes her such a prominent figure in the pop world. Her 2015 debut album, Eyes Wide Open, introduced a more mature appearance, with a sophisticated, more refined wardrobe and darker sounds, focused on self-discovery. Six albums followed, each with varying levels of success. Then came her 2024 album Short n’ Sweet gave us several chart-topping hits such as Taste, Espresso and Please, Please, Please, which remained in the top ten of the Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks, an incredible feat for any female artist in history.
Along with these songs, we also got an entire rebrand of Sabrina’s image. Cheeky lyricism, playful yet glamorous fashion choices, and themes of heartbreak and sensuality to create her ‘blonde bombshell’ persona. She’s gone from the Disney star many grew up watching to being the woman everyone is obsessed with.
However, she’s faced a fair bit of backlash as of recent. Sabrina has never shied away from embracing her sensuality and sexuality, whether through the lyrics of her songs, her online persona and onstage performances. She was critiqued for filming in a church for a scene in one of her music videos, and her provocative poses whilst performing her song Juno during her tour.
All that pales in comparison to the firestorm that sparked her latest album’s cover. The image shows Sabrina in a black minidress, on her hands and knees while an anonymous man grips her hair. Many accused Sabrina of appealing to the male gaze, calling the album cover misogynistic and arguing it reduces women as props for a man’s amusement. Spend any time on Reddit, Instagram or TikTok, and there will be someone arguing that the album cover single handedly set feminism back by ten years.
So, why such severe repercussions over an album cover? In short, although female sexuality is expected of female pop stars as part of their success, it seems like society is still not used to seeing women fully owning that narrative, especially when they choose to put themselves in a submissive imagery. The criticism Sabrina faced is similar to what stars before her, such as Miley Cyrus and Britney Spears, endured, reflecting the conservative ideology the media tends to keep reverting to whenever a female pop star utilises a more daring concept.
What’s fascinating is the obsession to label her album cover as a setback for feminism, while male artists such as Kanye West and PARTYNEXTDOOR continue to release hypersexual albums that include lyrics that are derogatory towards women, yet often celebrated. One of PARTYNEXTDOOR’s album covers even featured a nude woman, but was the negative reaction as intense or widespread? No, it wasn’t.
Sabrina’s tongue-in-cheek satirical take on playing into male fantasies not landing well with the Internet just proves how deeply society still clings to the idea that women exploring their sexuality, or sex in general, should remain taboo. Ironically, as Sabrina herself mentioned, her songs about her sex life often end up becoming her most popular tracks.
Honestly, if those enraged at her album cover took the time to listen to her album, they would find lyrics that explore heartbreak, sex, and life in a blunt and humorous manner; a refreshing reminder that we don’t need to treat these things with such gravity. Her openness with her sexuality, in one word, is refreshing.
Art that makes us feel, whether positively or negatively, is art worth our time. And judging by such a strong reaction from the Internet, it’s safe to say that Sabrina certainly succeeds in making us feel.
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