Sabrina Carpenter’s Latest Album Art Sparks Controversy
The music industry has been abuzz with the release of Sabrina Carpenter’s latest album art, which has sparked heated debate among fans and critics alike. The 26-year-old singer, known for her cheeky and dementedly catchy singles, has taken a bold approach with her new album, Mans Best Friend. According to a report by The Guardian, Carpenter’s album cover features her on her knees, pawing for the attention of an anonymous man in a suit, his hand loosely gripping her blonde bombshell hair.
The internet has reacted poorly to the image, with many accusing Carpenter of caving to the male gaze, promoting regressive attitudes, and not understanding satire. On Reddit, Instagram, and other social media platforms, users have expressed their outrage, with some even threatening women’s safety at large. A women’s aid group for victims of domestic abuse in Glasgow went as far as calling it “a throwback to tired tropes that reduce women to pets, props, and possessions and promote an element of violence and control”.
However, as The Guardian reports, Carpenter is clearly working in the Madonna tradition of sexual provocation for provocation’s sake, poking fun at tropes and people’s prudishness with an alluring frankness. The singer, who has written or co-written all of her songs, appears to be in control of her own sexuality, framing herself as the submissive. This approach has sparked a mixed reaction, with some hailing her as a feminist iconoclast and others condemning her as a misogynistic nightmare.
According to The Guardian, Carpenter’s music video for her single Manchild continues her star-making playfulness with the idea of being a sexy, submissive vixen, Betty Boop for Gen Z. The video features Carpenter as a passenger on a surreal hitchhiking jaunt through the desert, eye-rolling at a series of incompetent men. The single itself has been described as “cheeky and dementedly catchy”, with Carpenter’s signature imprint of saucy, clever, and unabashedly horny lyrics.
The controversy surrounding Carpenter’s album art has sparked a wider conversation about female sexuality and empowerment. As The Guardian notes, female sexuality is de rigueur in pop music, but we are still not used to seeing pop stars in control of their own sexuality, let alone framing themselves as the submissive. Carpenter’s approach has been compared to that of Addison Rae, a fellow recent breakout who frequently performs in a bra and underwear.
Rae’s brown-eyed, Louisiana girl-next-door perkiness, athletic dancing, and pure pop instincts recall a young Britney Spears. Both she and Carpenter exist at the young adult nexus of self-awareness and youthful abandon, their frank sexuality both cheeky and serious. As The Guardian reports, the thing missing from all this commentary is a sense of fun, which Carpenter appears to be having in spades.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Carpenter stated that she has ideas, feels creative, and wants to release new music – “my brain is sharp, let’s write”. This approach is refreshing in an industry where artists are often pressured to conform to certain expectations. As The Guardian notes, Carpenter’s pop performance relishes the messiness, sexual exploration, and growth of one’s mid-20s via refreshingly catchy tunes.
Ultimately, the controversy surrounding Carpenter’s album art has sparked a necessary conversation about female sexuality, empowerment, and the role of pop music in shaping cultural attitudes. As The Guardian concludes, it’s worth noting that how Carpenter and Rae’s look influences the conversation, with both being conventionally gorgeous but still seemingly natural. The debate will likely continue, but one thing is certain – Sabrina Carpenter is a pop star who is unafraid to push boundaries and spark conversation.
This article was originally published in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/jun/14/sabrina-carpenter-album-art-offensive.
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