Sabrina Carpenter announced the artwork for her new album yesterday and it’s safe to say that – like her in the image – it’s gone down… badly. The new album, called Man’s Best Friend, is out on August 29th and features her new single, Manchild, rumoured to be about her previous relationship with actor Barry Keoghan.
So, why is Carpenter’s new album cover getting so much backlash? Because it features her on her knees in front of a man with said man grabbing a handful of her hair in a fashion that could be interpreted, given the album name, as him walking her like a dog.
‘Love Sabrina - but this picture - why is the man in there like that?’ one fan responded to near six thousand likes. ‘It’s not a very empowering image for women. I think it’s a mistake since most her fans are women and as a dv survivor I find it uncomfortable and I’d rather see her empowered than like that.’
‘Explain to me again how this isn’t centering men? How this isn’t catering to the male gaze?’ another asked to more than four thousand likes. ‘I don’t want to see no man dragging you around by your hair mother please get up,’ a third said.
Others are more complimentary. ‘I’m seeing a lot of discourse about Sabrina Carpenter’s new album cover… for those of you who may lack critical thinking skills, the cover is clearly satirical with a deeper meaning, portraying how the public views her, believing she is just for the male gaze,’ one person tweeted to near 20,000 likes.
‘To me, the cover is just typical Sabrina, being the cheeky, tongue-in-cheek pop princess, we all know and love, but on a deeper level, this is all about media literacy,’ another says. ‘Art can be satirical, art can be intentionally uncomfortable - but yes, not everyone gets irony. And with a young audience this does pose that issue, I get that. But, as a single girl who is going into her 25th year of adulthood, I see this cover as commentary on misogyny and how men treat women, and honestly, I can't wait to see what her songs on the album have to say with this in mind.’
The reaction begs the question, is Carpenter’s new album a step backwards in the way women’s art is represented or is it a clever play on public perception? As a long-time fan of Carpenter myself, I feel conflicted.
Her first album, Emails I Can’t Send, was far from the campy, overtly sexual Carpenter we’ve come to love in music, on-stage and in interviews. A layered exploration of her childhood – particularly how her father cheating on her mother impacted her - and subsequent relationships throughout adulthood, it offered insight into her psyche far beyond what we’ve seen in her latest more radio-friendly hits. Short ‘N’ Sweet brought forward her witty lyricism and tongue-in-cheek humour, but it’s sexual nature was far from shallow – it saw her embrace her sexual agency in an empowering way while also making men the butt (pun intended) of the joke. Among more introspective songs about the role sex plays in her life, the album largely berated men in her hilariously witty, self-deprecating way.
The latest single from her new album, Manchild, is much the same. With that in mind, one can assume that her new album cover is an attempt at satire then. But does it quite land? I’d argue no.
I’m beyond familiar with Carpenter’s unique brand of wit, it’s what first drew me to her music. But like many other fans, my instant reaction to the cover was discomfort. In the current socio-political climate, where boys are encouraged to view women as sexual objects with the popularity of bad actors like Andrew Tate and Bonnie Blue and where women’s rights to their own bodies are being rowed back around the world, it does feel regressive.
I love how sexual Carpenter is – it’s so fun! It invites women to embrace their sexual agency boldly at a time when young people are being more and more influenced by conservative values that can stifle expressions of sexuality. Carpenter has faced criticism in the past for her risque dance routines, suggestive lyrics and for wearing lingerie on stage.
‘My message has always been clear — if you can't handle a girl who is confident in her own sexuality, then don't come to my shows,’ she told reporters in response last year. ‘Female artists have been shamed forever. In the noughties it was Rihanna, in the nineties it was Britney Spears, in the eighties it was Madonna — and now it’s me. It’s essentially saying that female performers should not be able to embrace their sexuality in their lyrics, in the way we dress, in the way we perform. It is totally regressive. It’s like those who want to shame don’t make comments when I talk about self-care or body positivity or heartbreak, which are all normal things a 25-year-old goes through. They just want to talk about the sexual side of my performances.’
I was, and still am, in full agreement with her sentiment above. But that’s not what this current criticism is. To me, there’s a difference between embracing sex in a way the centres female pleasure, talking about sex in an honest and self-aware way, versus creating imagery that caters to male fantasies. Sure, some women can and do enjoy being submissive sexually, they might see Carpenter’s album cover and think ‘Love it, representation for submissive women like me!!’ But let’s be honest, sexually submissive women are represented everywhere – so much, in fact, that when a piece of art about female dominance in sex is made, it makes headlines.
As fans and as women, one might see Carpenter’s cover and understand her intentions. You might listen to her lyrics and explore the deeper meaning, have thoughtful conversations with friends about how smart they are. But are men doing that? Are the majority of people who aren’t Carpenter fans capable of seeing the supposed satirical nature of the cover? Are the younger women and girls seeing it for the first time understanding the message? I’d argue no to all of the above. They see an image of a woman on her knees being walked like a dog and do exactly what many have done in her comments: take it at face value.
It could be a satirical take on female sexuality, but does that matter when it goes straight over people's heads?
That’s what conflicts me about this cover – it could be a smart take on female sexuality and how she’s perceived by the public, but for the most part, that’ll go over people’s heads and in the meantime, all it represents is the same sexual objectification women have suffered the repercussions of for decades. That said, is it Carpenter's job to make men, non-fans or younger women and girls understand her art at face value? Many would say no. And so, the inner conflict continues...