Sabrina Carpenter has been everywhere lately. She’s been making waves in the entertainment scene, from her ‘Short N Sweet’ tour to her stellar looks on the red carpet. I’ve known her since her Disney Channel days (Girl Meets World shoutout!) and her early music such as ‘Wild Side’ and ‘Thumbs’ were THE songs when I was 8. As I grew up, she grew up with me with her ‘Sue Me’ era, her ‘Fast Times’ debut, and then ‘because i liked a boy’ – but for some reason, it was her ‘Nonsense’ and ‘Espresso’ eras that really got me. I’m hooked. Everything she does, I love. I haven’t been able to connect with many other artists in my life in the way that I connect with her – her brand, personality and aesthetic resonate with me deeply. I’m quite literally in love with her, and let me tell you why!
1. sex isn’t scary
Many female artists show their sexual side and tap into it when creating their public persona. Sabrina does too, but in a way that I can relate to. Her body looks like mine – I have a more modest bust and I’m not too comfortable showing it off. With her corset stage outfits, she’s sexy, but a sexy I can recreate. She relies on puns, innuendos, and positions to get her point across, and has shown me that sexy is a mindset and a curvy figure isn’t necessary to be considered sexually attractive.
Sex has always been a scary subject for me, but in her songs, Sabrina makes sex approachable and fun. She sings about it with a lighthearted attitude and opens up dialogue about the taboo subject, turning it from a serious, scary topic to something that can be joked about. By taking the seriousness and stigma away from it, Sabrina has opened it up for discussion and exploration. Dare I say…empowering?
2. Her tour was a different world
Sabrina makes sex about women. She isn’t afraid to centre herself and her pleasure, and therefore all women and their pleasure, at the heart of her songs. Growing up, I always got the unconscious message that sex was for male pleasure, but in Sabrina’s world, she is the one controlling where it goes and who it’s with. At her concerts, she introduces audiences to this sexual world; it’s like floating on a soft, pink cloud, a celebration of female sexuality and femininity. Plus, she puts on a good show. With her gorgeous outfits, talented dancers, colourful backgrounds, and lots of lights and glitter, her shows both entertain and inform audiences of her story. And we eat it up.
3. HELLA POINTS FOR PERSONALITY
The woman can make a sex joke out of everything. Sabrina’s incredibly funny and has a super quick wit – have you seen her ‘Nonsense’ outros? What’s even more impressive is that she can make fun of herself, which helps her relatability. She knows what women want and what’s going to make us laugh. Check her out on Chicken Shop Date, Hot Ones, or her getting ready for the Vanity Fair Oscar Party. Her humour is dry yet she’s super charming and polite, making her a great guest on every show.
4. The woman can dress.
Sabrina’s aesthetic is to die for. Sparkly corsets, voluminous blonde hair, and glowy blush! Old Hollywood bombshell meets modern coquette doll. She’s cute but horny, a walking contradiction that resonates with her audience as what we want to be but aren’t ‘allowed’ to. Even on the red carpet, her aesthetic shines through. Some of my favourite red carpet looks of hers are from the BRIT Awards, the 2024 VMAs, and the 2025 Grammys (also seen below).
Sabrina’s aesthetic is also an important part of her brand. From a Disney Channel actor to international popstar, her rebrand and marketing tactics (eg. her ‘Nonsense’ outros and ‘Juno’ positions) should be studied. One of the ways you know someone has made it is if you can dress up as them for Halloween – and she’s my next costume.
5. Her music. Obviously.
Yes, her music is horny. But her horniness and sexy public persona often act as a shield that hides her complexity and vulnerability, as seen in her other music. She sings about the fears of many women, such as not finding love (‘Slim Pickins’) men embarrassing us or letting us down (‘Please Please Please’ and ‘Lie to Girls’), dealing with trauma surrounding relationships (‘Couldn’t Make It Any Harder’), or being labelled and stigmatized (‘because i liked a boy’). And, she’s self-aware of her fame (‘15 minutes), funny (‘Coincidence’), confident (‘Sue Me’ and ‘Feather’) and even festive (her entire ‘fruitcake’ album). Her music is current and relatable, appealing to a mass audience of women of all ages. Encompassing the many complex feelings of the average woman is no easy feat. With great production, catchy beats, open lyricism and an amazing voice, Sabrina tells the story of our lives with humour and grace that isn’t found anywhere else in pop right now.
6. Her music videos are impeccable
Bring back fun and fresh music videos!!!! Sabrina always understands the assignment. Her music videos are beautiful, funny, high production, and incorporate some great storytelling. She even carries themes across some videos (beginning with ‘Espresso’) and it’s super fun to recognize the overarching narrative. Plus, she gets some great guest appearances. Music videos have fallen out of favour recently with short-form content taking over, which is a great shame. They used to be how I, and many others, connected with an artist, understood their music, and grew our imagination as children. Sabrina’s videos bring back the nostalgic feeling I had as a child, watching my favourite pop stars and wanting to be just like them. ‘Please Please Please,’ ‘Feather,’ and ‘Taste’ are masterpieces.
Whatever Sabrina Carpenter is doing, she’s doing it right. She has popstarred unlike any popstar has yet, bringing back fun concerts, iconic branding, high-production music videos, and humour and relatability through her music. It’s easy to put her in a box when you first see her, but when you dig deeper, you’ll find that she’s fighting societal norms in her pink corset and redefining what it means to be a woman in the 21st century.
One thing’s for sure – Sabrina Carpenter isn’t just a pretty face!