This summer, Sabrina Carpenter unexpectedly, yet generously, gifted us Manâs Best Friend, her seventh studio album, which succeeded globally adored Short nâ Sweet. With twelve unskippable tracks, the album has performed incredibly well, notably charting at number 1 on the Billboard 200 and setting the tone for all the pop princesses this year. Despite this, the fallout from the album was far from sunshine and rainbows. Aside from initial excitement at the prospect of a new album so soon after the last, audiences were quick to discuss the elephant in the room – the cover.Â
The cover in question pictures Sabrina kneeling on a carpeted floor with her hair being pulled by a man. Originally announced on Instagram in June, following the release of âManchildâ, only a couple of seconds scrolling through the postâs comments reveals the prevalent feeling from fans:
âI donât care if this is ironic or satirical, itâs in poor taste and degrading. âThatâs the pointâ okay???? Doesnât make it any less harmful, so many other ways this concept couldâve been portrayedâÂ
âThis isnât satire, this is not empowering to women. Youâve missed the mark by so much hun.â
âWomen fought decades for rights, and this is what they get??â
âDon’t girl!! Don’t normalize thisâ
Itâs fair to say the cover felt the hit of public backlash, specifically amongst her predominantly female audience. Many fans felt the cover displayed a belittling and harmful portrayal of women, pandering to the problematic âMale Gazeâ, with some even arguing it glorifies domestic and sexual abuse. As well as this, with the title itself being Manâs Best Friend, outraged fans were quick to presume that Sabrinaâs on-all-fours position implied she was a âbitchâ – female dog – or a subordinate pet for the man. These critiques did not exactly help her case. Some went as far as to say it was anti-feminist and even set women back years in the work they have done, emphasising that the size of Sabrinaâs social platform comes with a lot of responsibility.Â
Context is also important to note, as since before the time of release, women in the US have been fighting for their own bodily autonomy, with abortion laws becoming stricter and scarier by the day. In this sense, many believed Sabrinaâs cover appeared thoughtless or disrespectful towards the battles many women are facing in Americaâs current political climate.
Despite the social media upshot, some fans were just as quick to defend the cover and Sabrina herself, with the basis of the counterargument proposing that, as an adult woman, Sabrina has the freedom to express sexuality and even kinks, ironically, enabled by the progression of feminism. In addition to this, many pointed out that Sabrina is known, if not famous for, her openness surrounding sex and pleasure in her music and performances, meaning this cover is actually âon brandâ for her. These fans argue Britney Spears, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus and countless other successful female music artists have also released covers that could be deemed âsexually provocativeâ or controversial, so what makes Manâs Best Friend different? On this side of the debate, fans also insist that the cover is purposefully ironic and satirical, pointing out that âManchildâ undoubtedly criticises a lack of male maturity (presumably in her ex, Barry Keoghan). Furthermore, in the cover itself, Sabrina is arguably portrayed as being in control; she looks at us directly and appears to be enjoying her role, whereas the man in shot is faceless and perhaps, in this sense, powerless.
But what does Sabrina herself have to say about all this?
In response, Sabrina sequentially released two alternative versions, with the first one captioned â& here is a new alternate cover approved by Godâ, indirectly addressing the backlash. However, many fans saw this as petty and immature, lacking an apology with accountability that they were hoping to receive. Fast forward to now, after the unquestionable success of the album, Sabrina has directly responded to the criticism through interviews. In an extended CBS interview with Gayle King, when asked directly about the cover backlash, Sabrina quickly responded, âYâall need to get out moreâ, emphasising the cover is a perfect representation of the album, showcasing the complex relationship between control and humanity in making mistakes. Sabrina also highlighted that the perception of the cover is down to individual interpretation and life experience, noting people were quick to judge and âpoint fingersâ without even the sound of the album itself. Whilst Sabrina acknowledged some people could take offence if they donât know her or her music, she concluded that âtrue fansâ know the artistic purpose of the cover, which, again, seems exclusionary and condescending, and does not suggest she is going to apologise to those whom she has offended.
So, whatâs the verdict?Â
I donât think this is a black or white situation; like most art, this cover is a complicated grey area that prompts discussion and debate amongst audiences. Until this cover, Sabrina was frequently praised for her girlâs girl energy and appeal towards the female gaze alongside her unapologetically and openly sexual lyrics. Despite this, itâs easy to grasp both sides of the argument. On the one hand, and without context, it could be seen as degrading to women and too closely associated with physical abuse. However, having now heard the album and its empowering, playful songs, itâs also possible to see Sabrinaâs intended messages mentioned in the CBS interview. Alongside this, and more recently, Sabrina performed âTearsâ (from Manâs Best Friend) on the VMAs stage. As well as having undeniable star quality, she also openly campaigned for transgender rights, making it hard to see her as anything but a feminist advocate.Â
While it is important to view art through a critical lens, ultimately, itâs subjective. Despite the initial stir, Manâs Best Friend is an absolutely captivating album, and from a strategic perspective, this controversial cover was good for publicity. So, was this perhaps a business move that profits from the dominance of cancel culture?
 Or, as Sabrina proposes, maybe itâs just not that deep.
Editor: Grace English