by Sarah Vickers
Sabrina Carpenter’s newest album Man’s Best Friend, sparked a digital frenzy since the first release of its controversial album cover in early June.
Sabrina took to her social media to announce her up and coming work. She showcased the album cover, where she is seen on her hands and knees in a black dress, with an unseen man’s hand grabbing her hair.
The internet is divided with opinions. Some claim the image depicts submission, while the other half argue the image is satire and a commentary on the male gaze.
With the album title itself being a familiar saying about dogs, ‘A Man’s Best Friend’, the internets jump towards the idea of submission and comparing her hair to a ‘leash’ as she is on all fours wasn’t surprising. TikTok was stormed with complaints claiming this image goes against Carpenter’s usual feminist stance. Comments like ‘stand up’ or ‘embarrassing’ plagued the pop stars’ accounts.
Taking another look at this album’s launch, some claim that people have missed the satire of the image as the singer is known for her sarcastic humour. Sabrina Carpenter and her PR team wanted to get people talking to promote her new work, with the use of this imagery they captivated a strong reaction from both sides of the internet.
Fans jumped to her defence in the last weeks on all social platforms, praising Sabrina for her sneering imagery that would obviously gain traction online once published. The singer’s audience side with her feminist views and comprehend that fully understanding feminism should encourage women to present in whatever way they feel most comfortable. They argue for the view that Sabrina is in control in this image, she is allowing her hair to be held, aligning with her man-hating brand, allowing him to think he is the one in control of the situation yet she is the one allowing it to happen.
Another wave of fans claim that others have misinterpreted Carpenter for being in favour of the treatment she is enduring in the picture, rather than her showcasing that these dynamics do happen in real life. This group maintains the stance that the point of the album cover is to highlight how women are still dehumanized and objectified in today’s society. They agree that the album is not promoting women being treated as subhuman. It instead serves as a reminder that women are, in fact, still routinely treated as subhuman in everyday life.
Social media have misinterpreted this as Sabrina being in favour of the treatment she is showcasing, rather than the much more obvious fact that she is shedding light on a real thing that is happening in our society.
In response to the internet debate, Carpenter addressed the controversy directly in a recent NME interview, giving us her own opinion of the album cover. “Being in on the control, being in on your lack of control, and when you want to be in control’ she explains as the picture plays with themes of power and agency. The cover intentionally created uncertainty by allowing space for both satire and discomfort, mirroring the intricate nature of romantic and emotional power dynamics that are also looked at in the album.
In the end, the public’s response to the cover of Man’s Best Friend tells us more about the cultural conflicts than it does about Carpenter. She appears to be more than willing to sit in the messy intersection of art, feminism, and internet debate. It appears that her intention was always to raise the topic in the first place rather than provide a definite response The Man’s Best Friend cover by Sabrina Carpenter has no doubt succeeded in creating the kind of conversation that great pop music often aims for, regardless of whether it is viewed as provocative or problematic messaging. Carpenter has forced her audience to face difficult realities about gender, power and perception by navigating the blurred lines between humour, control, and vulnerability.
One thing is clear as the conversation continues: the pop singer has complete control over her image and uses it to challenge the male gaze that tries to define her.