Following the release of her newest single, Manchild, Female pop singer Sabrina Carpenter has teased her new album titled “Man’s Best Friend.” The cover features her down on all fours, and a faceless man standing above her, grabbing a handful of her hair. Since its announcement, it has sparked a conversation about whether this is appropriate considering today’s political climate, or if people are simply afraid of an openly sexual woman. Everyone has been chiming in all over TikTok so let’s dissect arguments for both.
Sabrina often styles herself in a “1950s housewife” fashion, and in some ways seems to romanticize it. However, during that time, women were essentially the property of men. They were not allowed their own bank accounts, it had been less than 50 years since they earned the right to vote, and they did not have the right to choose. Today, there is a rise in conservatism across the United States. Many men want to go back to “traditional roles,” and legislation is being passed against women. For these reasons, people felt it was inappropriate for her to have a cover of this nature because it feeds the fire.
“It’s satire!” “You don’t get it!” are phrases Sabrina’s fans have been using to come to her defense. They say it’s just her humor, and people who are not fans wouldn’t understand. While it may be true that was her intent, it didn’t land for most people. For it to have truly been satirical, she would have had to have the roles reversed. Satire, by definition, is “the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.” Her reinforcing the idea that women “belong” to men—the same way a dog would—doesn’t ridicule them. In fact, it does the opposite. Seeing a beautiful blonde woman in that manner gives them satisfaction.
Another big talking point for people has been that Sabrina and her team know that sex sells. With her last studio album, we saw her lean into this in her lyrics with songs like Bed Chem and Juno. On tour, she wore a sheer nightgown over her corset bodysuit, which featured a matching garter. She also had a kiss “tattoo” that she placed on a different part of her body every night. The most talked about part of her shows was what became known as the “Juno Positions.” During her performance of Juno, each night she would show a different sex position at the part of “have you ever tried this one?”, and they varied in how graphic they were.
Sabrina Carpenter is no stranger to facing backlash for being provocative; it hasn’t stopped her before, and it won’t now. The fact of the matter is, we won’t know what her intent with her cover was unless she releases a statement explicitly stating it. Her portraying herself in a sexual manner keeps people talking about her, anticipating what she’s going to do next, and what direction the album is going to take.