It’s no secret that being in the public eye leads to microscopic scrutinization. Every action aids a persona and gives ammunition for haters to strike. From Tobey Maguire yelling directly at paparazzi to Hayden Christensen going into almost hiding after his Star Wars role – everyone has their own reactions to this attention. Fame is exhausting, especially when the world feels entitled to constant access to your life.
However, few celebrities get as much attention – or criticism – as female musicians. Many of these artists have been thrust into stardom as young teens due to their passion for performance, which means these girls have to grow into women directly in the spotlight – eighteenth birthday countdown websites and all. From Britney Spears being grilled about her virginity on national television to Billie Eilish’s body becoming a global talking point the second she turned 18, there’s no escaping the “sex symbol” status when you’re a female musician. It’s not just about talent; it’s about how you present yourself and whether that presentation fits into society’s constantly shifting – and deeply contradictory – mold for women in the public eye.
Sabrina Carpenter has solidified her persona of “short and horny” with the release of Short n’ Sweet and tracks like “Juno” and “Bed Chem” – don’t get me started on her “Nonsense” outros! While the girly, slumber-party aesthetics of her tours have drawn positive attention from the girls, gays, and theys it has also drawn the attention of pearl clutchers begging her to “think of the children” and more puritanical BS. Heaven forbid a young woman have fun with her sexuality in a way that’s playful, confident, and fully in control. Her tour tradition of “Juno” positions has led to an abundance of internet trolling, with comments like “Women: Don’t sexualize us. Also Women:” as well as general outrage from her BRITs Award performance. These criticisms completely ignore how damn clever these poses are in favor of sexualizing and shaming a young, talented artist. This outrage isn’t new – it’s a tired, recycled script that gets pulled out every time a female artist refuses to sanitize herself to appease outdated notions of “respectability.”
It’s also telling how gendered this backlash is. Artists like Bruno Mars, The Weeknd, and even Harry Styles have dipped into sexual themes, suggestive performances, and innuendo-filled lyrics without facing nearly the same level of scrutiny. When Bruno Mars sings about having really nice sex, it’s a vibe. When Sabrina Carpenter makes a joke about bed chemistry, it’s a moral crisis. The double standard is exhausting and depressingly predictable. No one is saying Sabrina Carpenter isn’t a highly sexual artist – she’s got the humor of a middle school boy, but the harsh criticism she receives seems reserved exclusively for women.
At the end of the day, Carpenter and others like her are performers who know exactly what they are doing. Harsh statements about how sexual they are or aren’t won’t impact them… but it will impact the young girls listening. When the message becomes “expressing your sexuality makes you attention-seeking or less worthy of respect,” that sticks. It teaches girls that confidence is dangerous, that owning your body and humor makes you a punchline, and that the safest thing to do is shrink yourself down to be palatable for everyone else. Sabrina cracking dirty jokes and striking cheeky poses isn’t some moral downfall! It’s a reminder that women, especially young women, are allowed to be funny, sexy, and fully in charge of their own narrative. And that’s exactly why it scares people so much.
The idea of the pop star is changing. It’s no longer acceptable to shove a camera in their faces and yell at them to “Shut the f*ck up!” as we’ve seen from Chappell Roan, and it’s going to be substantially harder for labels to pull the rug under young artists with the standard Taylor Swift has set with her masters. These are all amazing things – for the industry and for the way we raise our girls, the way they’ll view themselves.