Sabrina Carpenter May Be Man’s Best Friend, But Not Woman’s
Sabrina Carpenter performs during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Friday, April 12, 2024, in Indio, California. (Christina House/Los Angeles Times/TNS)
Sabrina Carpenter’s new album, “Man’s Best Friend,” was the subject of controversy months before it was released. On the cover, Carpenter is pictured kneeling before a man’s legs, with her hair clumped in his fist.
The title, “Man’s Best Friend,” comes from the saying that a dog is a man’s best friend. Known for her campy, hypersexualized lyrics and aesthetic, this image shouldn’t have shocked anyone.
On the “Short and Sweet” tour, Carpenter simulated a different sex position every night during her song “Juno,” and her audience was obsessed. So what changed? Why did people think this specific image crossed a line? Was Carpenter intentionally trying to provoke people?
Many people’s qualms with the album cover were that Carpenter was submitting to a man. People also saw her signature “Juno” poses as promoting female pleasure. Quickly, people took to social media to voice their opinions, claiming that Carpenter was degrading women and catering to the male gaze.
A small, but important, detail slipped through the cracks.
Carpenter had already released the first track, “Manchild,” as a single along with a music video. The lyrics critique male behavior, and the video takes it a step further, depicting grown men making fools of themselves while Carpenter gets increasingly sick of them.
The misandristic message of this song alone provided enough context about the album to quench the uproar; the cover was clearly satirical. The rest of the album further proves it.
The second track, “Tears,” is all about getting horny at the thought of a man being responsible, showing that the bar is extremely low. Her songs “My Man on Willpower” and “Never Getting Laid” also make fun of and complain about men.
“Don’t Worry, I’ll Make You Worry,” Carpenter villainizes herself and sings about messing with a man’s head and driving him crazy. The satirical album has a fun and flirty sound, drawing inspiration from 70s and 80s synth-pop and disco, as well as ABBA and Dolly Parton.
“Man’s Best Friend” is mainly made up of girly anthems that you can laugh and dance to, but can also be cathartic to someone going through a breakup or struggling to date. Many songs about breakups and failed relationships are meant to be sad, but Carpenter’s lyrics sound like she’s venting to a friend about an ex, giving her music a casual and down-to-earth feel.
Sabrina Carpenter knows what her audience wants, but she also knows what will grind their gears. Rage bait is one of the most popular marketing tactics because it gets people talking about the product.
Whether someone loved or hated the album cover, it piqued their curiosity. Carpenter played into this, releasing an alternate album cover and captioning her Instagram post: “Here is a new alternate cover approved by God.”
Ashley Vanderhoff, a staffer for The Leader and fan of Carpenter commented on her use of ragebait, saying: “I think a lot of people get angry about Sabrina’s marketing because they take it at a surface level instead of thinking more critically about what she’s trying to say.”
People once shamed Britney Spears’s risque lyrics, but now her songs are considered iconic.
Carpenter knows she’s pushing the envelope and that it will make some people mad, but how else is she supposed to stand out in the industry?
