SABRINA Carpenter has quickly become the Queen of Pop, but her new album cover has sparked backlash from fans.
The 26-year-old has always been known for pushing the limit, from sexual innuendos in her lyrics to striking suggestive poses while on tour, but fans say her new album cover has gone too far.
Sabrina’s cover album for her new album, Man’s Best Friend, has sparked backlash[/caption]
The 26-year-old has been accused of glorifying paedophilia[/caption]
It’s not the first time the blonde bombshell has got in trouble with her racy behaviour[/caption]
Sharing the image of her new album cover, titled Man’s Best Friend, on Instagram, Sabrina can be seen on all fours while a man dressed in black slacks — whose face is not visible — pulls her blonde hair.
The new album will be released in August and comes after Sabrina, who is worth over £8 million, won Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance at the Grammys earlier this year.
While she’s often been praised for daring to show her sexual side, the new artwork has seen her be slammed for appealing to the male gaze and objectifying women.
‘Tradwife’ & ‘Paedophilia’
Furious fans took over the Instagram post to share their thoughts, with one writing: “I get she’s going for transgressive, but this is the opposite of transgressive in this era,” before concluding, “She looks dumb.”
“Pathetic. WTF is she thinking?” said another, while a third quipped: “Dumpster humanity.”
“Album cover setting feminism back 100 years,” another penned, while a fourth chimed in: “How to use violence against women as a bad buzz to make money, disgusting strategy.”
A fourth added: “I get she’s going for transgressive, but this is the opposite of transgressive in this era,” before concluding, “She looks dumb.”
But it seems eagle-eyed fans and critics are not that surprised by Sabrina’s latest stunt.
Many have claimed the pop star has taken inspiration from the controversial film Lolita in recent years.
The film is based on the book by Vladimir Nabokov and explores the ‘relationship’ between a paedophile and a 12-year-old girl who becomes his stepdaughter while he abuses her.
Many have claimed Sabrina has copied scenes from the film multiple times and ‘glorified paedophilia’.
One image of the blonde for W magazine shows her lying in the garden with a tiny sundress on, getting soaked by a sprinkler, much like the garden scene from Lolita.
Fans have not been receptive of the new artwork[/caption]
Many have been left uncomfortable by her sexual inunedos on and off stage[/caption]
Others have said the new cover photo of her upcoming album also reminds them of the film.
One took to TikTok saying: “The new Sabrina Carpenter photoshoot made me sick to my stomach because it reminds me of that scene in Lolita and now I’m seeing the comparison, it might have been the inspiration.”
“She’s been Lolitaing for a year a half no one noticed til now??” wrote one viewer.
But it’s not just her racy images that have got her in trouble in the past.
Low key giving normalizing pedophilia and it’s not the first time.
X User
A clip of her supporting Taylor Swift at the Eras Tour in Mexico saw her describe herself as looking like a little girl before making an innuendo about sex.
In the outro to her hit song Nonsense, she said: “I’m full grown but I look like a niña (little girl).
“Come put something neat in my casita (small house).”
Fans took to X to say they were uncomfortable with the lyrics with one saying: “Ooooo idk bout that one. The implications certainly aren’t great, to say the least.”
Another wrote: “She could want “something big” in her “casita” all she wants, it’s the “I look like a niña” part that doesn’t sit well.”
“Low key giving normalizing paedophilia and it’s not the first time I get this vibes from her. I mean, look at her….her whole image is so off-putting,” a third added.
Sabrina Carptenter’s Rise to Fame
SABRINA Carpenter’s first role was as the lead in the Disney Channel series Girl Meets World. Between 2014 and 2017, she appeared in over 70 episodes.
She also signed with the Disney-owned Hollywood Records and released her debut single, Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying, in 2014.
After four albums, she moved to Island Records in 2021.
Her fifth album, Emails I Can’t Send (2022), had her hit singles Nonsense and Feather.
Around that time, Sabrina started to gain notoriety in the UK.
She opened for Taylor Swift at the Eras Tour in 2023 and then achieved wider commercial success with her sixth album Short n’ Sweet, which was released earlier this year.
Number one singles from the album include Espresso and Please Please Please.
Missed the Mark?
Last week, the blonde bombshell released the lead single from the upcoming album, titled Manchild.
It quickly made its way to the top spot on both the Spotify U.S. and Global charts.
Some fans speculate the new album will go in a completely different direction to the album’s title[/caption]
Her new song seems to prove that the album will challenge misogyny[/caption]
While many have criticised the new album cover, others have defended the pop star and said there’s a deeper meaning behind the seemingly submissive image and album title.
Britton Rae, a novelist and poet said Sabrina was using a ‘bait and switch’ move to promote her album, and everyone was falling for it.
She said: “If you find this to be controversial, misogynistic, or offensive to women, then congratulations, you are giving Sabrina the reaction she intended to get.
“What Sabrina Carpenter is doing is absolutely genius.”
The bait and switch technique means enticing people in with one idea (or drawing criticism like Sabrina has done,) only for it to be something totally different when it’s fully presented
She continued: “I think it’s going to be a story about her recognising that she has been doing this to herself due to the pressure of societal norms.
“I think this album is a bait and switch. She is baiting the public to get all riled up, thinking that she is making herself Man’s Best Friend, making herself more palatable to men.
“Really she is just simply personifying how society already sees and views and pressures women into becoming. I think this album is going to tell the story of her recognizing that she has fallen victim to this societal norm as well.”
If Sabrina’s previous albums and lyrics are anything to go by, we’re sure this album isn’t going to be about her love for men or wanting to be submissive to one like the imagery alludes to.
The newest song, Manchild, is all about men being incompetent and not treating women right, and her fans are excited to hear the rest of the album.
One wrote: “This album feels like it’s gonna be a GIANT middle finger to men and I am thrilled for it.”
“Immediately when I saw this cover I thought “she’s saying that men treat women like dogs, like we are sub-human to them” and I was shocked to see the amount of people that didn’t think the same thing,” said another.
