Fans of Sabrina Carpenter say the pop singer took her signature retro style too far after she revealed the cover of her upcoming album, “Man’s Best Friend.”
Why is Sabrina Carpenter’s album cover controversial?
The album cover, which was revealed on the singer’s Instagram on Wednesday, shows Carpenter on all fours, grabbing a man’s leg. The faceless man grabs Carpenter’s hair aggressively.
Many fans notice that she is posing like a dog, in line with the title of the upcoming album. However, others say that the imagery is offensive and misogynistic, as the cover may depict domestic violence.
Charity Glasgow Women’s Aid called out the singer on its Facebook. It wrote:
“Oh Sabrina!
Sabrina Carpenter’s new album cover isn’t edgy, it’s regressive.
Picturing herself on all fours, with a man pulling her hair and calling it “Man’s Best Friend” isn’t subversion.
It’s a throwback to tired tropes that reduce women to pets, props, and possessions and promote an element of violence and control.
We’ve fought too hard for this.
We get Sabrina’s brand is packaged up retro glam but we really don’t need to go back to the tired stereotypes of women.
Sabrina is pandering to the male gaze and promoting misogynistic stereotypes, which is ironic given the majority of her fans are young women!
Come on Sabrina! You can do better!”
How did fans react?
Fans also shared their outrage across social media.
“How is this not just appealing to be male gaze?? insanely misogynistic imagery. mans best friend??? please please please,” one commented on the singer’s Instagram.
“Lol this cover art is so disgusting. as a fan I don’t like it :(,” another wrote.
“I dont wanna see no man dragging you around by your hair mother please get up,” a third added. .
“Hard pass on this cover….your young fans don’t get irony. Also, even if it is irony, it’s unsettling and not necessary. What about empowerment?” a fourth asked.
Others said they believe the cover was an attempt to capitalize on her retro style but think that some aspects of the 1960s should be left in the past.
“It’s the same message as the trad wife trends that we’ve been criticizing but in a different package,” a Redditor wrote.
“I’ve been a die hard fan and usually love the bombshell sex sells aesthetic but this is just gross. It isn’t camp, it isn’t ironic, it’s just degrading,” another said.
Spinal Tap comparisons
One TikToker, in a viral video, compared the photo to the degrading “Smell the Glove” album cover of the fictional band Spinal Tap in the movie This is Spinal Tap.
In the scene, Fran Drescher’s character, Bobbi Flekman, calls out the band’s manager, Ian Faith, for the cover.
“You put a greased naked woman on all fours with a dog collar around her neck, and a leash, and a man’s arm extended out up to here, holding onto the leash, and pushing a black glove in her face to sniff it,” Flekman says.
She questions, “You don’t find that offensive? You don’t find that sexist?”
“This is 1982, Bobbi, c’mon!” Ian Faith responds.
“That’s right, it’s 1982! Get out of the ’60s. We don’t have this mentality anymore,” she shoots back.
The reposting of the scene went viral, with over 439,000 views.
“Damn history repeats and reinvents itself over and over,” a commenter wrote.
“Thought of smell the glove immediately,” another said.
@cinema_hearts #sabrinacarpenter #manchild #spinaltap ♬ Manchild – Sabrina Carpenter
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