Pop singer Sabrina Carpenter has never been the one to colour inside the lines, and with her new cover, she has scribbled right over with a pink lipstick. The singer recently dropped the visuals for her upcoming album, Man’s Best Friend, and let’s just say, the internet did a double-take. Many people criticised the artwork, accusing it to be catering to the male gaze. Many even compared the image to the controversial novel Lolita.
About The Sabrina Carpenter Controversy
After the release of her latest single, ‘Man Child,’ Grammy Award winner Sabrina Carpenter announced details about her upcoming album, Man’s Best Friend. She wrote, “My new album, Man’s Best Friend 🐾 will be out on 29 August 2025,” wrote Sabrina, 26, adding, “I can’t wait for it to be yours.” But the album cover sparked outrage on the internet. A startling photo showing Carpenter on her knees, dressed in a short dress and heels, pawing at the leg of a man standing over her. In the racy photo, he pulls Carpenter’s blonde hair like a leash.
Sabrina Carpenter’s new album cover not being received well online
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This quickly escalated with people calling this move ‘degrading’ and ‘anti-feminist’ by the star. One user commented, “Gonna be that person and say she’s not beating the ‘catering to the male gaze’ allegations. What are we doing here?” and “It’s just a bizarre photo. It’s not even really that sexy. As a straight man, those photos give me the super ick. It’s only sexy if you get your kicks off by demeaning women, forcing them into submissive roles, and alluding to them as dogs (man’s best friend) – though I’m not sure if that is intentional.”
Angry netizens even compared it to the controversial novel Lolita. For the unversed, Lolita is a 1995 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. It garnered controversy due to its se*ualised storyline. As per reports, it was centred around the protagonist Humbert’s obsession and victimisation of a 12-year-old girl, Dolores Haze, whom he described as a ‘nymphet.’ He kidnaps and abuses her after becoming her stepfather. He secretly called her Lolita, which is a Spanish diminutive for Dolores.
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While many lashed out at Sabrina for pleading to the male gaze, others argued that it held a deeper meaning. Many wrote that the cover was ‘satirical’ and talked about how the public viewed her, believing she was just there for the male gaze.
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know.
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