On Wednesday, Sabrina Carpenter, a rising starlet shining brightly in the realm of pop music, unveiled the cover art for her forthcoming album titled "Man's Best Friend," instantly igniting a firestorm across social media platforms. Critics were fiercely divided, with some denouncing the cover as "degrading," while others came to its defense, hailing it as a masterful piece of satire.
Glasgow Women’s Aid, a Scottish advocacy group dedicated to supporting women victims of domestic abuse, slammed Carpenter on Instagram on Thursday, branding the album cover as "regressive" and asserting that it perpetuates "stale stereotypes that reduce women to pets, props, and possessions, while promoting an aura of violence and control." A column in The Telegraph echoed similar sentiments in its headline on Thursday, lambasting Carpenter's "overly sexualized and degrading new album cover" as having crossed a line. The writer, Poppie Platt, pointed out that Carpenter has a vast fanbase of young admirers and labeled her marketing strategy as "troubling," drawing parallels to TikTok trends such as the "trad-wife" aesthetic that promote submission to men.
Numerous comments on Carpenter's Instagram post showcasing the album cover garnered significant attention, with the majority being critical. One comment, which amassed 8,000 likes, questioned, "Is this a humiliation ritual? What on earth is this cover?" Another user remarked, "Explain to me once more how this isn't centered around men? How this isn't catering to the male gaze?"
Conversely, Carpenter's loyal fans praised the cover for its satirical intent. One post on X, which received over 44,000 likes, expressed concern over people's inability to recognize the cover as a commentary on how women are treated. The fan cited her single "Manchild," which pokes fun at men, as an indication that the upcoming album might also embrace a satirical tone. Brooke Ivey Johnson, an entertainment editor at the U.K. publication Metro, penned an article on Thursday defending Carpenter, stating that she "knew you'd hate her kinky album cover – that’s the point." Johnson lauded Carpenter as an "expert in shaping a narrative" and emphasized that her brand revolves around men serving as mere background noise. Johnson described Carpenter's aesthetic as "a form of satire: A knowing wink at how femininity is constructed, consumed, and commodified," and cited her new single "Manchild" as a "satirical exaggeration" of submissiveness to men.
To date, Carpenter has refrained from directly addressing the controversy surrounding her album cover. However, in a cover story published in Rolling Stone on Thursday, she addressed critics who have taken issue with her sex-positive stage persona. She expressed her belief that she has "never lived in a time where women have been dissected and scrutinized more intensely." While performing her song "Juno" on tour, which includes the lyric: "Wanna try out some freaky positions? Have you ever tried this one?" Carpenter mimics various sex positions during each performance, sparking a TikTok trend and drawing detractors. "It always amuses me when people complain," Carpenter told Rolling Stone, noting that there are "countless other moments beyond the 'Juno' positions, but those are the ones you post and comment on every night. I can't control that."
The Recording Academy announced on Thursday morning that it will introduce a "Best Album Cover" category for next year's Grammy Awards ceremony. With "Man's Best Friend" set for release just a day before the Aug. 30 Grammy Awards deadline, it is eligible for nomination. Carpenter's new album follows a breakout year in which her album "Short n' Sweet" spawned multiple hit singles and earned her two Grammy Awards. The album's lead single "Espresso" was named by several publications as the song of the summer in 2024 and topped charts across various countries. Her string of hits continued with "Please Please Please" and "Taste," and she released a deluxe edition of the album in February, featuring new tracks.
