Sabrina Carpenter has once again found herself in the midst of an online defense. This occasion stems from accusations leveled by a TikTok user, @arcafan999, who claimed she drew inspiration from the controversial 1997 film "Lolita" for a risqué photo shoot with W Magazine in 2024.
@arcafan999 captured a screenshot from @thepopfaction's post, showcasing an image from the pop star's photogenic session. In the photo, Carpenter strikes a pose in a yellow dress, sitting barefoot amidst lush grass with sprinklers splashing in the background. The water drenches her, causing her hair to flatten and her pale yellow Chloé dress to become nearly translucent, mimicking a pivotal scene in "Lolita."
In this scene, Dolores "Lolita" Haze, oblivious to her dress becoming see-through and exposing her undergarments, sits soaked by sprinklers while reading in the grass. "Lolita" has garnered criticism due to its protagonist, Humbert Humbert, developing a sexual obsession with Haze, who is just 12 years old at the beginning of Vladimir Nabokov's novel. The story has been adapted into films in 1962 and 1997.
@thepopfaction juxtaposed Carpenter's photo with a screenshot from "Lolita," which @arcafan999 seamlessly incorporated into a video captioned, "me after seeing Sabrina's Lolita photoshoot." The TikToker exclaimed, "What the...I'm sorry for my language, but what the F is this?"
In response, the "Espresso" singer swiftly jumped into the comments section to clear the air. "I've never seen this movie. It's never been on my mood board and never would be," she insisted.
The creator replied mockingly, "'Fully grown but I look like a niña' yh sure," a nod to Carpenter's "Nonsense" outro during her Mexico stop at The Eras Tour in 2023, where she sang, "I'm full grown but I look like a niña (child)/ Come put something big in my casita (little house)."
Despite Carpenter's denial of "Lolita" influencing her, she told Variety in 2024 that she exercised "full creative control" over her "Short n' Sweet" album. "It’s my second ‘big girl’ album; it’s a companion but it’s not the same," she revealed. "When it comes to having full creative control and being a full-fledged adult, I would consider this a sophomore album."
Carpenter's photoshoot uproar follows her nude pose for Rolling Stone and the subsequent backlash against the cover of her new album, "Man's Best Friend," depicting her on her hands and knees while a man pulls her hair. In response to an X user questioning, "Does she have a personality outside of sex?" Carpenter reshared the post and affirmed, "girl yes and it is goooooood."
In her June Rolling Stone cover story, Carpenter reflected on the flak she receives for openly singing about her sexuality and recreating sex positions during concerts, such as during her "Juno" performance where she sang, "Wanna try out some freaky positions? Have you ever tried this one?"
"It’s always so funny to me when people complain," she mused. "They’re like, ‘All she does is sing about this,’" she explained. "But those are the songs that you’ve made popular. Clearly, you love sex. You’re obsessed with it. It’s in my show." She added, "There’s so many more moments than the 'Juno' positions, but those are the ones you post every night and comment on. I can’t control that. If you come to the show, you’ll [also] hear the ballads, you’ll hear the more introspective numbers."
"Man's Best Friend" is set for release on August 29.
