In the weeks sinceSabrina Carpenterrevealed the cover and title of her upcoming album,Man’s Best Friend,the internet has been embroiled in a moral debate surrounding the album’s messaging. Scrolling through hot takes about the upcoming project, it seems that the album’s critics outnumber its defenders.
Those taking issue with the album feel that the title,Man’s Best Friend, and its cover are both bowing down to the sexual interests of men and promoting the objectification of women.
The criticism has been so abundant thatCarpenter released an alternate album coverthat does not feature the suggestive image of her on all fours with her hair clenched in a man’s fist. She joked that the new cover was “approved by God,” but she has not changed the name of the album.
The heated debates surrounding the album can be narrow-sighted and seem to exist in a vacuum separated from pop music of the past.Pop singers have been kinky, controversial, and downright insensitive in the past, and the surrounding buzz was not nearly this assertive.
Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend Is Tame Compared To Past Pop Stars
Have We All Forgotten “Justify My Love”?
Pop stars have been making raunchy rebrands for years,we just tend to forget the time before the shift. In the case of Carpenter, this album cover and title are not a far leap from the tongue-in-cheek sexual innuendos ofShort n' Sweet. If the masses can get over the shock of Miley Cyrus’Bangerzera, why is Sabrina Carpenter catching flack for maintaining her sexy sense of humour?
Madonna kicked off the ’90s with her transition from sugary pop to something a little spicier. “Justify My Love” topped the charts for two weeks and had MTV viewers clutching their pearls. The steamy music video did stir up controversy at the time and wasultimately banned from playing on MTV. This kind of 180-degree turn was essentially brand new, but the shock didn’t last long.
In the eyes of societal taboos, being submissive to a man is largely considered to be a lesser offense than the thrill of masochism.
Madonna isn’t remembered for her clean pop; she’s a sex icon and paved the way for the pop stars of today to break out of their goody two-shoes image. As the years passed, the songs got more scandalous.
By 2010,Rihanna was openly singing about chains and whipsin her kinky song “S&M.” In the eyes of societal taboos, being submissive to a man is largely considered to be a lesser offense than the thrill of masochism.
The Pop Stars Of The Past Would Have Been Ridiculed In Today’s World
How Would “I’m A Slave For U” Perform Today?
In 2001, when Britney Spears released “I’m A Slave 4 U,” people certainly batted an eye. At only 19 years old, the singer was on stage at the VMAs gyrating with scantily clad dancers after sporting a large boa constrictor around her shoulders. People were certainly talking, butthe main complaint seemed to be that Spears was too youngto be singing about such sexual themes.
Today, the discourse would take a very different tone. People would question why Britney Spears is pandering to the male gaze and subjugating herself to their desires. Critics would likely bring up the offensive nature of the word slave. Should a rich white woman call herself a slave for sexual pleasure?
In 2001, not only were peoplenot engaging in the political analysis of music, but they were also featuring songs like this on the hit television series following a teen show choir group,Glee. The difference between the upset in the 2020s and the 2000s is rooted in political implications.
Back in the day, the criticisms were moral panics, but when people see Sabrina Carpenter on all fours before a man, they see a political statement. They see Sabrina Carpenter telling her young fans that it pays to be at the whim of men, andin this age of political polarization, it feels like crossing the picket line. In the 2000s, critics would’ve seen a sweet girl being unladylike.
Can Listeners Handle The Unafraid Pop Stars They Keep Saying They Want?
Pop Stars Can’t Please Everyone
People seem to love loud pop divas, until they take a risk they don’t like. People loved whenChappell Roanstuck it to the VIP ticket holders at Outside Lands who weren’t dancing to “HOT TO GO!,” but when she set boundaries with her fans, she was rude. The “Espresso” singer seems to be running into the same wall.
In the past, people liked it when Carpenter stuck it to the man. Carpenter filmed a portion of the “Feather” music video in a Brooklyn Church, which some people found to be sacrilegious. In response, thepop princess told people not to worry: Jesus was a Carpenter.
It could be that this risqué move simply wasn’t the right one for the audience she amassed. Maybe the Christian crowd that criticized her music video would be more into her sexual submission to men than her current fan base. In reality, the pocket of the internet that is outraged about Sabrina Carpenter may bethe echo chamber that she cozied uptoin her earlier controversies.
In the 2000s,Britney Spears didn’t have to face what everyone in the world thought about her newest music videoon TikTok. Everyone’s eyes are on pop stars' each and every move. Today, the smallest deviation from their core audience’s values and politics is enough to make headlines.
Although the current trend cycle is short, the internet never forgets. Sabrina Carpenter’s shift from calling men incompetent to kneeling at their feet feels like a betrayal to her largely feminist fan base. Artists are now accountable for each and every choice they make, and it pays to be hypervigilant.
This may be a cunning calculation by Carpenter to attract a male fan base at the cost of her current fans. Alternatively, this could be a simple blunder that will fade with time in a bygone era, or an overall severe misunderstanding of the message she’s telling withMan’s Best Friend. Only time will tell whenSabrina Carpenter’s album debuts in August.
