Being labelled a pop superstar comes with the territory, but for Sabrina Carpenter, fame hasn¡¯t just brought chart-topping hits and red carpets; it¡¯s also dragged her into the middle of heated controversies, especially when it comes to how she presents herself. Accusations that she's "overly sexualising" her image to appeal to a specific kind of audience have followed her for quite some time now, and now, they¡¯ve sparked fresh backlash.
The latest controversy stemmed from a TikTok-fuelled claim that her new W Magazine photoshoot references the 1997 film adaptation of Lolita, a story notoriously centred on the sexualisation of a young girl. Sabrina has refuted the claims, but the internet's mixed reactions?
As the comparisons started making rounds, most notably a viral post aligning Sabrina¡¯s pose in a grassy field with that of the original Lolita movie poster, the internet was quick to take notes. In the photo, Carpenter wears a simple pale yellow dress, lying on her stomach in the grass with her feet up, eerily similar to the original Lolita promotional image featuring actress Dominique Swain. That resemblance was all some people needed to start drawing conclusions.
But Sabrina was quick to shut it down. In a direct response to one of the viral TikToks, she commented, "I¡¯ve never seen this movie. It¡¯s never been on my mood board and never would be.¡±
Despite her clarification, some corners of the internet are refusing to let it go. Many argue that even if it wasn¡¯t intentional, the resemblance is too close to ignore.
One user shared a collage of Sabrina's pictures and stills from the movie, accusing the pop star of copying Lolita for a long time now. "Can Sabrina literally stop referencing the Lolita movie? "It¡¯s not even a coincidence anymore," the user wrote.
Another alleged, "It might not be her doing; it could be the person who took the shot who got inspo from Lolita; either way, all publicity is good publicity."
Meanwhile, several users also came to her defence, with one arguing, "We¡¯re getting to a point where original ideas are getting harder to come by when every thought is broadcast constantly on the internet." There are going to be similarities to other things just by coincidence. Keep that in mind."
One person mentioned, "A girl takes a picture lying in the grass, and people immediately jump to the worst conclusions possible."
"Not these weirdos imposing their fantasies on her just because she happens to be short," said another user.
"Let¡¯s stop assigning meaning where there isn¡¯t any. "She's allowed to just exist in her vibe, lol," one added.
Sabrina Carpenter recently found herself at the centre of another heated debate over the cover of her upcoming album Man¡¯s Best Friend. The image, which shows her on all fours with a man gripping her hair, sparked backlash online, with some accusing her of feeding into the male gaze and calling the visual ¡°regressive¡± and ¡°soft-porn¡±.
But Sabrina, never one to shy away from criticism, clapped back at the noise with her signature confidence. When a commenter asked if she had a personality beyond sex, she simply replied, ¡°Girl, yes, and it is goooooood.¡±
Despite the controversy, the numbers speak for themselves, with her latest single, Manchild, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, proving that fans are here for her bold choices, both musically and visually.
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