Sabrina Carpenter slammed for new album Man¡¯s Best Friend cover: Internet says she's feeding the male gaze
Sabrina Carpenter¡¯s upcoming album, Man¡¯s Best Friend, has sparked controversy with its provocative cover and dog imagery, reigniting debate over whether it caters to the male gaze. Reddit has slammed the singer for allegedly catering to the male gaze.
Sabrina Carpenter¡¯s new album is already generating major buzz, but not for reasons she may have expected. On June 11, the Grammy-winning singer announced her seventh studio album, Man¡¯s Best Friend, which drops August 29. Alongside the announcement came the album artwork alleged to be its cover, which shows Carpenter, 26, kneeling on all fours as a man stands behind her holding her hair. The imagery immediately sparked backlash online, with many accusing her of playing into the male gaze when she could have empowered women with the influence she has.
What is ¡®Man¡¯s Best Friend¡¯ about?
The album title Man¡¯s Best Friend was already raising a few eyebrows, but the visuals took things to another level. It didn¡¯t help that the lead single, Manchild, which dives into messy gender dynamics and toxic relationships, dropped right before. The song shot to No. 1 on both Spotify U.S. and Global charts, and the music video has already pulled in over 17 million views on YouTube. To top it off, Sabrina shared a cropped pic of a dog sporting a blue collar with a heart-shaped tag that reads ¡°Man¡¯s Best Friend¡±.
Reddit slams Sabrina Carpenter's new album cover
On Reddit¡¯s pop culture forum r/Fauxmoi, users criticised the album cover for its alleged male gaze tropes. One user commented, ¡°I¡¯m going to be that person and say she¡¯s not beating the 'catering to the male gaze' allegations. What are we doing here?¡±
Another commented, ¡°Sabrina, if what brings you joy is being treated like a dog by men in private, that¡¯s between you, them, and your therapist. But don¡¯t promote it like it¡¯s empowering.¡±
One user stated, ¡°I never understood the appeal of female degradation. Certain kinks aren¡¯t empowering, healing, or helpful to women. They¡¯re just weirdly normalized now.¡±erstood the appeal of female degradation. Certain kinks aren¡¯t empowering, healing, or helpful to women. They¡¯re just weirdly normalized now.¡±
Others pointed out the stark contrast between what celebrities like Carpenter could choose to represent and what they actually put forward. ¡°Being a woman is degrading enough,¡± one Redditor wrote. ¡°Why would I want my loved ones to degrade me too?¡±
One commenter implied, "So she is posing ¡®like a dog¡¯ on an album called ¡®Man¡¯s Best Friend¡¯?¡± Like, she¡¯s supposed to be a submissive animal for a man who owns her or something? Is that what this whole thing is implying?¡±
Sabrina Carpenter has announced her newest album ¡®Man¡¯s Best Friend¡¯. Releasing August 29th.
byu/cmaia1503 inFauxmoi
The internet compares Sabrina's latest move to Sydney Sweeney's
The criticism gained even more traction when fans began comparing Carpenter¡¯s rollout to Sydney Sweeney¡¯s recent marketing move. Just days ago, Sweeney faced similar backlash after launching her bathwater-infused soap line in collaboration with Dr. Squatch, an ad campaign some felt was ¡°a satire of itself,¡± tapping into fetishistic humour in a way that didn't sit right with everyone.
Meanwhile, despite the backlash, there¡¯s no denying Carpenter is having a massive year. She recently took home two Grammy Awards for her previous album, Short n¡¯ Sweet, and its hit single, Espresso. The second leg of her sold-out Short n¡¯ Sweet tour kicks off this October, riding the momentum of her continued commercial success.
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As an Entertainment Content Writer with 3+ Years of experience, I have been keeping a keen eye on who wore what. A self confessed Koreaboo, I am your fangirl next door. Ps: I take pride in saying that I grew up watching "It's Controversial" as a kid.
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