Sabrina Carpenter hits back at critics as domestic violence charity slams album cover for ‘pandering to the male gaze’
Glasgow Women’s Aid has launched a fierce attack on Sabrina Carpenter’s newly unveiled album artwork, which depicts the pop star on all fours whilst a faceless man pulls her hair.
The domestic violence charity condemned the cover for the 12-song record Man’s Best Friend, which the 26-year-old singer revealed on Wednesday.
The provocative image has sparked widespread criticism for allegedly promoting harmful stereotypes about women.
The Glasgow-based organisation, founded during the second wave of the women’s liberation movement, delivered their verdict yesterday.
They accused Carpenter of perpetuating “tired tropes that reduce women to pets, props, and possessions” whilst also promoting “an element of violence and control”.
The controversy adds to mounting criticism of the former Disney star’s increasingly sexualised public image.
In their statement, Glasgow Women’s Aid declared: “Sabrina Carpenter’s new album cover isn’t edgy, it’s regressive.”
They continued: “Picturing herself on all fours, with a man pulling her hair and calling it ‘Man’s Best Friend’ isn’t subversion. It’s a throwback to tired tropes that reduce women to pets, props, and possessions and promote an element of violence and control. We’ve fought too hard for this.”
The charity also criticised Carpenter’s brand positioning, stating: “We get Sabrina’s brand is packaged up retro glam but we really don’t need to go back to the tired stereotypes of women.”
They added: “Sabrina is pandering to the male gaze and promoting misogynistic stereotypes, which is ironic given the majority of her fans are young women!”
The statement concluded with a direct appeal: “Come on Sabrina! You can do better!”
Carpenter has defended her artistic choices in a recent interview with Rolling Stone magazine, where she appears on the cover wearing minimal clothing.
Addressing the criticism, she said: “It’s always so funny to me when people complain. They’re like, ‘All she does is sing about this’.”
She continued: “But those are the songs that you’ve made popular. Clearly you love sex. You’re obsessed with it.”
The album will include her latest single “Manchild”, widely believed to reference her former relationship with actor Barry Keoghan. The track’s music video features Carpenter bathing with two piglets she identifies as men.
The backlash extends beyond the charity sector, with social media users expressing discomfort about the imagery.
One TikTok user garnered over 51,000 likes after stating: “I just don’t think this is a good image that we should be preaching.”
The controversy follows Carpenter’s performance at the BRIT Awards earlier this year, which prompted over 800 complaints to Ofcom.
The singer performed in red lingerie and was seen kneeling in front of a dancer dressed as a King’s Guard during the pre-watershed broadcast on ITV.
Parents expressed outrage at the sexually suggestive choreography, with many vowing to contact the broadcaster and media regulator. The performance included her spreading her legs on a large bed whilst performing “Bed Chem”.
Another social media user commented on the album cover controversy: “FINALLY people are talking about this. Her rebrand hyper-sexualising herself for the male gaze is setting us so far back.”
The singer is known for her sarcastic humour and sexual innuendos, marking a significant departure from her Disney Channel origins.