Sabrina Carpenter’s got a new album on the way, and in classic internet fashion, it’s not the music that’s caused a stir — it’s the cover art
The 26-year-old singer shared the artwork for her upcoming album Man’s Best Friend this week, showing her in a short black dress and heels, on all fours, while an anonymous man in a suit holds her by the hair.
It’s glossy, provocative, and clearly designed to raise eyebrows. The post came with a paw print emoji and a simple caption: “I can’t wait for it to be yours x.”
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Within minutes, her Instagram comments lit up with a mixed bag of reactions — some fans defending her creative choices, others saying it crossed a line.
Over on X/Twitter, the takes flew thick and fast. Some called it clever satire. Others said it was just another image tailor-made for the male gaze.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Carpenter didn’t seem too fazed. “It’s always so funny to me when people complain,” she said. “They’re like: ‘All she does is sing about this.’ But those are the songs that you’ve made popular. Clearly you love sex. You’re obsessed with it.”
She’s got a point. Carpenter’s live performances — especially her viral moments during “Juno” — regularly bounce around TikTok, showing her striking tongue-in-cheek poses to lyrics like “Wanna try out some freaky positions?” But she’s also quick to note that her shows include plenty of ballads and introspective tracks. They just don’t tend to go viral.
The bigger issue, though, might be less about one album cover and more about the bigger picture — how we react to women using sexuality in their art. “I truly feel like I’ve never lived in a time where women have been picked apart more,” Carpenter said. “I’m not just talking about me. I’m talking about every female artist that is making art right now.”
Whether you see the Man’s Best Friend cover as playful provocation, satire, or something a bit messier, it’s doing what good pop art tends to do — making people talk, argue, and project their own ideas onto it.
As for Carpenter? She seems perfectly fine letting the debate swirl around her while she keeps doing her thing.
