Sabrina Carpenter’s new album cover

[TERFlawnBOY]

I don’t want to post the photo as it is risqué…

For those who don’t know, Sabrina Carpenter is a sexy young pop singer. Her new album cover was shared this week and it depicts her being held down at a man’s crotch by her hair.

To be honest, the image did shock me. Sabrina’s music is poppy and fun, so to go with such an aggressive image seems off-brand. Moreover, her fans are mostly young girls…

What do others think?

She's an adult singer who's songs are more catered to adults and about adult things.

She can't control who listens to her music.

You don't like it? Don't listen to it.

I was really shocked by it too. My 15yo DD showed it to me and she was equally shocked

I saw an interesting debate about this where someone suggested that as it’s a sneak peak, the suit-clad leg may actually belong to Sabrina herself in a different outfit, which I found an interesting take!

It seems very on brand for her tbh. Have you not seen footage from her shows?

An image without accompanying words is powerful so whatever her intention I find this very depressing. We don’t need yet more images putting forward a narrative that women are to be subjugated to men’s will. It’s particularly disturbing given the age of the audience.

Edited to add that I’ve just seen that the full image might be forwarding a different take but still not convinced that it was a good idea.

Agree, bit off and not what I want to see as a woman in this age of internet misogyny. But people are talking about it which is exactly the plan I suppose.

I just goggled it. It looks more like the man is pulling her up rather than holding her down.

Maybe she likes the shock value?

Bit weird.

But I guess we all know she has an album out.

I've seen it. Good grief.

It reminds me of the Scorpions album Animal Magnetism, except that (a) that album was released in 1980, (b) they were a bunch of sexist blokes who didn't pretend to be anything else.

Coming from a young pop singer whose audience is mostly young girls... well, I suppose she thinks it's "naughty" and "adult".

I don't like it either. She's better than that and a very good pop star. I'd like to know who's idea it was, probably a man.

However it's made me think back to Madonna Erotica, I don't think the publicity was as explicit and the sex book was over 18s only.

Her brand is very sexual, and has been for a while. One of her Nonsense outros for a BBC festival a few years ago was “BBC asked me to keep it PG, BBC I wish I had it in me, if you look close there’s a double meaning”.

So she had to be explicitly warned not to be explicit, and still made a sexual reference.

She is an adult making, if parents are okay with their kids listening to her then that’s on the parents.

It’s not for me, but I support it. Feminism is about being whatever woman you want to be, and whatever she’s doing is clearly working for her

That is not what feminism is, but I’ve seen it trotted out several times over this album cover.

Meh! I just rolled my eyes tbh. It’s all been done before

I think it's absolutely disgusting

I've been listening to sabrina carpenter for years untill she's had her whole image revamped. It makes me really uncomfortable her album cover which just reminded me of a film scene with domestic violence?
When she also simulates sex acts in her live performances it just feels really inappropriate and nothing to do with music. I feel Her new persona has really overtaken her music and I'm no longer a fan. It just feels she sold out. Clearly its worked but feels dissapointing.

I've heard she's being really clever and it's all irony which I must be missing all the time because all it ever looks like is the same old boring sex sells I don't even find it shocking at all.

Happy to be educated if I'm missing some massive element where she has turned the whole parody on its head ?

I find it interesting re the range of interpretations of posts on MN. This poster took it as OP simply listing a thing she didn't like, and needed to be instructed not to interact with things she doesn't like, whereas I took it as a starting point for a discussion on sexual imagery in popular culture, particularly where a woman is depicted as being held down.

But as others say, it's a bit been-done.

All a bit try hard really isn’t it? She’s hardly the first pop star to do this kind of thing.

Could it be an arch reference to Spinal Tap? It's reminiscent of Smell the Glove.

I think she is vulgar

Sabrina carpenter is very "sex positive " isn't she? its not my thing I'm really old but its branding and it sells
I was into Madonna as a young woman she probably wasn't any worse than Sabrina Carpenter.

From Yes Matters

It looks like she is about to or just had oral sex,
imo it doesn't look like she's being held down. I think she or her management see it as empowering or something.

“What’s wrong with being sexy?”

"You should have seen the cover they wanted to do. It wasn't a glove."

😂