Did Sabrina Carpenter Get the Reaction She Expected With Her Album Cover?
Sabrina Carpenter’s latest album, Man’s Best Friend, sparked plenty of conversation before it even hit streaming platforms. The cover art, released in June, shows the singer kneeling next to a faceless man in a suit who is gripping her hair—an image that many found unsettling.
When asked by Interview magazine whether she anticipated such a reaction, Carpenter was direct: “If I’m being honest, I don’t create with reactions in mind. I make choices that feel right for me, that align with the music, and that make sense in the bigger picture. When I envisioned this imagery, I instantly understood its meaning. Watching how people interpret it has been fascinating.”
The cover quickly stirred backlash, with some critics calling it degrading toward women. The debate became so intense that Carpenter even shared an alternate version on June 25, joking that it had been “approved by God.” Still, she stood by the original design, calling it a metaphor—though she admitted some might look at it and think, “Wow, she’s into that?”
Now 26, Carpenter released Man’s Best Friend in August, marking her seventh studio album and her follow-up to 2024’s well-received Short n’ Sweet. Alongside the rollout, she also addressed the criticism she often faces for making bold or provocative creative choices.
Asked whether the controversy made her laugh or cry, Carpenter said it was a mix of both. “My perspective and my experiences are completely different from how some people live theirs. Sometimes I read comments and think, ‘That’s not how I see it, but if that’s how it resonates with them, then it’s real for them.’ This album reflects what I’ve been navigating—loss, heartbreak, joy, and figuring out who I am as a young woman. I’m not above it all, but I’m not beneath it either.”
In a separate Rolling Stone interview, she addressed those who complain about her subject matter. “It always makes me laugh when people say, ‘All she sings about is this.’ But those are the very songs they made successful,” she pointed out. With a smirk, she added, “Clearly, you love sex—you’re obsessed with it.”
