TMS Discussion: The Sabrina Carpenter Discourse
(via pinterest.com)
IAN FAITH
We feel that the company is rather down on the cover, is that the case?
BOBBI FLEKMAN
Yes.
IAN
You can give it to me straight, you know.
BOBBI
Listen, they don’t like the cover—
IAN
Well, that’s certainly straight.
BOBBI
They find it very offensive and very sexist—
IAN
But why? Why exactly? What’s offensive?
BOBBI
Ian…you put a greased, naked woman on all fours, with a dog collar around her neck, and a leash, and a man’s arm extended out—up to here—holding on to the leash and pushing a black glove in her face to sniff it. You don’t find that offensive?
IAN
No, I don’t—
BOBBI
You don’t find that sexist?
IAN
This is 1982—
BOBBI
That’s right it’s 1982, get out of the ‘60s, we don’t have this mentality anymore.
Sound familiar? This famous exchange from Rob Reiner’s classic mockumentary This is Spinal Tap (1984) made the rounds across social media last week when the cover art of popstar Sabrina Carpenter’s next album, ‘Man’s Best Friend,’ was revealed. On the cover is a photograph of Sabrina on all fours with her arm extended toward a man’s legs and the man grabbing a chunk of her hair, all while she is smiling sultrily. Within no time, various forms of outbursts started popping up online. “She’s clearly being ironic!” “It’s satire!” “This is offensive to women who are abuse victims.” “This just set feminism back four decades.” “Sabrina is a huge phony.” The narratives have flown by so fast in the past two weeks, the current opinions seem to be either, “Stop being prudes and telling a woman what to do,” or “this actually really boring and isn’t doing anything past popstars have done for shock value.” There are also fans suggesting Carpenter is laughing her butt off to the bank over the sudden controversy. As someone who hasn’t thought much about the blonde singer in general, I did have an instinctively negative reaction to the image when it popped up on my feed. I wasn’t triggered or aghast, but it just looked ugly and reminded me of dirty photos from old men’s magazines. It really does evoke Spinal Tap’s ‘Smell the Glove.’ I am aware that her whole schtick seems to be embracing her femininity and sexuality, while also being “in on the joke.” Her new single, ‘Manchild,’ and the accompanying music video includes her in skimpy outfits while mocking gross men who hit on her.
But my second thought after the cover dropped was, there’s no way Sabrina wasn’t expecting these extreme reactions. And if she’s surprised by them, then she has officially reached that point of stardom where she thinks she can do anything without repercussion or doesn’t realize people don’t know what she’s thinking. The fact there isn’t a general consensus—even between fans—speaks volumes. I think one problem is that Sabrina seems to let her choices and actions speak for themselves, to the point where it’s almost too surface level to be clear. She’s showing skin, dancing provocatively, her lyrics aren’t safe for work. If this was any other popstar 20 years ago, everyone would just assume she’s catering to men. And though her fans will insist she’s just being ‘camp’ and that her demo is “for the girls and the gays,” I’m not very convinced. From my perspective as a casual listener, this looks a lot like trying to have your cake and eat it too, especially with the new album art. The cover photo, the album’s back cover [a dog wearing a collar with the title ‘Man’s Best Friend’], the vinyl record featuring a drawing of Sabrina in lingerie on a bed with seemingly a much older man at the end of the mattress touching her foot; clearly inspired by Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita (1955). The latter I actually find even more tasteless than the cover and feel will eventually get its own discourse sooner or later.
(Island Records)
She can say she’s genuinely interested in ultra femininity and sexuality, but there’s no way perverts aren’t getting off on any of this imagery either. The reason you don’t hear about straight men listening to Carpenter’s music is because they’re probably too busy looking up her photoshoots. To her credit, Sabrina doesn’t seem stupid either and makes sure to cheekily add some girl power-like sound bites once in a while to counter any accusations of objectification in her aesthetics. But again, even these comments are passé and feel like something from Katy Perry’s playbook a decade ago. In fact, a lot of Carpenter’s public image feels like a blonde Katy, except at least Katy was transparent in using her body to her advantage for exposure. I genuinely can’t figure out how you can spin Sabrina’s persona as something feminist or progressive. Kitsch, sure, but there’s a big difference between cosplaying like Betty Boop and getting on hands and knees in front of a man’s crotch. If it was satire, or even directly inspired by This is Spinal Tap, Carpenter would have gone with actually wearing a collar and leash, like described in the scene; or maybe suggested there’s actually a woman wearing the men’s suit. Something minimally subversive. Instead, the cover art is played completely straight, with not even a wink to assure the skeptics. If Sabrina Carpenter is for “the girls and the gays,” then I have a feeling she’s going to gradually become just for “the gays” by the end of the year.
Hey, maybe I’m wrong though. The LP doesn’t even officially drop until August; maybe more will be revealed to confirm the imagery actually is tongue-in-cheek. ‘Manchild’ is already soaring to the top of the charts, so it appears her reputation hasn’t been tainted yet. I personally won’t be rushing to check out the full record, since I generally find Carpenter’s range as a lyricist lazy and limited, plus her schtick of paying homage to legendary female celebrities and characters has gotten a bit old. But I’m willing to give her the benefit of the doubt there’s more of this album cycle to be revealed, with better context. Otherwise, this just feels like a waste of publicity.
