Sabrina Carpenter, Satire, and the Backlash of Being Hot and Powerful
Sabrina Carpenter’s new album cover for Man’s Best Friend has the internet in a chokehold - quite literally. Kneeling pretty in a micro black dress, while a man’s hand grips her ponytail, is pure pop provocation. But don't be too quick to judge, it’s more clever than it may appear on the first look.
Of course, almost instantly, critics screamed: misogynistic, regressive, problematic. What’s truly outrageous? Not the image. The reaction. Sabrina was accused of setting women back decades. Because heaven forbid a woman chooses to play submissive.This is not just some damsel fantasy, it’s a calculated performance. She’s not the dog on the leash - she’s the one writing the story behind it.
If it sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Women like actress Sydney Sweeney, whether she’s posing for Miu Miu in a crop top or gets slut-shamed for Euphoria, are constantly dragged into the same exhausting narrative: It just sets people off when a woman plays into desire without playing dumb.The “female setback” panic is the newest troll talk. It’s aimed at women who dare to be unapologetically hot and strategic. Sydney and Sabrina are both masters of the performance: they play with sex, power, softness and satire. But instead of being praised for opening these doors, they get crucified for not being digestible enough for feminist Instagram. This doesn't feel empowering, it’s controlling. It’s about who gets to decide how a woman expresses her power and whether that power looks too male-gazy for polite society.
What Sabrina’s cover does, is to hold up a mirror to our cultural discomfort. We want women to be sexy, but not too sexy. We want them empowered, but not that kind of empowered. God forbid they look like they’re enjoying themselves. When someone commented “does she even have a personality outside of sex?” Sabrina fired back: “Girl yes and it is goooooood.” Lol, you go girl. She’s telling critics that she knows exactly what she’s doing, and you’re the one who should check yourself if you find it problematic.
Because the real female setback? Why is it making people feel so uncomfortable? Why are we pretending that power only looks like pantsuits and TED Talks? Let it look like a girl on her knees, and trust, she’s the one calling the shots. It's tiring that women are still punished for being both sexy and smart. When a male artist poses with women crawling at his feet, it’s called edgy art. When a woman does it, it's suddenly a bad example and dangerous influence. Come on, this backlash might be the most submissive thing of it all.
