Sabrina Carpenter’s new album Man’s Best Friend has been reviewed more than a hundred times in student newspapers nationwide since its August 29 release, with most students focusing on the music itself (Pennsylvania, Missouri, Ohio, California, Kentucky). But a few critics zeroed in on the provocative cover art: an image of Ms Carpenter on her knees, hair held like a leash by a man just out of frame.
(Universal Music Group)For Katelin Seward at Edina High School in Minnesota, the imagery crossed a line. While acknowledging Ms Carpenter’s history of suggestive lyrics and stage antics, the reviewer argued that placing her under a man’s control reinforced patriarchy and “fueled misogyny.” Katelin described the cover as tasteless and oppressive, suggesting it undermines Ms Carpenter’s standing as a role model for young women.
Darby Drozdenko at Lincoln High School in Portland, Oregon, took a slightly different angle. While praising the hit single “Manchild” for anchoring the album with energy and relatability, she felt some tracks lacked depth and drifted into filler. Darby saw the cover art less as a departure than as part of Ms Carpenter’s ongoing sexualized persona, though she noted some fans linked the imagery to domestic abuse and objectification.
Across both reviews, Ms Carpenter’s music is recognized as catchy and polished, but the cover art is treated as something more troubling: a symbol that, intentionally or not, raises questions about control and power in relationships. Critics point out that in today’s political climate, when women’s rights and autonomy are under debate, such an image feels especially loaded.
Yet art often courts controversy. Some defenders argue that suggesting an unhealthy relationship, even one ending badly or in abuse, can be a way of confronting harsh realities rather than celebrating them. Ms Carpenter herself has hinted that the intensity of the responses says more about the public’s discomfort with sex and power than about her intentions.
With over 360 million streams for the lead single and a Billboard-topping debut, Man’s Best Friend is musically a success. But the conversation around the album shows how pop art can be consumed on multiple levels — as entertainment, provocation, or social commentary. Ms Carpenter’s work is doing all three, depending on who’s looking.
