Sabrina Carpenter spoke out about the backlash to her new album cover for the first time — and she remains unbothered.
An X user shared a photo of the Man’s Best Friend album art with the comment, “Does she have a personality outside of sex?” earlier this month, and Carpenter, 26, didn’t hesitate to respond.
“Girl yes and it is goooooood,” she replied on Monday, June 16.
The Grammy winner announced her seventh studio album last week, and while her Carpenters were thrilled by the news, the cover art — which shows her on all fours as a man grabs her hair — caused a stir on social media, with some critics accusing her of playing into regressive stereotypes.
Carpenter’s X comment marks the first time she’s directly addressed criticism of the cover, which she debuted on June 11. One day later, Rolling Stone published an interview with the “Espresso” singer where she discussed previous backlash she’s faced over the innuendo in her Short n’ Sweet Tour.
“It’s always so funny to me when people complain,” she said. “They’re like, ‘All she does is sing about this.’ But those are the songs that you’ve made popular. Clearly you love sex. You’re obsessed with it.”
Carpenter noted that there’s a lot more to her show than the now-famous “Juno” positions sequence, but her critics seem to ignore the more earnest elements of her concerts and discography.
“There’s so many more moments than the ‘Juno’ positions, but those are the ones you post every night and comment on. I can’t control that,” she explained. “If you come to the show, you’ll [also] hear the ballads, you’ll hear the more introspective numbers. I find irony and humor in all of that, because it seems to be a recurring theme. I’m not upset about it, other than I feel mad pressure to be funny sometimes.”
She added, “I don’t want to be pessimistic, but I truly feel like I’ve never lived in a time where women have been picked apart more, and scrutinized in every capacity. I’m not just talking about me. I’m talking about every female artist that is making art right now.”
While Carpenter can’t please everyone, she has at least one supporter in The Real Housewives of Orange County star Tamra Judge. “What’s all the fuss about? Looks like me in the ’80s!” Judge, 57, quipped via X last week alongside a photo of the cover.
Man’s Best Friend is out August 29.
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