The release of Man’s Best Friend’s album cover, which came before the album release in August, caused much controversy. Showing Sabrina on her knees as a faceless, partially cropped, male figure grasps a handful of her hair, many fans attempted to predict what this image would represent. The most popular theory being a satirised view of the female experience, excited for a feminist metaphor on power dynamics from Carpenter’s sixth studio album.
Man’s Best Friend, much to the shock of dedicated fans, is anything but a social commentary. Sabrina on her knees in front of a man is just that, no secret metaphor to be found. Upon first glance the cover made me incredibly uncomfortable. The album cover has been interpreted as placing women in a demeaning position, it equates women to a ‘man’s best friend’, in other words, to a dog. This is a fair criticism and one that listeners are entitled to. But why when so many of the songs on Carpenter’s album relay the pain of her mistreatment from men, does the overarching theme of the album remain so centred on the pursuit of their attention?
Carpenter’s response to traction online, in an interview with Gayle King, one of the passengers on Elon Musk’s recent all-female expedition to space, was lazy and condescending. When directly asked about fans’ anger she states, “Y’all need to get out more”, suggesting that criticisms of her album cover and title are ridiculous and coming from those out of touch from the real world. I would argue that it’s Carpenter herself that is out of touch.
It is irresponsible, especially in the current political climate, to pretend that any art created is apolitical. The artistic exploration of heteronormative sex is political by default, so how can Carpenter pretend that her album cover is anything less? More-so, how can she condemn her fans for viewing it as such? Throughout her butchered interview, Carpenter attempts to explain the meaning of her album cover, ultimately concluding with there being “lots of different meanings”. A bit of a cop-out.
Potentially, it is genuinely true that the social implications of Man’s Best Friend went over Carpenter’s head, but it’s disappointing to imagine that this could possibly evade such a talented artist. To play devil’s advocate, maybe we’re placing an unfair expectation on female artists, why can’t they simply make sexual music like men have been doing for decades and decades? As we listen to male rappers, like Kanye West, sing about “hoes”. Or maybe we should stop trying to emblazon a feminist label onto everything women do. I’m happy that Carpenter, and other female artists, are able to make music about enjoying their own sexuality, but let’s not pretend it always carries some convoluted message about power dynamics and misogyny. In addition, let’s not infantilise Carpenter by shielding her from all and any criticism.
Throughout Man’s Best Friend, Carpenter makes light of men’s treatment towards the women that they sleep with. Manchild humorously pokes fun at the general incompetence often seen in grown men, the ways in which their female counterparts must do everything for them. Yet, her discography is predominantly about desiring these men’s attention, their love, despite their obvious flaws and inability to treat her with worth and respect. It’s pretty soul-destroying to hear this narrative played out in such a fun, pop-fuelled way. The message it sends is: men will never wrap their heads around treating their girlfriends correctly, but we as women should laugh at the hilarity of this and continue to twist and turn in order to earn affection. Carpenter can present her own personal experience, as free speech and freedom of expression would dictate, but this doesn’t mean she is exempt from criticism. Nor does it mean her songs are aimed at women’s rights simply because she herself is a woman.
It’s important to live and let live; women are entitled to portray whatever they fancy in their art, but forcing feminist messages into any and all media created by women, is dangerous. Sometimes a sexual song is just a sexual song.
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