Sabrina Carpenter’s seventh studio album, Man’s Best Friend, was recently released on August 29. The album debuted as No.1 on Billboard’s Pop Airplay Chart and charted the top 20 spots of Global Spotify within the first 24 hours of its release. The album, even before it initially came out, has been a hot topic and has sparked some heated controversy throughout social media. People throughout the internet have additionally had very mixed reviews on the album.
The album kicks off with Carpenter’s number one, synth-pop single titled “Manchild”. With lyrics including “Stupid, or is it slow?” and, “I like my men all incompetent,” it is easy to see as to why people might have been aggravated. People were similarly provoked by the album’s cover in which Carpenter is pictured on the ground, held by her hair. Social media believed that the album was too sexist towards men and was actively setting feminism back by years.
However, after thoroughly listening to the album, I find that neither of these statements are to be true. It is rumored that many of the songs on the record, including her contentious song “Manchild”, are about her ex-boyfriend, Barry Keoghan. She is not stereotyping and condemning an entire gender, but rather she is expressing her disappointment towards her former boyfriend in a more discreet, yet public, manner.
Nevertheless, many still believe that Carpenter is actively pushing back against the feminist movement. In spite of the fact that the album cover was rightfully disputed, I do not think it was the artist’s intent to seemingly defy everything feminists stand for. The record’s cover was supposed to be satirical and ironic. Having an album where the cover is a picture of Carpenter demeaned by a man while having her lead single be a song titled “Manchild” was supposed to come across as contradictory and sarcastic. However, it is easy to see why people might have been upset by the image.
Despite the many grievances against the album throughout the media, I found the album to be very enjoyable to listen to. Her songs “Go Go Juice” and “When Did You Get Hot?”, my personal favorites, have made their way into my playlist. As well as including upbeat, pop songs, the album also has some more slower and emotional melodies. Her song “We Almost Broke Up Again” includes lyrics like “You say we’re driftin’ apart, I said, ‘Yeah, I f**king know’” and “All the ‘I love you’s’ and ‘I’m sorry’s’ were said,” which reflect on her past relationship with Keoghan.
The album has opened conversations that never would have unfolded without its record-breaking release. Whether or not you enjoyed the music, it is without a doubt that Carpenter’s album has made an immense impact on modern day pop-culture and the music industry.
