(Credits: Sabrina Carpenter)
Following the announcement of her new album, Man’s Best Friend, Sabrina Carpenter has been criticised by a prominent women’s charity, which has labelled the cover art as “regressive”.
On June 11th, Carpenter confirmed that Man’s Best Friend, which contains her recent single ‘Manchild,’ will be released on August 29th. She also shared the cover art, which depicts the ‘Espresso’ singer on her knees in a black dress, with her hair pulled by a faceless man in a black suit.
Now, in a statement on Facebook, Glasgow Women’s Aid has condemned the artwork, saying: “Sabrina Carpenter’s new album cover isn’t edgy; it’s regressive. Picturing herself on all fours, with a man pulling her hair and calling it Man’s Best Friend isn’t subversion.”
They continued: “It’s a throwback to tired tropes that reduce women to pets, props, and possessions and promote an element of violence and control. We’ve fought too hard for this.”
The Glasgow charity then accused Carpenter of playing up to stereotypes which are harmful to women, adding, “We get Sabrina’s brand is packaged up retro glam but we really don’t need to go back to the tired stereotypes of women.”
The institution added: “Sabrina is pandering to the male gaze and promoting misogynistic stereotypes, which is ironic given the majority of her fans are young women!”
Glasgow Women’s Aid signed off the message by pleading with Carpenter to “do better”.
Carpenter is yet to respond to the backlash surrounding the cover art, which has proved to be divisive on social media.
The album announcement comes days after Carpenter headlined Primavera Sound in Barcelona. The American singer will also headline two huge shows at Hyde Park in London next month and top the bill at Lollapalooza Chicago in August.
At Hyde Park, Carpenter will be joined by a series of special guests over the two dates, including Clairo, Beabadoobee, Olivia Dean and more.
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