Women's Aid slam Sabrina Carpenter album cover for 'promoting violence and control'
A Glasgow women's charity has slammed Sabrina Carpenter's latest album cover, saying it promotes 'violence and control'.
The Espresso singer confirmed that her seventh album, Man's Best Friend, will be released on August 29.
Alongside the announcement, she shared the cover art for the upcoming album, which has divided audiences.
In the picture, Carpenter is pictured on her hands and knees next to a man, who is pulling her hair.
Glasgow Women's Aid, a charity providing refuge for victims of domestic abuse, slammed the cover, calling it 'regressive'.
In a statement shared to Facebook, the charity said the image is a throwback to 'tired tropes' that reduce women to pets, props, or possessions.
A spokesperson added that the album promotes 'an element of violence and control'.
'Picturing herself on all fours, with a man pulling her hair and calling it 'Man's Best Friend' isn't subversion,' the statement read.
The charity added: 'We've fought too hard for this. 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.
'Sabrina is pandering to the male gaze and promoting misogynistic stereotypes, which is ironic given the majority of her fans are young women.'
Fans also voiced concerns about the cover on Carpenter's post, with one writing: 'lol this cover art is so disgusting. as a fan I don't like it.'
Another added: 'Love Sabrina – but this picture – why is the man in there like that? It's not a very empowering image for women. I think it's a mistake since most of her fans are women, and as a DV survivor, I find it uncomfortable, and I'd rather see her empowered than like that. I don't wanna be negative, I'm sorry, maybe it's just me.'
Other fans were excited about the release, with one writing: 'Omg, thank you for this. My day is made.'
Another wrote: 'Sabrina is coming for album of the year, artist of the year, pop vocal album, all of it, and I'm here for it.'
Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
8 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Sabrina Carpenter fans are 'missing point' of controversial new album cover
Fans of singer and actress Sabrina Carpenter have been left divided after she shared the cover art for her upcoming album, Man's Best Friend, which will be released in August When Sabrina Carpenter unveiled her upcoming album's cover, set for release this summer, it instantly ignited a storm of controversy about its underlying message – but some music fans argue that critics are "missing the point". The diminutive songstress has carved out a niche with her infectious tunes that cleverly weave satire and societal observations, all delivered in her distinctively bold and risqué pop princess style. The 26-year-old songbird has been navigating the music scene for more than 10 years, with her first album dropping in 2015. However, it was her fifth studio offering, Emails I Can't Send, released in 2022, that began turning heads on a larger scale. Her 2024 hit track, Espresso, fully propelled her into the limelight and secured her position as a pop star. Her sixth album, Short n' Sweet, soon followed and took the music world by storm – clinching the top spot on the Billboard 200 and earning her a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album in 2025. Recently, the singer confirmed on Instagram with a duo of pictures that her latest album, Man's Best Friend, is slated for an August 29 release. The album cover features Sabrina down on her knees with what seems to be a man's hand gripping her hair. Accompanying this is a second photo, which zooms in on a blonde puppy sporting a light blue dog collar adorned with a gold heart, etched with the album's name. The controversial announcement has raked in more than four million likes so far but it's sparked a deluge of comments from people upset by Sabrina's perceived submission in the first image, especially during such a politically tumultuous time for women. Instagram users flooded the comments with their thoughts. One said: "Love Sabrina - but this picture - why is the man in there like that? It's not a very empowering image for women." Another voiced their confusion: "Explain to me again how this isn't centering men? How this isn't catering to the male gaze?" A third remarked: "Okay - it's sarcastic? Satire? Art? Symbolism? But what about the men or boys who see this on billboards, on Instagram, in music promos - and consciously or not, internalise that this is what power looks like: a man objectifying a woman. Does that image challenge objectification or reinforce it?" TikTok pop culture commentator Holden Smith – who boasts 178,000 followers – labelled the debate over the album artwork "so wild". In a widely viewed video, Smith said: "To me, it just felt very 'Sabrina'. 'Man's best friend' is a dog, a female dog is also called a b***h. "Sabrina on all fours, with a man pulling her hair, is feeding into that. I believed, in a cheeky way." The content creator then addressed some of the extreme reactions and continued: "There are a lot of social media comments saying that this is extremely degrading and that she has set women back hundreds of years and, to me, that is a crazy statement." Holden speculated: "Sabrina could also be using the cover to hold a mirror up to the public and say, 'this is how you guys are saying that you see me, for the male gaze rather than for the female gaze'." Smith then said: "I found it extremely interesting that this is the main conversation around her new album. As someone who was the breakout artist of the year last year, who truly got, like, no negative press; this switch up feels kind of crazy - especially when she's giving us a second album in two years." Holden expressed disappointment that the album announcement wasn't met with joy, noting it "felt like it should be a crazy happy announcement" rather than sparking intense debate over its cover. Sabrina, who doesn't shy away from expressing her sexuality and sense of fun, has yet to elaborate on the provocative choice of imagery for her latest album.
South Wales Guardian
9 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Pulp score first UK number one album in 27 years with More
The last time the Sheffield-based group topped the UK album charts was in 1998 with This Is Hardcore which followed on from their best-known studio album, Different Class, released three years prior and their only other chart-topping LP. More, which was released last Friday, is the band's first studio album since 2001's We Love Life. The album is also named the biggest record of the week on wax, topping the Official Vinyl Albums Chart. The band are playing a number of gigs throughout the summer, including sets at Montreux Jazz Festival in July and Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival in August. The veteran rockers have a gap in their schedule between June 21 and July 10, which has fuelled speculation that they could be among the secret acts currently listed as 'TBA' in the line-up for Glastonbury Festival, which is taking place later this month. Elsewhere in the albums chart the eponymous debut album of US pop star and TikTok sensation Addison Rae has landed at number two. The record contains the hit singles Diet Pepsi, Headphones On, and Fame Is A Gun, which have all made it into the top 40 of the singles chart. Another new entry is Lotus by British rapper Little Simz, which has landed at number three, a personal best for the London-born music star whose Mercury Prize-winning album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert peaked at number four back in 2021. Lotus also debuts at number one on the Official Record Store Chart, the most popular LP of the week in UK independent record shops. Rounding out the top five is Sabrina Carpenter's Short N' Sweet at number four and Ed Sheeran's Mathematics Tour Collection compilation album at five. Over in the singles chart, US popstar Carpenter has knocked Alex Warren from the top spot with her new single Manchild. The 26-year-old recently announced the release of a new studio album, Man's Best Friend, which will be released in August. The Official Charts Company said Carpenter has banked the most consecutive weeks in the albums chart top five out of any other female solo artist. The rest of the top five sees Warren at number two with Ordinary, Love Me Not by Ravyn Lenae at number three, Chappell Roan's Pink Pony Club at number four, and Sombr's Undressed at number five.
North Wales Chronicle
9 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Pulp score first UK number one album in 27 years with More
The last time the Sheffield-based group topped the UK album charts was in 1998 with This Is Hardcore which followed on from their best-known studio album, Different Class, released three years prior and their only other chart-topping LP. More, which was released last Friday, is the band's first studio album since 2001's We Love Life. The album is also named the biggest record of the week on wax, topping the Official Vinyl Albums Chart. The band are playing a number of gigs throughout the summer, including sets at Montreux Jazz Festival in July and Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival in August. The veteran rockers have a gap in their schedule between June 21 and July 10, which has fuelled speculation that they could be among the secret acts currently listed as 'TBA' in the line-up for Glastonbury Festival, which is taking place later this month. Elsewhere in the albums chart the eponymous debut album of US pop star and TikTok sensation Addison Rae has landed at number two. The record contains the hit singles Diet Pepsi, Headphones On, and Fame Is A Gun, which have all made it into the top 40 of the singles chart. Another new entry is Lotus by British rapper Little Simz, which has landed at number three, a personal best for the London-born music star whose Mercury Prize-winning album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert peaked at number four back in 2021. Lotus also debuts at number one on the Official Record Store Chart, the most popular LP of the week in UK independent record shops. Rounding out the top five is Sabrina Carpenter's Short N' Sweet at number four and Ed Sheeran's Mathematics Tour Collection compilation album at five. Over in the singles chart, US popstar Carpenter has knocked Alex Warren from the top spot with her new single Manchild. The 26-year-old recently announced the release of a new studio album, Man's Best Friend, which will be released in August. The Official Charts Company said Carpenter has banked the most consecutive weeks in the albums chart top five out of any other female solo artist. The rest of the top five sees Warren at number two with Ordinary, Love Me Not by Ravyn Lenae at number three, Chappell Roan's Pink Pony Club at number four, and Sombr's Undressed at number five.
