So, About That Cover.
I'm a Feminist, first off.
Sabrina Carpenter, famously known as the FLOP turned IT GIRL has announced that she is releasing yet another album. Some responses are met with fake concern regarding her well being and over working, some responses are met with it being too soon to release a new album despite everyone’s short attention span and constant need to consume, but what I would love to discuss is the cover.
Sabrina’s album cover consists of her being on her knees like a dog, glammed up, as a man (who knows) uses her hair as if it’s a leash. As soon as the cover came out, I knew there would be discourse. I mean, to be fair, there’s a number of Sabrina Carpenter themed posts on here about her impact on feminism, pedophilia, and everything under the sun. I knew there would be discourse surrounding it I just didn’t know it would be so drab and boring. The cover is fine to me, but with that being said when did we become so prude?
I remember growing up and applauding female artists like Beyoncé who state it is not her job raise your kids and how many of our pop stars chose to present themselves however they felt and just how empowering it was to see women like that. I remember us cheering these women on in doing what they wanted and embracing their bodies and their own ideas and watching it manifest both good and bad. However, now it seems like we’re forcing the Chasity belt onto women yet again. We as a society constantly take 3 steps forward and 8 steps back. It makes me think of Rhianna and how much work she put into forcing everyone to accept that she doesn’t care and will do whatever she pleases because this is her body.
Sabrina is not going to be the first nor is she going to be the last to express herself how she pleases, and again it is not her job to do the feminism for you. Life has been a choose your own adventure for a very long time and you can choose to engage with Sabrina, just like you can choose to engage with just about any kind of media. It’s very easy to shun and shame Sabrina, but lack analysis towards the things you do like and earnestly engage with. Everything is political, yes, even the things you enjoy but do we have this approach with everything? What makes Sabrina anti-feminist or someone who’s setting the movement back but not any other pop star you engage with regardless of gender?
As the world moves further right, it is important to ask yourselves these questions but it is also important that we test our politics out. Do we support all women and their choices? Especially something as harmless and transparent about Sabrina’s album which clearly plays on misogyny and how women are perceived and how dumb men are. Sabrina isn’t trying to degrade herself and you aren’t much more smarter than the artist who makes it very clear what she’s doing, even if it doesn’t work for her.
Truthfully, it seems like everyone’s politic is shaped behind who they like and not what they stand for which explains the Sydney of it all, but I can’t defend all these wealthy white women and complain about celebrity culture. Till next time, BYE! <3.
CELEBRITIES ARE NOT OUR MOTHERS. As much as social media wants to depict them as. It all goes back to the Beyoncé thing. I forgot that was her thing: it’s not her job to raise kids. & it isn’t. Why are celebrities on this pedestal? For what?
i love a satirical pop princess and i used to be obsessed with her during her flop phase (bc disney was tired of her lmao) but i think it’s important to acknowledge her impact over her intentions, i respected people like cardi who said she didn’t play her music around kids and didn’t want parents letting their kids play her songs but it’s still valuable to criticize the personas celebrities craft, just because a 24 year old who listens to her understands the nuances of her music doesn’t mean she shouldn’t be responsible if a 14 year old is influenced by her affinity for aged men; lana del rey went on a whole rant about this stuff years ago when she was called out and i feel like sabrina’s headed in that same direction of aestheticizing trauma, you can be subservient in your love life but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have boundaries or autonomy and that’s kind of the beauty of feminism and why i think some of these think pieces focus a little too much on the elements of the fantasy she is developing and not enough attention on the real life consequences of her actions, let her have fun but also we can’t ignore the fact that this is a unsustainable lifestyle and brand she is selling. and why women especially are so inclined to fill a role we once acknowledged was harmful to people’s mental health.