Louisa Chiriboga ’29 and Phoebe Schwab ’29
Copy Editor and Copy Editor Intern
On Aug. 29, we gathered our suitemates in the Kimberly recreation room to listen to Sabrina Carpenter’s seventh studio album Man’s Best Friend. Wracked with controversy, bubbling with the promise of humor, and marketed with sexy aesthetics, by the time of its release, the album had become more than just a series of songs — it was a cultural moment. The album wraps heartbreak, heterofatalism, and humor into a series of sugar-rush synths and sex appeal. It is a glitterbomb fever dream of pop seduction and girlhood that makes being treated poorly in romantic relationships sound almost … fun? Man’s Best Friend is flirty, petty, deeply unserious — and rather devastating when you really think about it.
Over the summer, Carpenter’s album cover art sparked fiery debates online. The cover features Carpenter on all fours, pawing at the leg of a man, whose frame is only partially shown — just enough to see him grabbing her by her hair, reminiscent of a dog owner keeping control of their pet with a leash. This image was shockingly dehumanizing and, despite attempts to claim otherwise, downright antifeminist.
Man’s Best Friend is a demonstration of survival in a heteronormative world swimming with gender roles and the male gaze. Whether Carpenter’s album is a feminist reclamation or a submission to the male gaze depends on how much patriarchal complicity you are willing to engage in.
A little over a year ago, Carpenter released her breakout album, Short n’ Sweet, which catapulted her to a household name, awarding her the 2025 Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album and the MTV’s Album of the Year. Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet Tour generated even more stardom for her, with its iconic imagery: soft pastels, sparkly sets, frilly lace costumes, and, of course, the ever-changing “Juno” positions.
In the lead-up to the release of Man’s Best Friend, fans were expecting more of the same hyperfeminine aesthetics and raunchy lyrics. While they received that in part, Carpenter’s staunch commitment to her ‘I hate men but I still date them and also I’m hot’ bit gets old when contextualized with the current mainstream mistreatment of women in heterosexual relationships. While Short n’ Sweet called out men for their failures, Man’s Best Friend accepts the treatment with comedy and self-deprecation, for better or for worse.
Although it contains 12 tracks of flirty lyrics and impressive vocals, the album is simply pretty packaging for an ugly present. Sure, it’s humorous and seductive at first, but, throughout the album, there is one main takeaway: these men treat her horribly. And what is undeniable is that the line between critique and complicity has never been blurrier. Carpenter is no longer just in on the joke; she is the joke. And that is bleak.
As we pressed play on Man’s Best Friend, we each had our own immediate reaction. The album isn’t necessarily complex or nuanced, so you either love it or hate it upon first listen. With that, there were songs that we thought were unmistakable standouts, and others that fell into a much less positive category.
“Manchild,” the leading single of the album, sets the tone to a tee. Carpenter begins the song with a simple “Oh boy!” which prepares you for what’s to come: the good, the bad, and the plain ugly. A bubblegum synth beat follows, and along come the lyrics. Throughout “Manchild,” Carpenter describes a narrative of her repetitive experience with incompetent men. It’s a song of guilt and foresight: she knows the ending before it’s even begun. Much like Short n’ Sweet, the frilly pop vocals return, with the addition of violin and a slight twang in her voice that allows the song to border on country. One can’t help but smile when “Manchild” comes on — you are being bathed in pure cotton-candy, transported into a Barbie-like realm, and the lyrics validate your standards, which are so, so low.
Although the country aesthetic mostly ends with “Manchild,” “Go Go Juice” ties it back in for round two. Between the returning vocal twang and the references to alcoholism, you truly feel as if you’ve been transported into Texas. It’s not the most complex song, but it offers a great aesthetic for getting ready to go out! If there is one thing that “Go Go Juice” maintains, it’s the undeniable humor of the album. With breaks in the verses to ask “How many shots in an ounce?” or “Do you me still love?” you can’t help but giggle. Lyrics describing a crazy night out filled with depression, desperation, and one too many drinks can be incredibly relatable, adding to the overall success of the album. Perhaps Carpenter’s songs aren’t deep, but they definitely encapsulate a specific feeling—even if it is an embarrassing one, like drunk-dialing your ex.
While there were memorable highs on the album, there were certainly forgettable lows. As “Never Getting Laid” plays, the only image we’re left with is that of a sleazy 80s motel: neon lights, cigarette smoke, dimly lit pools, and all. Almost as if you’re in the basement of Hugh Hefner’s yacht…right. You finish the song, and an uneasy feeling follows, but is it intentional? Was that Carpenter’s goal, or was it just describing a situation no woman wants to be in?
Other songs like “When Did You Get Hot?” and “House Tour” have just turned into overused TikTok sounds, both of which will be thrown out in two weeks when the trending algorithm refreshes. Although they’re both full of raunchy innuendo and sex appeal, it becomes clear that can only get you so far.
Overall, the album proves that you can only rely on the same joke for so long. Carpenter’s resigned flirtation with dysfunction has become less of a reclamation of one’s mistakes in love and more of a damsel-in-distress concession to the male gaze.
Photo Courtesy of Spotify
