Pop music has always thrived on the push and pull of personal storytelling, and few artists embody that dynamic today as vividly as Sabrina Carpenter. On August 29, 2025, the 26-year-old singer-songwriter released her seventh studio album, Man’s Best Friend, and almost immediately, the internet lit up—not just with praise for her catchy hooks and clever lyrics, but with a familiar brand of criticism. Social media, especially TikTok, erupted with accusations that Carpenter’s work was too centered on men and sexuality, echoing the same misogynistic discourse that dogged Taylor Swift’s early career. For Carpenter, this moment isn’t just about music; it’s about agency, honesty, and the right to tell her own story, even when the world seems determined to twist it against her.
The backlash came fast and furious, with some critics labeling the album’s themes as repetitive and “male-centered,” and others clutching pearls over the album’s cover art—a photo of Carpenter on all fours, fully clothed, her hand resting on a man’s knee. As BuzzFeed pointed out, the image was described by some as provocative and submissive, but to Carpenter and many fans, it was simply metaphorical, a playful nod to the album’s title rather than a scandalous statement.
Carpenter herself addressed the uproar during an appearance on CBS Mornings with Gayle King the day the album dropped. When asked if she worried about men being afraid to date her because of her songwriting, Carpenter replied, “I’m not scared of men in that sense. I think I’ll attract exactly who I’m supposed to attract.” She went on to emphasize her transparency with partners about her art: “I feel pretty transparent going into any of my relationships that I write songs. And I think they’re just as down for it. I think also most of the time, they’ve been pretty flattered when they get a song written about them, good or bad.” According to Billboard, Carpenter added, “I think they’re just excited to get a shout-out.”
The parallels to Taylor Swift’s own experiences are hard to ignore. Back in 2009, Swift was grilled by Hoda Kotb on Dateline with a question nearly identical to the one King posed to Carpenter: “If you are naming the guys you dated in your songs, why do you think any guys are going to want to date you?” Swift’s now-iconic response—“If guys don’t want me to write bad songs about them, they shouldn’t do bad things”—resonates just as strongly in 2025 as it did then. Carpenter, like Swift before her, finds herself at the center of a cultural debate about women’s autonomy and the persistent double standard in pop music.
But what’s really at the heart of Man’s Best Friend? Despite the album’s playful surface—tongue-in-cheek lyrics, lighthearted bops, and cheeky innuendos—Carpenter insists the project is rooted in something much deeper: heartbreak. In an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1, aired September 4, Carpenter opened up about crafting the album in the aftermath of her breakup with actor Barry Keoghan. “I think I came out of a sad situation a lot less bitter than I intended or expected to,” she reflected. “With a little bit more of the, like, ‘You know what? There’s two people involved, and this is part of growing up.’ I don’t want to be enemies with people that I loved … I feel like it is one of those situations where, even the album starting with, ‘Oh, boy’ was sort of an eye roll to yourself being like, ‘Here we go again.’”
Carpenter and Keoghan’s relationship, which began in early 2024 and ended towards the close of that year, was a subject of intense public scrutiny. The couple made several public appearances, including the Met Gala, and Keoghan even starred in Carpenter’s “Please Please Please” music video. When their split became public, Keoghan faced a torrent of online abuse from Carpenter’s most fervent fans—a phenomenon Carpenter addressed with a mix of candor and regret. As reported by HuffPost, she told King, “You know what’s funny? I feel pretty transparent going into any of my relationships, that I write songs. And I think they’re just as down for it. I think also most of the time, [my exes have been] pretty flattered when they get a song written about them, good or bad.”
Still, the singer is keenly aware of the downside of fame and fandom. After the breakup, Keoghan announced he was stepping back from social media due to hateful comments about his appearance, upbringing, and parenting. Carpenter’s response to the backlash was measured: she doesn’t want to be enemies with people she loved, and she’s determined not to let negativity define her outlook. “Just because you deal with something that’s difficult and maybe really hurts you, doesn’t mean that you’re damaged, doesn’t mean you can’t do it again, doesn’t mean you can’t open yourself up,” she told Lowe. “And I think this one was a newer heartbreak experience for me.”
For Carpenter, writing about love and heartbreak isn’t just a confessional exercise; it’s a way of processing life’s ups and downs. “When I started, ya know, becoming more sexual as a person, I think it’s just something that’s a part of life. You wanna write about it. I didn’t realize it was as taboo of a topic until I started writing about it more freely,” she shared on CBS Mornings. The backlash against her willingness to explore sexuality and relationships in her music feels, to many, like a step backward—a return to the days when female artists were shamed for expressing desire or for reflecting on their personal lives.
And yet, as Carpenter and her defenders point out, love and sex have inspired “roughly 95 percent of pop music.” The criticism that Carpenter’s music is “male-centered” or “obsessed with sex” ignores the broader context of the genre and the freedom male artists have long enjoyed to mine their own romantic escapades for material. “She’s a 26-year-old woman, and she’s allowed to do whatever she wants,” one fan wrote, summarizing the exasperation many feel at the double standard.
Despite the noise, Man’s Best Friend has been a commercial success. Its lead single, “Manchild,” dropped earlier in the summer and quickly topped the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Carpenter’s fourth UK number one single. The album’s mix of humor, vulnerability, and self-awareness has resonated with old fans and new listeners alike—even as it’s sparked heated debate online.
Ultimately, Carpenter seems undeterred by the criticism. “I’m okay if Tommy from Arkansas doesn’t like what I do,” she said with a shrug. For her, the important thing is honesty—about herself, her relationships, and her art. Whether the world is ready to accept that remains an open question, but one thing is clear: Sabrina Carpenter isn’t backing down from telling her story, on her own terms.
