Sabrina Carpenter Defends Provocative Album Art as ‘Manchild’ Tops Global Charts

“Manchild” debuted June 5 at No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart, marking Carpenter’s first U.S. chart-topper. She revealed on June 11 that her seventh studio album, Man’s Best Friend, will arrive August 29, 2025, with “Manchild” as its lead single. The cover image, showing Carpenter on her hands and knees as a suited figure pulls her hair, has drawn polarized views over whether it critiques the male gaze or veers into misogyny. On June 16, Carpenter directly replied on X to a critic questioning if she has “a personality outside of sex,” asserting her autonomy and creative range. The controversy highlights broader debates over feminism, female sexual expression in pop music, and the intense scrutiny faced by women artists.