Hey, so did we not learn the Do Not Shame Women For Writing Songs About Men lesson during the early Taylor Swift era?
When Sabrina Carpenter appeared on CBS Mornings last week, Gayle King asked her, “When you write with things that are going on in your life, do you worry about men saying, ‘I’m afraid to mess with her’?” In that moment, I time-traveled back to 2009 when Hota Kotb asked Taylor a nearly identical question on Dateline: “If you are naming the guys you dated in your songs, why do you think any guys are going to want to date you?”
The millennial and Gen Z blonde pop icons gave similarly polite but powerful answers. “I guess that in that situation, I just figure if guys don’t want me to write bad songs about them, they shouldn’t do bad things,” Taylor famously replied. Sabrina emphasized that she’s “transparent” with men about her songwriting and added, “I’m not scared of men in that sense. I think I’ll attract exactly who I’m supposed to attract.”
Just 30 seconds ago, everyone was suddenly obsessed with Sabrina, calling her a Polly pocket, the next pop princess, and the ultimate Taydaughter. But following the release of her seventh studio album, Man’s Best Friend, the internet’s back on their 2021 bullshit, relentlessly bullying Sabrina over… men. In 2021, she was “stealing” Olivia Rodrigo’s boyfriend, and in 2025, she’s apparently too “male-centered” and “obsessed with sex.”
The Sabrina Carpenter Man’s Best Friend backlash is problematic and eerily reminiscent of early Taylor Swift discourse: let’s discuss.
Is The Man’s Best Friend Discourse Valid Criticism Or Simply Misogyny?
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As an OG Sabrina fan and a gal who attended multiple emails I can’t send shows, I’ll be the first to admit that Man’s Best Friend isn’t my favorite Sabrina album ever. Personally, I’m just not into the ABBA-inspired production, and I’m starting to feel a little worn out by the repetitive themes and liberal use of innuendos and cheeky one-liners. At times, it feels more like a comedy album than a dynamic, interesting pop record.
Like many longtime fans, I’m more drawn to Sabrina’s emotionally rich, lyrically thoughtful songs like “Sharpest Tool,” “lonesome,” and “tornado warnings.” And yes, I even loved “skinny dipping”! (Controversial, I know.)
I’ll go ahead and argue that the type of criticism I just gave is valid. Fans are allowed to not love albums, and we’re allowed to share those opinions! However, you’ll never catch me criticizing Sabrina for being “male-centered,” “having nothing else to write about,” or being too sexual. Frankly, she’s a 26-year-old woman, and she’s allowed to do whatever the fuck she wants. It’s clear to me that Man’s Best Friend was a joyful, cathartic album-making process for her, and that makes me happy. And news flash: Love and sex inspire roughly 95 percent of pop music. That topic is hardly unique to Sabrina.
The brutal Man’s Best Friend TikTok backlash follows a similar flavor of discourse around the album cover, which is a somewhat provocative, but ultimately harmless photo of Sabrina on all fours, fully clothed, and resting her hand on a dude’s knee. The pearl clutching was — and is — completely out of control.
@sprinklestarr3000 “She’s only writing about her exes” I’ve heard this before… #fyp #fypp #sabrinacarpenter #mansbestfriend #taylorswift ♬ original sound – 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐬
“That just happens so naturally,” Sabrina told Gayle King about expressing her sexuality. “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.”
When did it become socially acceptable to openly slut-shame pop stars again? Although Taylor Swift is regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time now, she was ruthlessly criticized for writing about men back in the day. People accused her of dating too many men, obsessing over them, acting crazy, etc. That discourse actually inspired her 1989 track “Blank Space,” a satirical track about the unhinged Taylor Swift character invented by media and trolls.
A few years ago, Sabrina responded to misogynistic criticism with “because I liked a boy,” a commentary on being labeled a “homewrecker” and a “slut” following the highly publicized Olivia Rodrigo and Joshua Bassett drama. I fear some of you are currently inspiring her to write a similar track.
If you don’t fuck with Sabrina or Man’s Best Friend, that’s A-okay. Like Sabrina said herself on CBS Mornings, “I’m okay if Tommy from Arkansas doesn’t like what I do.” But it’s not cool to get on the internet and spew misogynistic bullshit just because the project doesn’t resonate with you. Sabrina is allowed to write about sex, she’s allowed to write about men, and she deserves the freedom to do so without being bullied for it.
