By Kelly Smyth
It’s no secret that conservatism is not-so-subtly creeping its way back into pop culture, but Sabrina Carpenter’s chart-topping new album Man’s Best Friend is not one of these examples.
The album was announced on June 11th of this year via a post of the album cover on Carpenter’s Instagram, with the caption stating: “My new album, Man’s Best Friend is out on August 29, 2025. I can’t wait for it to be yours x’. However, this reveal was met with some backlash regarding the cover, with it depicting the pop star on all fours with a faceless man pulling her hair. Some fans were concerned that this imagery combined with the album’s title may send the wrong message about women in the face of growing conservative values in media. But they were proven wrong upon the album’s release.
Track after track, the album critiqued men’s mistreatment of women in the modern dating scene, as well as celebrating female sexuality. The album’s drop was accompanied by the music video for the single ‘Tears’, in which famous actor Coleman Domingo appeared in drag. The video also embraced eclectic aesthetics from the 70s and 80s, with The Hollywood Reporter praising it as “channelling” cult-classic film ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’.
Many songs from the album have been embraced by online users, with dance trends to ‘Tears’, ‘Nobody’s Son’, and ‘House Tour’ accumulating millions of views on social media app TikTok. This comes as a breath of fresh air for many online users following actress Sydney Sweeney’s controversial American Eagle ad, as well as the popularisation of the ‘trad wife’ genre.
Best of all, Carpenter used her platform for good in her recent performance of the track ‘Tears’ at this years MTV Video Music Awards. The stage presented similar vintage aesthetics to the song’s music video, with many backup dancers featured in drag makeup. Throughout the performance, the dancers were seen holding pickets with phrases like “Dolls, Dolls, Dolls” and “In Trans we Trust’. The show was strongly celebrated for its pro-Trans support, especially in the face of anti-Trans sentiment under US President Donald J. Trump’s administration.
Carpenter’s weaponisation of vintage aesthetics against conservatism is exactly what is needed in the current political climate. Conservative values have found room to grow in nostalgic media, and using the very same tactics to combat it (whether intentional or not) is admirable.