Sabrina Carpenter hits back at criticisms of her image: “Female artists have been shamed forever”
American pop sensation Sabrina Carpenter has responded to comments made by the songwriting trio Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman, who labelled the singer’s image as “offensive.”
The trio wrote and produced many classic hits throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including tracks by Dead or Alive, Kylie Minogue, Rick Astley, Cliff Richard, and Donna Summer.
However, speaking to The Sun, Stock, Aitken, and Waterman claimed that Carpenter’s approach to femininity is harmful. Waterman claimed, “To see Sabrina Carpenter dressed as a little girl is quite offensive.”
The former Pop Idol judge added, “She doesn’t need that. She’s got great talent and yet the whole of the industry, these girls come out in as little as possible because they know they’re driving young boys to their websites.”
Meanwhile, Stock said: “They’ve won all of their freedoms and their rights, women. They fought for everything they’ve got and now they’re throwing it away, is the way I would look at it.”
The trio also criticised Carpenter’s “allegorical” take on “sexual” lyrics.
In response to these comments, Carpenter spoke to The Sun on Sunday, stating, “My message has always been clear – if you can’t handle a girl who is confident in her own sexuality, then don’t come to my shows.”
She continued, “Female artists have been shamed forever. In the noughties it was Rihanna, in the nineties it was Britney Spears, in the eighties it was Madonna – and now it’s me. It’s essentially saying that female performers should not be able to embrace their sexuality in their lyrics, in the way we dress, in the way we perform.”
Carpenter concluded by calling the trio “regressive,” adding, “It’s like those who want to shame don’t make comments when I talk about self-care or body positivity or heartbreak, which are all normal things a 25-year-old goes through. They just want to talk about the sexual side of my performances.”
The singer, a former Disney star, found worldwide success with her album Short n’ Sweet last year, becoming one of the biggest names in contemporary music thanks to the record.
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