Over the last few years, Sabrina Carpenter has been no stranger to sex discourse, with the singer first going viral back in 2022 after she started a tradition of ad-libbing a different NSFW outro to her song “Nonsense” during every live performance.
They gradually became more and more risqué, and Sabrina eventually earned a bit of a reputation for just how X-rated these lyrics could be, with the star herself admitting to being “vulgar” and coming across as “obnoxiously horny” during these outros.
And the star leaned into this cheeky sense of humor on her Short n’ Sweet album, which was released in the summer of 2024 and includes lyrics like: “Pick me up / Pull ‘em down / Turn me round,” as well as the flirtatious gag: “Come right on me, I mean camaraderie.”
Her song “Juno” was arguably one of the most provocative on the record, with Sabrina singing on the track: “Adore me / Hold me and explore me / I’m so fucking horny,” and when she kicked off the tour for this album in September of last year, some were surprised by how sexually charged her live performances were.
Sabrina’s costumes included custom Victoria’s Secret lingerie and vintage-style babydoll nightgowns, and during “Bed Chem,” Sabrina writhed around on a huge round bed covered in silky sheets before one (or sometimes two!) of her dancers joined her with a video camera. At the end of the song, the stage goes dark amid the suggestion that they are about to film a sex tape.
Then there was the “Juno” performance, which arguably became the new “Nonsense” as every night the crowd eagerly waited to see which sex position Sabrina would show off on stage after singing the lyrics: “Wanna try out some freaky positions? / Have you ever tried this one?”
Needless to say, some of these positions ended up triggering some pretty exhausting online debates, but none more so than the one that Sabrina did during a show in Paris back in March. In a nod to the city where she was performing, Sabrina enlisted two of her male dancers to demonstrate the so-called Eiffel Tower sex position, which involves one person on all fours in the middle of two men.
In video footage from the night, Sabrina visibly giggled as she took her place between the men, but not everybody on social media was laughing. In fact, this simple move ended up sparking a whole conversation about the way we view a woman’s relationship to sex after one viral tweet claimed that the Eiffel Tower position is “inherently degrading” toward women.
The same conversation bubbled up again shortly afterward, this time because social media warriors were unhappy with the artwork on Sabrina’s most recent album, Man’s Best Friend, which was released in August. In case you somehow managed to miss it, the artwork showed Sabrina kneeling on the floor in front of an anonymous person dressed in a suit, who is holding on to her hair.
Once again, people were quick to jump to Sabrina’s defense, arguing that the artwork was a very obvious commentary on the public perception of Sabrina and women as a whole. Fans also drew attention to the fact that the album’s name is an obvious reference to dogs as they theorized that Sabrina is referencing the way that men refer to women as “bitches.”
It was also widely pointed out that how women are shamed for embracing their sexuality is actually pretty concerning, and ironically reiterates the damaging notions of purity and conservatism rather than being progressive or feminist. A viral tweet read: “my ‘woke’ opinion but everyone’s reaction to this is just more purity bs that was forced onto women hundreds of years ago cause you just cant believe that women are something other than ‘pure’ and ‘innocent.’”
Sabrina addressed the scrutiny she faces for her sexual prowess in a subsequent interview with Rolling Stone, where she said: “I don’t want to be pessimistic, but I truly feel like I’ve never lived in a time where women have been picked apart more, and scrutinized in every capacity. I’m not just talking about me. I’m talking about every female artist that is making art right now.”
And when asked specifically about the backlash to her album artwork during an interview with CBS Mornings, Sabrina quipped: “Y’all need to get out more, I think.”
“It’s perfect for what the album is, and what it represents,” she added, saying that the cover was “so opposite of the world ending.” When asked what her interpretation of the photo is, Sabrina explained that it’s about “being in on the control, being in on your lack of control, and when you want to be in control.”
So, with all of this in mind, when Sabrina rounded out her tour by seemingly poking fun at all of the outrage surrounding both the album artwork and her “Juno” sex positions in an iconic double-whammy, fans were understandably delighted.
In case you missed it, the Short n’ Sweet tour came to an end in Los Angeles on Sunday, and for her second-to-last “Juno” position on Saturday night, Sabrina clearly decided to go out with a bang by recreating the Man’s Best Friend album cover live on stage.
Getting down on all fours to the cheers of the crowd, Sabrina grabbed her own hair with a knowing smile on her face. Notably, this is the only time that she has done this position for “Juno,” despite the artwork controversy first kicking off back in June.
What do you make of Sabrina’s Man’s Best Friend-inspired “Juno” position? Let me know in the comments below!
