Sabrina Carpenter has hit back at Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman’s recent comments about her image.
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In an interview with The Sun earlier this week, Waterman in particular named Carpenter as one artist whose image, he thinks, is detrimental to women.
He said: “To see Sabrina Carpenter dressed as a little girl is quite offensive. 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.”
Waterman added: “It’s just crazy. If you’re asking to be respected, don’t come on in a G-string,” before Stock dismissed Carpenter’s sexualised lyrics as “lazy”.
Carpenter was one of the most successful artists of last year, particularly thanks to her hit album ‘Short N’ Sweet’. Containing hits like ‘Espresso’, ‘Please Please Please’ and ‘Taste’, the singer spent 21 weeks at the top of the singles charts and has gone on to launch a massive world tour.
In a new interview with The Sun on Sunday, Carpenter hit back at the trio. “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 said.
She added that women being judged on their appearance “isn’t something new”, adding: “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 continued: “It is totally regressive. 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.”
Her latest comments echo similar remarks she made during her US tour last year.
“You’ll still get the occasional mother that has a strong opinion on how you should be dressing,” she said at the time.
“And to that I just say, don’t come to the show and that’s OK. It’s unfortunate that it’s ever been something to criticise, because truthfully, the scariest thing in the world is getting up on a stage in front of that many people and having to perform as if it’s nothing. If the one thing that helps you do that is the way you feel comfortable dressing, then that’s what you’ve got to do.”
She was recently nominated for six Grammys, earning her nods in the categories for Best Pop Vocal Album, Album Of The Year and Best New Artist. Her track ‘Please Please Please’ earned a nomination for Song Of The Year, while her hit song ‘Espresso’ is up for Best Pop Solo Performance and Record Of The Year.
Carpenter was featured in NME’s lists of the best songs and best albums of 2024, and more recently she received praise from Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor, who declared ‘Espresso’ as the best song of 2024.
The singer also recently announced a series of UK and European tour dates, which will take place in the spring with former NME Cover star Rachel Chinouriri as a special guest. The shows kick off at the 3Arena in Dublin on March 3, with further concerts in Birmingham, London and Manchester – see all dates and grab tickets here.