Whether you love or hate her, there is no escaping Sabrina Carpenter. Every radio station, retail store, and dentist office bombards us with her music. This is not inherently a bad thing; pop is a respectable genre and palatable to many audiences. My issue with Sabrina Carpenter is not her chosen genre nor her melodies. They are catchy and everything pop songs should be. 

My issue lies in the lyrics. First off, why are some people pretending she is a good lyricist? I tried my best to give her a chance, but with lyrics like “you used a fork once” and “I know I Mountain Dew it for ya,” I can’t get behind it. I don’t deny that there are many clever puns and innuendos, but that is all there is. She uses the shock value of sexual lyrics and the admiration of her puns to cover up absolute absurdity. 

I know lyrics don’t define good music. There can be incredible production or impressive vocals, but her music sticks to the same production style in a typical vocal range. I simply do not think her music has enough technical excellence for me to look past the lyrics. However, I can recognize that she is a modern pop legend with a large following. There are many artists whose music I don’t necessarily enjoy, but who I admire all the same. I hoped that Sabrina Carpenter could fall into this category, but the more I learn of her the less this is the case.

As a person, I do not know her nor her morals. What I do know is that she wrote a song in response to “Driver’s License” by Olivia Rodrigo. “Driver’s License” is about a boy who left Olivia for an older blond girl who made her insecure. Rather than respect the insecurities of a 17-year-old girl, Sabrina Carpenter responded with “Skin.” This song includes lyrics such as “You can try / To get under my, under my, under my skin / While he’s on mine” and “Don’t drive yourself insane,” not only clearly referencing Rodrigo’s song but also taunting her. Rather than taking the high road, Carpenter adds fuel to the fire in “Skin,” which I frankly find ridiculous considering she was the adult in the situation.

Then again, I don’t really care about celebrity drama; this could’ve all been PR. I’m not Olivia Rodrigo, and I have no right to be offended on her behalf. 

I am, however, a woman, and as a woman, I wouldn’t regard Sabrina Carpenter as the face of modern feminism. She owns her sexuality which is, in some ways, very impressive, but women are not just our sexualities. Sexual expression is not a political statement, but rather a basic human right. I don’t think she should be seen as a revolutionary for being sexual. In this case, she is owning her sexuality in response to a young insecure girl by referencing the sexual encounters she is having with the young girl’s ex. On one hand she liberates herself from purity culture, but on the other she puts down other women because of her sexual encounters.

I just find it unwise to turn her into some sort of feminist icon when she has time and time again proven herself to not be a girl’s girl. Look at “Please, Please, Please” and “Taste” where she insults the former partner of the love interest in the song. She directly states the guy’s ex isn’t enticing him like she is; not to mention “Taste” is literally a letter of insult to the love interest’s old partner. It’s catchy but degrades the other woman involved. She makes catchy music, but would any of it pass the Bechdel Test? Can she ever mention a partner’s ex without some sort of jab? 

I’m just saying, she doesn’t seem to be super pro-women despite her attempt at covering “Good Luck, Babe.” She is not a feminist legend for owning her sexuality. Beyond that, her music is one-dimensional and the literal embodiment of the phrase “thirsty on main.” Her lyrics are witty, but wit can only do so much. I tried to get behind the Sabrina Carpenter hype, but I’ve found far more things worthy of criticism than admiration.