Sabrina’s ‘Bed Chem’ outro scene has been criticised on social media for being “inappropriate” and now fans are defending her.
Sabrina Carpenter has already told people who are “offended” or “scandalised” by her outfits, lyrics and Short n’ Sweet Tour performances to simply…not come and see her show. But her comments haven’t stopped a fresh wave of criticism being hurled her way.
One thing about Sabrina’s ‘Short n’ Sweet‘ era? It’s unapologetically sex-positive. And if you’ve listened to the album, you’ll know what you’re getting when you step foot into the arena to watch her perform.
During the show, Sabrina ‘arrests’ a member of the audience (sometimes a celebrity guest) for being “too hot” and she’s started a new tradition with her ‘Juno‘ poses in lieu of those iconic Nonsense outros.
But it’s the spicy ‘Bed Chem‘ sequence that has sparked discourse on social media and now fans are jumping to her defence.
After performing ‘Bed Chem’, a song in which she fantasises about the chemistry between her and a potential romantic partner, Sabrina disappears behind a sheer curtain with a male dancer.
Their shadows are then projected onto the curtains and they act out removing their clothes and falling to the mattress. Sometimes, Sabrina will include a spicy pose.
Debates and discourse surrounding the moment have now been reignited on X/Twitter, with people questioning whether it’s “appropriate” or not for the younger fans in the audience.
In a viral post, one user shared a video of the exact moment and wrote: “i CANNOT be the only person that finds her doing this in front of a audience full of children inappropriate.”
Defending Sabrina in the replies, one person responded: “If you listen to her lyrics, I’d place the blame solely on the parents taking their children to her concerts. She doesn’t need to modify her performance to cater to children when her music was never for them.”
Another added: “So just bc she started as a child on Disney channel… a 25 year old woman has to still cater to that audience rather than doing what they want?”
Others pointed out that it’s all the same criticism that followed the likes of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Miley Cyrus – something that Sabrina has also referenced in past interviews.
In her TIME100 NEXT 2024 interview, Sabrina spoke about the criticism she has received and the “vilification” she’s faced for incorporating her sexuality into her pop star persona.
“No, I definitely get that as well,” she said, crediting Britney, Christina, Madonna, Beyoncé and Rihanna for helping pave the way. “You’ll still get the occasional mother that has a strong opinion on how you should be dressing. 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 continued.