Parents need to stop complaining about Sabrina Carpenter’s concerts being inappropriate for their children
Sabrina Carpenter is one of the biggest pop stars of this generation and her latest album, “Short n’ Sweet,” has been a huge success. Some of her most well-known songs, like “Please Please Please,” “Taste,” “Espresso,“ “Bed Chem,” “Good Graces” and “Juno,” cover mature themes, including relationships and physical attraction. Her “Short n’ Sweet” tour concerts also reference mature content, which is not suitable for young children.
Many parents are complaining that Carpenter’s concerts are inappropriate for their children; they expect the same child-safe content she produced when she appeared on Disney Channel, in shows like “Girl Meets World.” These parents are voicing their complaints by posting videos on the social media platforms TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.
However, the parents should not be attacking Carpenter as it is their responsibility to make sure her concert is appropriate for their children. It is not Carpenter’s responsibility to cater to children. If parents are bringing their young children to her concerts without considering her stage presence or checking the lyrics of her songs first, the responsibility falls on them.
Carpenter’s shows are clearly for older fans and parents should take the time to understand what they are attending beforehand, instead of blaming her afterhand.
Some of parents’ most prevalent complaints stem from Carpenter’s stage presence. For example, in her song “Juno,” she acts out a sexual pose–dubbed the “Juno pose”–to the lyric “Have you ever tried this one?” This is clearly inappropriate for children to see and, if parents had spent even a few minutes researching Carpenter’s shows, they would have known about it.
There are also several other instances that clearly demonstrate that explicit material is embedded within the content of her shows. For one, Carpenter goes to the back of the stage at the end of her song “Bed Chem” and stands on top of a bed with a cameraman, pretending to undress as the curtains close.
Carpenter also “arrests” people based on their attractiveness at the beginning of the song “Juno.” In doing so, Carpenter walks to the edge of the stage, asks the name of an audience member, tells them how attractive they are and throws her fuzzy, pink handcuffs at them.
“You are so hot, my clothes are falling off,” Carpenter said during a “Short n’ Sweet” concert in Los Angeles.
Carpenter’s clothing is often revealing too. She frequently wears short shorts and skirts, as well as many outfits that resemble lingerie, which some parents may not find appropriate for their children to be exposed to.
Another concern for parents is the inappropriate jokes Carpenter makes during her shows. She has been known to make sexual jokes and comments that might be funny for older teens and adults, but uncomfortable or confusing for younger children. For example, she makes jokes about relationships and sexuality, both topics that are far from the family-friendly humor she was once known for.
“Don’t worry if you get lost, you’re just here to see me. I am your GPS for tonight,” Carpenter said during her performance in Los Angeles on Nov. 17, 2024.
It is completely irresponsible of parents not to look into whether or not Carpenter’s concerts are appropriate for their children before taking them to them. To expect Carpenter to cater her shows to a minority of their attendees for something that she has no control over is ridiculous.
Carpenter’s concerts are well-documented online, and details about their mature themes are easily discernible from just about any footage of them. Even the names of her songs, like “Bed Chem,” make it pretty obvious that she is not singing for the ears of children. If parents do not take the time to look up the lyrics, read the reviews or watch performance clips, it is on them for not being informed.
“Don’t come to the show and that’s okay,” Carpenter said.
Parents cannot be demanding that an artist change their entire persona to something more “appropriate” because they were negligent towards the artist’s stage presence and song lyrics. Carpenter is well aware that her concerts are not appropriate for younger fans. Parents need to do a better job at parenting if they have complaints about her album and shows.
