Alexa Hunter | Author ✨📖“Man’s Best Friend”—or just another Rorschach test?<br>
<br>
A single image of Sabrina Carpenter set the internet ablaze: hands and knees on beige carpet, her ponytail held like a leash. But what if the real message wasn’t submission—but performance?<br>
<br>
The outrage didn’t start there. It started with a W Magazine photo—shot nine months earlier—then twisted to retroactively frame her entire album rollout as “Lolita-coded.”<br>
<br>
But context matters. Glamour matters. Camp matters.<br>
From Niagara to Bardot to kink-coded subversion, this wasn’t about being dominated—it was about direction.<br>
<br>
🔗 Read the full essay on my Substack:<br>
Amongthepages.substack.com<br>
🎞️ Featuring: Marilyn Monroe, Brigitte Bardot, Chlöe Bailey, and more 💋<br>
<br>
After all what’s a leash if you’re the one holding the camera?<br>
<br>
<a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/SabrinaCarpenter?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SabrinaCarpenter</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/MansBestFriend?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MansBestFriend</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/TheMaleGaze?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TheMaleGaze</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/ChoiceFeminism?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ChoiceFeminism</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/CulturalCritique?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#CulturalCritique</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/PopCultureEssay?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#PopCultureEssay</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/WMagazine?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#WMagazine</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/SubstackWriters?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SubstackWriters</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/PowerAndPerformance?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#PowerAndPerformance</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/VisualFeminism?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#VisualFeminism</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/MarilynMonroe?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MarilynMonroe</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/BrigitteBardot?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BrigitteBardot</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/BrigitteBardotStyle?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BrigitteBardotStyle</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/substack?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#substack</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/sabrinacarpenter?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#sabrinacarpenter</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/popculture?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#popculture</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/bookfed?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#bookfed</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/bookstagram?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#bookstagram</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/feministwriting?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#feministwriting</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/mediaanalysis?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#mediaanalysis</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/femalegaze?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#femalegaze</a><br>
<a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/writingcommunity?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writingcommunity</a> <a href="https://pixelfed.social/discover/tags/booktok?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#booktok</a><br>
<br>
📷 All official images via <a class="u-url mention" href="https://pixelfed.social/sabrinacarpenter" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@sabrinacarpenter</a> & <a class="u-url mention" href="https://pixelfed.social/islandrecords." rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@islandrecords.</a> Used for cultural commentary under fair use.