“Jesus was a carpenter.”
This was Sabrina Carpenter’s public response to the backlash she has gotten for her most recent music video, “Feather.” Since starting as a Disney star in 2014, she has paved the way to becoming this generation’s big pop star. On July 15, 2022, Carpenter released her fifth album as a singer and called it “Emails I Can’t Send.” The album included popular singles like “Skinny Dipping,” “because I liked a boy,” and “Nonsense.” Since that summer, she has embarked on a tour and released a deluxe edition of the album, which contained the popular song Feather.
To follow the theme of what would be included in the music video for this catchy song, Carpenter and her team decided to release it on Halloween this year. According to Genius, the song is about “cutting ties with a toxic relationship and feeling lighter as a result.” The lyrics quickly hooked people in, but the funky beat that accompanied it had everyone singing it. Once the music video was dropped, her fans went crazy for her outfits and skits in the performance, but one part that instantly got people’s attention was the fact that parts of the video were filmed in a Catholic church. Less than 24 hours after the premiere, the video got 1 million views.
Within the video, Carpenter is hanging around different guys, each displaying “red flag behavior” such as taking non-consensual photos of her, catcalling, and mansplaining. Just like her lyrics say, “You fit every stereotype,” and as each man exhibits more toxic behavior, they keep dying for different reasons. Whether it’s from getting hit by a truck or being trapped in an elevator, Carpenter walks away each time in the cutest pair of high heels.
Throughout the video, the inside and outside of a church in Brooklyn are used as a backdrop. Pink and blue coffins are seen inside the church, and one is decorated with beads that spell “RIP B****.” Many call this “pop girl behavior,” but it has also been deemed taboo according to the Brooklyn Church. The diocese of Brooklyn issued a statement, saying he was appalled by the behavior that occurred in the church. Officials even went to the lengths of holding a mass to “restore the church’s sanity.” Despite getting permission from the priest of the church, Carpenter has still been receiving backlash from people in the Catholic community. Though, for many this controversial video has only made the singer more iconic and has recently even been compared to Madonna’s “Like a Prayer Music” video. Madonna was accused of satanism due to her actions in a studio that was replicated to look like the inside of a church, and Carpenter took it to the next level by actually filming in one.
Since the reaction from the church, Carpenter has released a holiday EP called Fruitcake and joined Taylor Swift on her international Eras Tour. Even though she has acknowledged the responses to the music video, she has made it clear that it will not change the way she expresses herself in her music.