Isabelle Shaw
Sabrina Carpenter’s latest single, ‘Manchild’, playfully criticises foolish men, reaching No. in the U.S. and the U.K., the week after its release.
Following the release of her last sell-out album Short n’ Sweet, Carpenter has debuted this as her first track from her upcoming album Man’s Best Friend.
Style
This new era brilliantly follows her typical style of wit, raunchy lyrics and innuendos, which appeal to a predominantly female audience – an audience that not only relates, but cringes at the involuntary memories that come flooding back as they sing along.
Her humour continues in her latest pop hit, with lines such as “Did you just say you’re finished? Didn’t know we started” making it a comedic hit. While Carpenter’s mockery isn’t new, in this song, her jokes of men’s sexual immaturity is a recurring feature.
Lyrics
‘Manchild’ centres around criticising boys who are helpless and immature, and so, as a direct result, act like children – hence, the name of the song: “manchild”.
These are highly relatable lyrics to many girls who are in a relationship with men who do not understand adult relationships. For example, Carpenter’s lyrics, “playing hard to get” and “fuck my life”, describe the all-too-familiar experience of emotionally immature men.
“Raunchy lyrics and innuendos, which appeal to a predominantly female audience – an audience that not only relates, but cringes at the involuntary memories that come flooding back as they sing along.”
Not only this, but she also criticises their cluelessness in day-to-day life, “You said your phone was broken, just forgot to charge it”. She even mocks their fashion sense, saying “whole outfit you’re wearing, God, I hope it’s ironic”. Here, she uses humour to poke fun at exhausting men that don’t take things seriously.
Eventually, she recognises their reliance on women, such as “If I’m not there, it won’t get done”, criticising certain men for not learning how to handle things themselves. She even blames their mum, which is a very humorous nod to the typical “momma’s boys” that a female audience could relate to and suggests that some mothers hinder boys’ development by treating them differently than their daughters.
“she continues her feminist tones by subverting traditional gender bias surrounding women’s inferiority and uselessness compared to men.”
She is extremely clever when using cheeky lyrics such as “Why so sexy if so dumb?” and “how survive the Earth so long,”– even utilizing a child-like tone.
Genre
Like her recent single “Please, Please, Please”, Carpenter’s song has a country tone which represents her diversity of style and breaking the barriers between genres of music, much like her predecessor Taylor Swift. Many of the “Espresso” singer’s fans speculate that this song refers to her ex-boyfriend, Barry Keoghan, who recently starred in the “Please, Please, Please” video. However, the repetition of this genre may even hint at the muse of her upcoming music.
Music Video
The music video accompanying Carpenter’s song is similar to a short movie due to the multitude of scenes, comical characters, special effects, and even CGI pigs.
Digging through the fashion archives, her 37 timeless outfits captivate fans. The singer is extremely theatrical when playing the character of a woman who keeps hitchhiking and meeting various men, but is continuously let down by them. The exaggerated cluelessness of some men makes the video comical, such as the odd cars that do not function, a metaphor for men who cannot fully function.
“While Carpenter’s mockery isn’t new, in this song, her jokes of men’s sexual immaturity is a recurring feature.”
On the other hand, Carpenter’s character is bold and captivating, even using a gun to play pool, making her a fascinating character. Here, she continues her feminist tones by subverting traditional gender bias surrounding women’s inferiority and uselessness compared to men. Also, her dance break in the video has become a viral choreography on social media.
Criticism
don’t make me say bruh pic.twitter.com/7IDHOYOgnN
— bia⸆⸉ | #1 florida!!! stan (@staybiautiful) June 6, 2025
However, the song has faced criticism. In the chorus, her use of “slow” to describe the “manchild” has enraged some fans who claim it to be offensive, as it is “still used as a replacement for the “r” slur”. Their attacks on the singer for using ableist language have stirred controversy. Despite her humorous tone, fans have begun to point out that the lyrics hold weight more than a funny lyric and normalise language that is used to discriminate against disabled people.
Overall, Sabrina Carpenter has created another catchy and entertaining anthem and raises awareness for change among immature men who are overly reliant on women. Still, it could be improved with a lyric change.
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Featured image courtesy of Raph_PH on Flickr. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.
Isabelle Shaw
Isabelle is a student at the University of Edinburgh studying History and Spanish. She is an aspiring journalist with a focus on writing articles that help contribute to change and understanding of women's rights.