Controversy Explained: Sabrina Carpenter's Viral 'Lolita' Photo Shoot
Sabrina Carpenter is no stranger to the internet spinning its own narratives—but this time, she shut it down fast.
The drama started when a TikTok user posted a side-by-side comparison between a recent W Magazine photo of Sabrina and a shot from the 1997 film Lolita, suggesting the visual was an homage. Both images feature young women lying in the grass, wet from a sprinkler. The implication? That Sabrina was intentionally referencing a film (and book) infamous for its storyline about an older man's sexual obsession with a teenage girl.
The TikTok reaction was blunt: disgust and side-eyes all around.
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Sabrina wasn't having it. She jumped into the comments herself, writing:
"i've never seen this movie. it's never been on my mood board and never would be."
That should've ended it, but the internet being the internet, the original user doubled down—this time quoting one of Sabrina's own lyrics. Specifically, an ad-libbed outro from her song "Nonsense" during a Mexico City show while opening for The Eras Tour:
"I'm full grown but I look like a niña / Come put something big in my casita / Mexico, I think you are bonita!"
This incident comes as part of a broader wave of criticism Sabrina has faced recently, mostly around how she incorporates sexuality into her music and public image. While her lyrics and performances lean cheeky and self-aware, they've also made her a target for accusations of being too provocative or "performative."