SPOILERS AHEAD (obviously)…
Ahead of the debut of her latest album, Man’s Best Friend, Sabrina Carpenter has teased what is to come with her pop hit, “Manchild,” and even more so with its corresponding music video. The “Manchild” video fits perfectly into the Sabrina Carpenter universe, as it is chock full of comical violence, metaphors, and strategic use of color, along with the pop artist’s signature use of easter eggs. “Manchild” is a song that discusses the frustration of pursuing connections soiled by immaturity. Its video illustrates this concept on a larger scale, allowing for outrageous ideas and comical situations to flourish.
Sabrina Carpenter does not shy away from easter eggs and subliminal messages. The “Manchild” video is no exception to this. While the video can be enjoyed for what it is, a cheeky comical video with cool vintage vehicles and wacky characters, there are many fun and subtle messages that can be dug up and examined for those who choose to do so. The video is fast-paced and chaotic. There are many different events happening all at once. However, there are many fine details hidden within these big moments. Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild” music video encapsulates the wild ride of dating, utilizes animals as metaphors, creates a world of absurdity highlighting real relationship woes, and contains references to concepts both inside and outside of her existing music video universe.
The Fast and the Foolishness
Throughout the “Manchild” video, Carpenter hitchhikes, catching rides in all different types of absurd vehicles driven by men that tend to disappoint in one way or another. This likely represents relationships, jumping from one doomed and wild ride to the next, and never catching a simple, safe car. These comically destructive vehicles help build the whimsical world of “Manchild” while driving the message (pun intended) that its difficult to find a loving relationship when the only people that will take a chance on a stranger such as Carpenter are destructive maniacs.
At the beginning of the video, she rolls out of a car at the side of the road taking a red suitcase with her. Immediately, she sticks her thumb up in an attempt to catch another ride. She has no luck as several mundane vehicles pass her by. An odd-looking truck that only has its front wheels and no bed then comes to an abrupt stop, offering her a ride. She rides with the driver for a bit, who seems to be bland and boring. She is eventually dropped off elsewhere, waving him off. This ride could symbolize getting into a relationship with someone who seems to have a lot more to them than there actually is.
Carpenter is then spotted in a large utility truck with a flat front tire. A skateboard is strapped to the faulty wheel to keep the truck moving, but really, it’s an accident waiting to happen. This likely symbolizes an attempt to fix a broken relationship with an unsteady, half-baked solution. At one point, she even clings to a garbage truck wearing roller skates, pulling herself along to reach the driver’s side door. The message of this one is pretty blunt. At one point a van with an ecosystem or garden growing from it can also be seen driving down the road, presumably with Carpenter inside. This likely represents a relationship that has grown out of control. Carpenter is also seen riding on the arm of a TV chair on wheels, which likely represents being in a relationship with someone who does not want to put in any effort for the other person. Another ride has her standing outside the vehicle trying to push its open hood down while the driver speeds on, which may symbolize a person trying to blindly navigate a relationship while Carpenter tries to fix the problem. Later the popstar seems to finally be riding a normal motorcycle, but alas, the camera pans out to reveal that it is a jet ski with wheels.
Several other vehicles that seem to belong in a Dr. Suess book take the popstar for a ride throughout the video. Carpenter is seen riding in a shopping cart attached to a moped, and at another point she sits in a parked vehicle sipping out of a wine glass to-go cup hybrid and eating a snack while the driver dances awkwardly in the middle of the road, a car quickly approaching from behind. On the car’s dashboard sit a bag of Prada banana jellies and what appears to be some loose makeup products. She and another man later ride horses running on water, and at one point Carpenter stands at the back of a vehicle with the doors open, shooting a gun at a car flipped over on the highway as a police officer pursues the vehicle.
One driver makes several appearances throughout the video. Carpenter is first seen with him when playing with a chandelier on the ceiling of his car. Shortly after she is spotted when riding on the roof of the vehicle, as the man passes her a cigarette from the driver’s seat. This cigarette is later replaced by a firework, as the two smoke it inside the car together. A few clips later, Carpenter waves goodbye to him and he proceeds to drive his car off of a cliff. This is thought to be the end of this driver character but Carpenter is seen shortly thereafter smoking a cigarette on the roof of his car again, and the driver is seen smoking another firework. This likely symbolizes returning to a past relationship and making the same mistakes.
There are many whimsically terrifying rides that Carpenter witnesses in addition to the ones she experiences herself throughout the video. While in the utility truck with a flat she peers out of the window to see three men in matching shirts holding their hats and looking back at her. She also passes a truck that is completely tipped over, its front end on the ground and back end pointing toward the sky. While trying to catch another ride, a truck can be seen defying gravity, standing diagonally at the side of the road while the driver appears to be fixing it. A car piled up with electronic equipment can be seen later on, as well as a pickup truck hung up on telephone wires, and a speedboat that drives by. At one point, a car spontaneously combusts, which may symbolize a sudden breakup.
The video’s audience sees little downtime between rides, as Carpenter is always seeking out her next one. She carries her luggage with each one, which likely represents the emotional baggage she carries from all of these experiences. At one point, she runs through a junkyard of car parts, seemingly being chased. It seems she is haunted by these encounters as she tries to escape the graveyard of her past relationships.
(M)animals
Animals play a prominent role in the “Manchild” video, starting with its opening shot on a seagull riding a turtle. The seagull seems to represent Sabrina Carpenter, as she is being bogged down and slowed by her relationships. The end of the video provides a contrast to this, as a hawk flies through the sky carrying the turtle, seemingly showing that Carpenter is in full control and taking the lead in her relationship, as the hawk carries the turtle at its own (much faster) pace.
There are several other parts of the video where animals come into play as well. At one point, Carpenter falls out of somebody’s window into their pool where a shark lurks, putting her in danger. At another point, Sabrina eats in a diner while an elephant has its head through the wall eating behind her, potentially symbolizing ‘the elephant in the room.’ Later, Carpenter excitedly watches as the man she is with wins her a fish out of a variety of meals inside of a claw machine. This theme returns when she is seen celebrating winning a lottery ticket as fish cover the floor.
In another part of the video, Carpenter takes a bubble bath with two pigs. At this part of the song she says, “hey men!” She waves at the pigs and exclaims this lyric, sending a message loud and clear. A puppy makes an appearance when Carpenter seemingly steals it from a trailer, being shot at while she gleefully runs away, the dog in her arms. In another scene she abruptly wakes up and points a gun across the room from her bed while a group of sheep with glowing eyes stare at her. This likely represents paranoia because of a bad or untrusting relationship, losing sleep because of it. Later, the popstar lays flat in water with the seagull seen previously floating near her. An orca then jumps over her and seemingly onto the seagull. This could explain the transition to the hawk metaphor at the end of the video.
At one point Carpenter spots a horse sitting like a cat would. In a different scene, she sees a chicken dressed as a sheriff, which is a clear metaphor for acting tough and with authority despite having any legitimate power. This is similar to when she spots a squirrel smoking a cigarette and drinking a beer, a metaphor for dysfunction masquerading as quirkiness and fun. An honorary mention for an animal appearance goes to the man that hides under a blanket and inches along the road like a caterpillar in hopes of hiding from one of Carpenter’s drivers, who speeds straight for him. The animal appearances in “Manchild” have many potential explanations, but due to Sabrina Carpenter’s known love of mythology, it has been theorized that these details are an homage to the idea of turning men into their “primal selves.”
Absurd is the Word
Besides the obvious doomed rides metaphor, there are several other components that make up the whimsically insane world of “Manchild.” The absurdity of this alternate dimension is what makes the video memorable and its metaphors strong. Outside of her dangerous vehicular pursuits, Carpenter reconciles with a lot of other scenarios, such as being abandoned during a burglary and having exasperating conversations over and over again with the same guy. Toward the beginning of the video she poses on a dock for a portrait, but it is then revealed that the man painting has only included her hand in the painting while the rest of her has been left out, which is likely a representation of being with someone that does not consider their relationship.
As mentioned earlier, Carpenter is thrown in a situation where she falls into a shark infested pool, but later seems to seek revenge. She dances with a guy at a motel that seemingly ends up being with another woman secretly. At one point she argues with a man while a dead body lies near their vehicle, and at another the man she is with awkwardly struggles to fight off a dog while she bugs a phone in a booth, a symbol of insecurity and lack of trust in a relationship. She is also seen walking out of a big pond with a man wearing a pumpkin as a satchel and holding newspapers, and, on another occasion, she is seen being kissed and simply not enjoying it.
All of these situations are absurd in nature and exasperating for Carpenter. However, there are other moments that take place throughout the video that showcase this quirky and fun insanity without the pain. In one scene she shoots the cue ball on a pool table with a gun. At another point in time she smokes a cigarette, holding it in between the tines of a fork while the man she is with washes his face with gasoline.
She also chops a can of chunky beef stew like it’s wood and drops a roll of toilet paper on the ground which shatters as if it’s made of porcelain. At one point she frolics in the trees with a man, but the next time we seem them she chucks a book at him. He dodges her throw and the book hits a tree. The cover reads, “Abstinence: A State of Mind.” This is a classic punchy anecdote by Sabrina Carpenter and represents her brand well. In another brief scene, she cries while looking at a clothes line that defies gravity (a recurring theme in the video) as it holds a furniture assembly diagram, a pair of heels, a five dollar bill, an empty pack of cigarettes, and some lingerie. These are likely references to future songs as Ikea furniture assembly is mentioned in the song, “Tears,” but these items could also be a representation that her happiness is out of reach with these relationships. In a scene toward the end of the video, a rope snaps and Carpenter falls from a cliff. This could symbolize her always being burned in the end in her relationships, especially since one of her drivers ran his car off of a cliff and she still is seen with him later in the video.
Cinematic Anecdotes
“Manchild” has a lot to offer visually, starting with color. The world has a wild west feel to it, and while rusty reds and browns are utilized throughout the video, bright pops of color bring the world further to life, adding an essence of fun. Additionally, the piece is reminiscent of the famous film, Thelma and Louise. These two women on the run pick up hitchhikers who wreck their plans. In this world, however, Carpenter is the hitchhiker and is in control, hopping from one ride to the next.
It has been theorized that there are men in the video inspired by Carpenter’s exes, but this has not been confirmed. The driver that reappears several times throughout the video is said to look like Shawn Mendes. If this theory is true, it could be inferred that Carpenter regrets returning to that relationship time and time again, but this could easily be said about any other relationship she has experienced, public or private.
A few easter eggs are hidden throughout the “Manchild” video, foreshadowing what is to come on the Man’s Best Friend album. The moped with a shopping cart attached has a sign above the front wheel that says “MBF” which is clearly an acronym for the album title. Later, when Carpenter is eating in the diner, there is a mug on the table that reads, “when did you get hot?” This is the name of the eighth track on the album. At the very end of the video, Carpenter exits a blue car and runs to enter a black one, which is likely a blunt metaphor for the end of the Short n’ Sweet album and the beginning of Man’s Best Friend. This is similar to Carpenter’s “Skinny Dipping” music video, when one version of her lies down on the pavement while another drives up on a red motorcycle as the beginning of one of the songs on the album, emails i can’t send plays. This transitional style has remained prominent in her music videos and has contributed to her brand, getting fans excited about the next phase of the expanding Sabrina Carpenter universe.
