The Style of Sound: Sabrina Carpenter, Polly Pocket Pop Star

Defined by babydoll dresses, pastel gingham patterns, platform heels, and perfected ringlets, pop star Sabrina Carpenter adopts styles from the past and transforms them into her own.

Written by Abby McMorris

“Taste” singer Sabrina Carpenter has skyrocketed to stardom amidst the release of her album Short n’ Sweet. As Carpenter has developed as an artist, so has her style. Carpenter, long identified as a Disney kid, a young tween growing up in the 2010s, has simply matured style-wise. From tour outfits, media appearances, and everything in between, Carpenter has sustained her newfound, signature style.

Carpenter’s journey to find her voice has helped her to simultaneously find her overall aesthetic. Drawing inspiration from ‘50s-style fashions and patterns such as girly ginghams, polka dots, and plaids she ironically reframes the misogynistic attitude towards women from that period by reclaiming these classic styles in her own sensual and unique way. The performances paired with the “Bed Chem” artist’s looks break the boundaries female artists have historically struggled with.

Carpenter’s “Taste” music video encompasses such 1950s styles, while simultaneously drawing inspiration from the 1990s film Death Becomes Her. Matching sets and beautiful blowouts accessorize the singer and music video co-star Jenna Ortega. Side parts, high-waisted capris, polka dots, and platform pumps accent the video, exhibiting Carpenter’s approach to fashion. This fashionable element adds a level of nostalgia to the video, and this perpetuation of ‘50s-inspired style doesn’t stop there.

The pop princess is currently on her ‘Short n’ Sweet’ tour, which boldly showcases her style as she sells out arenas and amphitheaters. The quirky intro to her taking the stage is a simple, low-tech ‘50s-esque cartoon, while her stage design and choreography transport audiences into an elegant and eccentric world of sparkles, whimsy, and sensuality. Songs like “Juno” and “Espresso” take listeners back to a time of diners and jukeboxes through jumpy drum melodies and old-timey electronic beats, looking back to simpler times of overlooked misogyny that Carpenter dismantles with her artistry. For example, in “Slim Pickins" Carpenter resolves to “end this life alone,” as the men simply aren’t good enough for her. She pokes fun at the misogynistic standards often placed on women with the track’s lyrics, ”And since the Lord forgot my gay awakenin' / Then I'll just be here in the kitchen / Servin' up some moanin' and b***in'.”

The “Espresso” music video, the first single off of Short n’ Sweet, defines Carpenter’s style development. Visually, the video has exaggerated filters that emphasize the footage’s warm undertones and color motifs, most predominantly, orange. These editing choices, fonts, and other design elements foreshadow the aesthetic to encompass her upcoming album. The video even begins in black and white, referencing the colorless films of the ‘50s and before. Short sundresses, striped umbrellas, and pastel swimsuits encapsulate this music video and lay the foundation for the aesthetics of this new era for Carpenter.

Aside from pin-up style and provocative fashion, the artist’s most signature accessory is her statement platform boots. She often jokes about her height – 5’0 to be exact. She’s even named a whole album after this attribute. So, to compensate for this, the star doesn’t go a single performance without her sparkly, fitted platform boots.

The singer has recently been compared on social media to the iconic 2000s toy Polly Pocket. This further emphasizes her brand as a “short n’ sweet” pop star. Her bright, voluptuous, curly locks promote her Barbie-like resemblance. With pocket-sized sass and infectious stage presence, Carpenter can take us to the ‘50s, but also back to the 2000s.

The music video for “Please Please Please,” even further solidifies her new sense of style. Showing off her bangs and figure, Carpenter bails her boyfriend out of jail with a blowout and a bodycon dress. Further insinuating the sass to embody the upcoming album, she flaunts a larger-than-life pink and yellow fluffy jacket, elegantly combining her pin-up persona with 2000s aesthetics. To advertise the music video, Carpenter posted a shot of her in a red bodycon dress. Despite the coy public comments the singer makes about her body, such as insinuating she has “no waist,” fans applaud her newly gained confidence in showing off her features. The self-assurance and self-love Carpenter radiates hold together the entirety of her picture-perfect image.

This style bleeds into all public appearances of the artist, including talk shows and those outside the stage. On a Jimmy Fallon appearance, she enchanted in a blue two-piece set, showcasing the fun, flirty, and ironically mature image she has created. For her Fallon performance, Carpenter mirrored her tour outfits – a sparkly, blue one-piece.

Sabrina Carpenter has left behind her Disney roots and become her own version of a pop sensation. She’s redefined the invisible string artists can connect between their artistry and their sense of style. Likely taking inspiration from self-proclaimed mentor Taylor Swift, Carpenter has brilliantly established her own era of Barbie-like 1950s fashionista influences. As an opener for Swift’s ‘Eras Tour,’ Carpenter was able to take after Swift’s innovative ways of creating community within music and fashion.
While we have seen Carpenter develop the style surrounding her current tour, Carpenter has, however, just begun her career as a pop legend. Over the past year, Carpenter has founded her “Short n’ Sweet” era on flirty ‘50s style. Nodding to the past, Carpenter represents the future – dissing misogyny, growing up, and having fun. Getting her start doing Disney shows, like many child stars, Carpenter has now found her image.

The creativity showcased in Carpenter’s lyricism will likely carry over into yet another development of style in the future. It may seem hard to imagine Carpenter without her essential platforms and plaids, but her style will likely develop along with her as she continues to rise to the top.

AESTHETICSAfterglow ATXNovember 11, 2024sabrinacarpenter, pop, the style of sound, abby mcmorris