The VMAs may be the best time to shed light on pressing matters such as trans rights, but Sabrina Carpenter’s bold move only had her cornered by fans.
Read on to find out what made the Man’s Best Friend artist face backlash during her performance.
What Do ‘Dolls’ Mean in Sabrina Carpenter’s 2025 VMA Performance?
Sabrina Carpenter’s VMA performance put her in the spotlight as she had not only mesmerized the audience with her Tears song, but even more so when she and her backup dancers lifted signs that included the word doll. What does that word mean, and why does it seem to trigger others?
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The doll in question pertains to the very drag queens who joined the Espresso hitmaker on stage, including Honey Balenciaga, Symone, Dashaun Wesley, and Richie Shazam, at the UBS Arena in New York.
Her backup dancers also carried similar signs that read “In Trans We Trust”, “Dolls, Dolls, Dolls”, “Support drag”, “Protect trans rights”, and “If you hate, you’ll never get laid.”
Later, Sabrina returned to the stage to accept the Best Album award as she thanked her “queens on stage.” While the majority of her fans are right behind her in getting her crown, others are not pleased with the message Tears showcased on stage.
Why Do Fans Believe Sabrina’s Trans Rights Support Seems ‘Staged’?
“There’s kind of a weird fetishizing aspect to a lot of the ‘protect the dolls’ stuff, but I’m alright not caring about that until there’s a lot less ‘exterminate the dolls’ stuff going on,” one fan posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Others are led to believe that this promotion felt very ‘performative’ to do for the VMAs, “When the music ain’t selling…”
Another added fuel to the fire, “I’m torn between ‘over the performative sh*t’ and ‘I guess it’s necessary.’ If all you offer is sh*t like this and not spreading awareness, information, resources, etc., then it’s just a hashtag in video form for you to feel like a good person. You said support, but not how.”
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However, others went to defend the singer, calling out the trolls ‘absurdity’ for taking issue with the performance, which was ‘defending trans rights.’
It is worth mentioning that Sabrina’s acceptance speech not only involved her appreciation for her album’s success, but even more towards her ‘incredible cast’ and ‘queens’ on stage, saying that while the world can be ‘full of criticism’ for her work, she is still grateful to be a musician.
“To get to be a part of something so often, more often than not, that is something that can bring you light, make you smile, make you dance, and make you feel like the world is your f***ing oyster, I am so grateful, so grateful to do that.”
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