On Aug. 23, Sabrina Carpenter released her music video for her latest single “Taste,” featuring herself with actress Jenna Ortega, as they attempt to kill each other over a shared boyfriend.
Together, they inflict a hyperbolic amount of damage to each other — Carpenter loses an arm, Ortega loses an eye, and, in one scene, each woman utilizes a voodoo doll to injure the other. This unrealistic amount of injury adds a comedic tone to what could otherwise be a morbid video. Despite all the fatal injuries they sustain, neither woman dies.
The music video opens with a bed laid with various weaponry, from knives of varying sizes to nunchucks, sitting in stark contrast to the tube of lipstick and a pink teddy bear that are also present. Carpenter’s first scene involves her singing while applying lipstick in the reflection of a knife’s blade. This juxtaposition between violence and femininity perfectly begins this story.
Eventually, the fighting reaches a head as Ortega’s character accidentally kills the boyfriend instead of Carpenter’s character, leaving both women to attend his funeral. During the funeral, they share previously unseen gentleness as Ortega’s character brushes Carpenter’s hair. Together, they leave the funeral, laughing and bonding over the flaws of their former boyfriend.
Similarly, the video contrasts the music itself, a bubblegum pink pop song with a music video depicting a violent and murderous revenge. Pop music is often degraded by claims of soullessness. The belief is that a genre meant to be adored by the general populace cannot possibly have any real substance, with all its sharp edges being shorn down for popularity’s sake. However, Sabrina Carpenter’s “Taste” is bold, with multiple open references to sex and sensual desire throughout the verses. It is only fitting that the music video is similarly striking with its depictions of violence and revenge.
Additionally, the music video has sparked controversy. In one scene, Carpenter and Ortega’s characters kiss, as Ortega imagines Carpenter in the place of her boyfriend. When she thinks it's Carpenter, Ortega attacks her, killing her boyfriend. While this scene is very entertaining, it also has a layer of social commentary. Earlier this year, Sabrina Carpenter was accused on social media of “queer baiting”- a term used when a character who is not openly a part of the LBGTQ+ community is believed to be using queer culture to benefit themselves. Queer baiting cannot be done by real people, as no one but the person themselves can ever attest to how they experience sexuality. While Sabrina Carpenter is officially ignoring these rumors, as no statement has been made, she is instead engaging with them in a way that still manages to put the rumors to rest.
The lyrics are fun and upbeat, with a lively beat that keeps listeners engaged. Artists like Sabrina Carpenter (along with other rising pop stars, like Chappell Roan and Olivia Rodrigo) are back to making music with the intention to be fun.