Sabrina Carpenter, a former star actress on Disney Channel, released a music video for her catchy song “Feather.” In it, Sabrina’s suitors murder one another, and she unceremoniously decapitates a man who indiscreetly snapped a photo of her behind. She gleefully sings, “I feel so much lighter like a feather with you off my mind.”
The three-and-a-half-minute video is a funeral for her male admirers — and also for basic human decency. The opening frame stares up at a statue of the Virgin Mary in a Catholic Church, cutting away to show a pastel casket that says “RIP B****.” A heart-shape jar of presumably fake blood labelled “RIP” is the centerpiece, beside a book titled “Tampons Should Be Free,” on the altar that is obscured by pastel coffins, candles, and crosses. Sabrina arrives at church in a pink hearse in attire that is the appropriate color but not design: Her poofy black dress is better characterized as a top that does not cover her black underwear. She accessorized with an oversized gold cross necklace, high heels, and a lacy black veil. Our Blessed Mother watches as Sabrina dances, struts, and twirls down the nave.
The provocative scene was filmed at the 19th-century Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Brooklyn. After the video’s release on Halloween, Brooklyn bishop Robert Brennan told the Catholic News Agency that he “is appalled at what was filmed.” The parish reportedly told the diocese that Sabrina’s production team “failed to accurately represent the video content,” and the diocese will continue evaluating the matter.
It’s certainly possible that the parish failed to follow guidelines for allowing a guest’s use of the church, although it seems more likely that Sabrina’s team members misrepresented their intended conduct — which suggests they suspected their actions were wrong, or at least morally dubious.
Sabrina has talent: Within just a few minutes, she captured so many societal flaws. She illuminates a pervasive double-standard: “Bigotry” and “cultural appropriation” are condemnable offenses, but desecration and the adoption of Catholic imagery for visual appeal are acceptable, even worth celebrating. She conveyed hatred of beauty by replacing magnificent iconography with unimpressive, sophomoric decor. Would any artist dare film such a scene at a mosque, synagogue, or place of worship for any faith other than Christian? I doubt it.
Sabrina sought to mock religion, and she offers us the opportunity to recognize socially permissible bigotry and defend Catholicism. I am tempted to thank Sabrina, but instead, I’ll pray for her.