Trans Rights In Spotlight: Why Sabrina Carpenter’s VMA Performance Is Being Called A Pop Culture Power Move

Sabrina Carpenter isn’t just chasing chart hits; she’s using her platform to shine a light on issues she actually cares about.

At the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, she tore up the stage with “Tears,” a track off her fresh album Man’s Best Friend. The performance? 

The singer channelled the vibe of her “Tears” music video—remember that one with Colman Domingo twirling around in drag? He didn’t show up this time, but Sabrina kept the energy alive, rolling out a city scene straight out of a fever dream, drag queens and all.

Sabrina Carpenter advocates for Trans Rights

Sabrina didn’t just walk onto stage, she popped up from a pothole (talk about making an entrance) and sparkled in a silver fringe poncho, only to rip it off mid-performance and reveal a matching bra and some seriously blinged-out black tights. 

And then came the rain, real, on stage rain for a dance break that totally winked at Britney’s legendary “Baby One More Time” rain-soaked moment back in ‘01.

The queens surrounded her with picket signs: “Protect Trans Rights,” “Dolls Dolls Dolls,” “Love each other,” and my personal favourite, “If you hate, you’ll never get laid.” 

This all comes a week after Carpenter dropped her seventh album, 38 minutes of her taking big swings with country, R&B, and disco, all while picking apart a relationship that went south.

She got real about the whole thing in an NPR interview, admitting she’s painfully self-aware, but still manages to make the same mistakes over and over.

“Women are the smartest and the dumbest, in my experience. It’s like they are dumb exactly when they want to be,” she said, laughing at herself. The album, according to her, is less about blaming others and more about owning her own choices.

“Can’t be that mad because I am putting myself in these positions to kind of experience these things. So yeah, I think it’s just like 2% healed, which gives me a lot more room to grow.”

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