United Kingdom, Dec. 4 -- Sabrina Carpenter claims that her Man's Best Friend album cover was designed to demonstrate how she has been "emotionally yanked around" in relationships.

The 26-year-old singer sparked controversy earlier this year with the cover for the record - which depicted her on all fours with her hair being tugged by a faceless figure - but insists that she didn't set out to make it appear degrading to females.

Sabrina told Variety: "It was about how people try to control women, and how I felt emotionally yanked around by these relationships that I had, and how much power you're allowing yourself to give them.

"It meant one thing to me and 100 things to other people, and I was looking at it going, 'That's valid. Mine's...