Justin Bieber has divided the internet after traipsing around a mostly barren stage in front of one of the largest crowds in Coachella history on Saturday. Donning a simple red hoodie, cutout boots and shorts, the singer at one point plopped down in front of his laptop and pulled up YouTube videos of his younger self.

Spectators were either moved to tears by his stripped-down performance, saying it “healed their inner child,” or called it lazy, sleepy, messy and unprofessional — especially against the backdrop of Sabrina Carpenter’s energetic showing the night before. Her Hollywood-worthy spectacle, complete with costumed acrobats, celebrity cameos and vintage cars, earned her five stars from the Guardian.

The contrast ignited an inevitable debate about sexism and double standards. According to Rolling Stone, Bieber reportedly earned north of $10 million for headlining both weekends. Carpenter’s fee hasn’t been officially confirmed, but some suspect she was paid less.

While it’s certainly fair to question those dynamics, the reason Bieber could sit down at his laptop and captivate thousands of festivalgoers can’t be chalked up to gender alone.

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