A few days ago, Michael Bublé received massive backlash over his “buddy” version of the classic “Santa Baby” because, according to social media users, it was an unnecessary masculinization that doesn’t go with our generation’s diverse approach to sexuality. Personally, though, I thought it was too much. I mean, Bublé released the song seven years ago, and this current trend of overreading old stuff through our new “woke” lens is going too far. For that matter, I’ve always thought the original one is actually pretty problematic because it reasserts the stereotype that women only care about money and material things.
But then, last night, only days after discussing this with friends, Miley completely shut me up with her performance in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where she updated the classic Christmas hit with highly-relevant and current facts about gender equality and outdated gender stereotypes.
The sketch opens with Cyrus telling Fallon that she can’t sing that old song starting with the opening line that goes “slip a sable under the tree for me.” Sable, as I found out just today (pardon my ignorance), is a weasel-like mammal known for its luxurious fur. And I’m with her on this: killing animals for fashion purposes is disgusting. With the rush to come out on stage, Fallon tells her she can update the song, and the magic begins.
The song starts with her claiming she doesn’t really need all the fancy stuff the original song mentions because “I can buy my own damn stuff.” That’s actually very true, we don’t need anyone to get us stuff because we should all be independent enough to pay for our things. And this is only the first fire line of Miley’s take on the song.
She keeps going with the female empowerment Christmas carol with this verse:“Listen Santa to what I say/ A girl’s best friend is equal pay/ Stop interrupting me when I talk/ And don’t text me pictures of your–” Honestly, who doesn’t like diamonds and luxury? But how can we even think about that when our paychecks are so disparagingly different? For me, this is the core of the song and the one verse that really kills the original song. If we had equal pay for the same work, the idea of men being the providers wouldn’t still be a thing in today’s reality.
In the last verse, she tackles other relevant issues like abuse and harassment. She sings “Santa baby, I’d love to know my ass won’t get grabbed/ At work/ By some ignorant jerk/ Tell the dirtbags, to put away their chimneys tonight.” Cancel everything! This is what I really need for Christmas, and I know many of you do as well.
In general, though, I think we are overthinking everything nowadays, to the point of ridiculousness. But watching this video with Miley’s strong lyrics makes me think that updating our beloved traditions a little doesn’t hurt anybody and can help spread a much-needed message. What do you think about Miley’s bold statement? Honestly, I’m loving it!
Here’s the full video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPdXgCq_Rlg
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Take a look at these:
Could The Next Iteration Of Santa Claus Really Be Gender-Neutral?
“Mele Kalikimaka” And Other Hawaiian Christmas Songs To Add To Your Holiday Playlist
A Ranking Of The Best Christmas Music Videos Ever: From The Cheesy To The Timeless
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