Sephora’s Mariah Carey Christmas ad has sparked backlash online, as viewers accuse the festive campaign of missing the mark in a tough economic climate.
Mariah “Queen of Christmas” Carey has officially kicked-off the holiday season with her annual “It’s Time” holiday-video tradition.
But this year, the fan favourite announcement seems to have caught viewers in a not-so-festive mood. While in years gone by the announcement has been produced solely by Carey and her team, this year marks a departure as the announcement was produced in collaboration with Sephora, a global beauty brand.
The ad, shared over social media, showcases Carey in a pristine white angel costume celebrating the end of Halloween. As she goes to sing the now infamous whistletone “It’s time…” she is interrupted as the camera pans to her dishevelled dressing room strewn with ransacked Sephora bags.
Carey asks, “Whose the thief?” as Billy Eichner, an American comedian famous for Billy on the Street, appears as an elf laden with more Sephora bags in the midst of leaving the scene.
He retorts, “Bad news, Mariah Carey, the elves are striking this year. Elf revenge for putting us through holiday hell.”
Eicher goes on to say that he’s selling the Sephora products in order to afford elf therapy, and Christmas is cancelled.
Carey throws out her arms and belts the whistletone she is famous for, as “it’s time” rings out and “All I Want For Christmas” begins to play in the background. Carey transforms into a sparkly red costume, and Billy the elf is turned into a snowman. The ad continues with Carey donning a sleigh and delivering Sephora bags to chimneys across New York City.
While many fans were thrilled to see Carey back and up to her old Christmassy ways, other fans were quick to find fault in the themes portrayed in the ad.
The advertisement has now sparked debate online and is facing criticism for being “tone deaf” and “out of touch” in the face of the current socio-economic climate.
Users expressed their disappointment that a genuine festive moment many looked forward to for fun had been commercialised by a brand and “cheapened” the experience.
Some users even commented that the plot of the ad dismissing and seemingly vilifying the elf character for striking and intending to access mental health was in bad taste, given the current global attention on labour rights and mental health.
On Instagram, one user responded to the video, writing: “…so the message here is ‘working class on strike for being overworked and underpaid gets turned into snowman and is forced to work anyway”? 😍”
Another wrote: “yasss 😍 silencing the working class by turning them into cold lifeless decorations ✨”
A third user questioned Mariah Carey’s involvement, writing, “Girl, this was a CHOICE. Not a good one.”
But amongst the backlash was genuine enjoyment and a festive feeling as viewers called the ad “iconic” and celebrated that Christmas was officially here.
Some users even speculated that Sephora and Carey might be collaborating on a beauty launch in the future.
The anticipation was too much for some who waited for the video to drop writing “OMG! Now i can sleep 🤣. Merry Christmaaaaaas !!! 🎄”
Billy Eichner himself commented below the video on Carey’s Instagram page, writing, “Always an honor to be your elf, @mariahcarey! ❤️”
With Christmas now underway, it is likely that, backlash or not, we will be hearing much more of Mariah for the next few months.
Last year, is is reported that “All I Want For Christmas” was played over 23 million times on Christmas Eve alone.
Neither Carey nor Sephora have officially responded to the reaction.
