Throughout her career, American singer Mariah Carey has received extensive recognition as a cultural and public figure. Her public image has undergone significant transformations, subsequently receiving heavy press coverage.
Initially emerging in the early 1990s with a polished and controlled image under the influence of her then-husband Tommy Mottola, Carey later embraced a more liberated persona following their separation and the release of Butterfly (1997). Throughout the early 2000's, Carey's public image was faced with media scrutiny after her much-publicized breakdown during the promotion of her 2001 film Glitter. Her musical comeback with The Emancipation of Mimi (2005) is often hailed as one of the greatest comebacks in music history. During the 2010s, Carey faced heavy media attention for her celebrity life before making another smaller musical comeback with Caution (2018). Her music has also inspired several viral challenges on TikTok.
Throughout her career, Carey has maintained having and embracing a signature diva persona, and has also been called a pop icon, gay icon and a fashion icon. She been praised for her ability to throw shade and has had publicised feuds with Eminem and Jennifer Lopez. She has been credited for starting the trend of wearing low-rise jeans in the early 2000s and her outfits have been the subject of polarizing reviews and reactions. Carey has also contributed heavily to several social mediamemes, being the (often unintentional) originator and inspiration for various memes including "I don't know her" and "skinny legend".
Carey has also been dubbed the "Queen of Christmas" for her impact as a holiday icon and her popular Christmas music. Her name has since become synonymous with the Christmas season. Her 1994 song "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is a Christmas standard and has won Carey several awards, honors and inspired several Christmas trends and memes. Since 2014, she has toured every holiday season, earning various achievements over the years. She has also hosted numerous Christmas specials (television and film). Every year since 2019, Carey has posted a video on social media on November 1 to ring in the Christmas season, coining the popular Christmas phrase "It's Time".
In the 1990's, at the beginning of her career, Carey adopted a polished image due to the influence her ex-husband, Tommy Mottola had over her career. She began to be depicted more sexually with her red carpet looks and in her music videos after their separation.[1] The music video for "Honey" received heavy media attention for showing a more sexual side to Carey, portraying her half-naked, jumping off a balcony into a pool.[2] Carey and Mottola were in the process of their divorce, which "caused fans to speculate the messages displayed within the video".[2] The song was featured on Carey's 1997 album, Butterfly, which was later credited for revamping Carey's image in the public as a pop star who embraced hip hop and R&B themes and fully came into her own self.[3] This resulted in butterflies becoming a metaphorical symbol of her impact and legacy upon pop and R&B music.[3][4]The Washington Post writer Bethonie Butler called Butterfly "symbolic" adding that during the rollout of the album, Carey's "clothing style grew noticeably sexier" and in turn that made her "more playful with her fans, more frank in interviews".[5]
In the early 2000s, Carey was a "tabloid fixture" and her public breakdown during the promotion of her 2001 film, Glitter, became the "stuff of tabloid legend" according to Justin Curto, writer for Vulture.[6][7] The rollout of the film received heavy media attention.[8] Carey insisted that the film was not autobiographical, although it was noted that the "movie mirrored details from her life, including [the main character's] troubled relationship with her mother".[8]Vulture writer Matthew Jacobs noted that "assumptions about Carey's erraticism" began to spread in the media after her "quasi-scandalous" appearance on Total Request Live (TRL).[8] The film itself was received to mostly negative reviews, with many media outlets calling it a "critical and commercial" failure.[9][10] In 2005, Carey returned to mainstream media prominence with the album, The Emancipation of Mimi, which is often regarded as one of the greatest musical comebacks in history.[11] Jacobs called the album an "all-time-great pop renaissance".[8] The album acted as redemption for Carey, following a midly unsuccessful period with Glitter and her follow-up album Charmbracelet (2002).[11] The album's second single, "We Belong Together" went on to be one of Carey's most successful songs, being deemed as the "comeback" song for her.[12] In 2008, Carey was named one of Time's 100 most influential artists and entertainers in the world.[13][14]
In the 2010s, Now writer Kevin Hegge stated that the media and general public began to dwell on Carey's "celebrity drama".[6] In 2013, after joining American Idol as a judge for the twelfth season, Carey became one of the highest paid American television stars with a $18 million paycheck.[15] From 2015 to 2016, Carey's relationship, engagement and breakup to Australian billionaire James Packer received high publicity.[16] A year later in 2017, Carey's Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve performance received heavy media attention after it was marred by technical issues.[17]Vanity Fair writer Kenzie Bryant opined that "the malfunctions, mixed with Carey's extra diva humor, made for great television".[18] Carey returned to the same stage a year later with various publications calling it another redemption.[19][6][20] Carey's fifteenth studio album, Caution (2018) received widespread critical acclaim, with Hegge describing it as a musical comeback for Carey who had not received so much media attention for her music.[6]
Carey and her songs has often gone viral on TikTok, after the app's inception in the 2020's.[21] In 2019, her song "Obsessed" became a viral TikTok challenge where thousands of users recreated a clip of a user sobbing and dancing to the song.[22][23] "Always Be My Baby" also went viral on the app, causing the song to chart on various charts including the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart.[24] Other songs which prompted viral challenges include "Fantasy",[25] "It's a Wrap",[26][27] and "Touch My Body".[28]
Carey's fanbase is known as the "Lambily", a portmanteau of "lamb" and "family".[29] The name derived from Carey's use of the word as a term of endearment in the early 2000s when she would leave voice memos and messages on her website for her fans.[30] With over 10 million followers as of April 2013, Carey is one of the most popular musicians on Twitter.[31]
Carey's fans are credited with originating the internet term "skinny legend", which was often used as a form of praise and endearment for their idol.[32] The term has since been used for other celebrities including Christina Aguilera and Raini Rodriguez.[32] In 2018, as part of a build-up to Carey's then-upcoming album, Caution, Carey's fans started a campaign titled #JusticeforGlitter which resulted in pushing Carey's 2001 album, Glitter, to the top of the iTunes albums charts in several countries including the United States.[29][33]
Carey has been involved in a highly publicised feud with American rapper Eminem which has gone on to become one of the most infamous feuds from the 2000's.[34] Eminem alleged that he had a relationship with Carey in 2002, which prompted Carey to release a diss track titled "Clown" on Charmbracelet.[34] The two went back and forth in various years until it culminated in 2009 with the release of Carey's song "Obsessed" from her twelfth studio album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel.[34] Critics heavily compared its lyrics to the relationship between Carey and Eminem and suggested that Carey alluded to him and his "obsession" with her.[35] While "Obsessed" never mentioned the rapper by name, many reviewers felt it to be very obvious.[36] Additionally, Carey played a role that resembled the rapper in the song's accompanying music video.[37] Eminem replied with "The Warning".[38]
Carey has also been called a pop icon in the media.[39][40][41] Her style has been described as "eccentric" and "over the top".[42][43] Writer Noah Berlatsky noted that "Carey has always reveled in uber-feminine, girly imagery", with her album titles such as Butterfly, Rainbow, Glitter and Charmbracelet being prime examples.[44] Tom Breihan of Stereogum wrote in 2015 that "decades from now, we will be looking back at Mariah Carey as one of the most gloriously batshit pop stars of all time."[45] Carey cites American actress Marilyn Monroe as not only one of her biggest idols but also a "beauty icon", and has referenced Monroe in various stages of her career, including imitating her in her music videos for "I Still Believe" and "Don't Forget About Us".[46] Emilia Petrarca of W opined that while Carey is "uber-cautious about cultivating her public image", that when it comes to style, she is "more do than don't".[47]
Carey has often been labeled a "diva" for her stardom and persona.[48]Paper labelled her the "ultimate diva".[49] Interviewing Carey for an article, The Guardian writer Hadley Freeman felt that interviewing and talking with Carey was the closest she had come to imagining how it would have been to spend time with original pop divas such as Bette Davis or Aretha Franklin.[50] She noted that the diva term "is a term she has laboured under throughout her career, and it is unlikely she will escape it" but praised Carey for her "true-to-herself honesty" calling her a "proper grande dame of the old school".[50]The Guardian writer Elizabeth Day opined that Carey's "diva-ish antics are simply part of the package that her fans buy into".[51]
While the term often has negative connotations,[52] Carey herself has embraced the title stating that she gets her diva nature from her mother who was an opera singer, calling her a real "Juilliard diva".[53] She called it a "compliment" and that the stories about her being a difficult diva "are just not true and [she's] learned to shake them off".[54] In 2022, Carey appeared on a podcast interview with Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex and discussed the dual connotations to the word "diva".[55] Carey felt that in today's media, the term "means you're a successful woman usually" but "it's not okay for you to be a boss [...] or a strong woman".[56]
In 1995, while recording her album Daydream, Carey secretly recorded and produced the alternative rock album Someone's Ugly Daughter with her friend Clarissa Dane, under the moniker "Chick".[57] Her contributions were kept secret until the release of her 2020 memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey, in which she stated that, "I created an alter-ego artist and her Ziggy Stardust-like spoof band" adding that the "character was a dark-haired brooding Goth girl who wrote and sang ridiculous tortured songs".[57]
A version of her aforementioned alter ego, named Bianca Storm, appeared for the first time in 1999, for the music video of Carey's single "Heartbreaker".[58] During the video, Carey appears as both herself and Bianca, who's wearing a red seductive outfit with a bag in which she carries her dog around.[58] The two end up having a physical fight in the cinema bathroom, in which Bianca is ultimately defeated.[58] Carey has since revitalized the character on multiple occasions, including the 2016 docu-series Mariah's World.[58][59]
Fashion has been a large part of Carey's image and career.[60] She was cited as a fashion icon by Insider Inc. writer Susanna Heller who added that "her decadent closet spans multiple rooms and is full of designer clothing, lingerie, shoes, and accessories".[61]Vogue writer Christian Allaire stated that Carey has "rarely hit without her evening gowns, often embellished with crystals, sequins, or feathers."[62] Laura Antonia Jordan of Grazia called Carey fashion "royalty" and stated that in the 1990s, her go-to looks were "super-tight silhouettes, cropped tops, thigh-grazing hemlines and dangerously high slits."[60] During her tours, Carey has frequently worn Jimmy Choo and Christian Louboutin high-end stiletto footwear,[63] as well as leotards, corsets, and fishnet tights.[64]
Carey has often received polarized responses for her revealing clothes,[65][66] and has been called a sex symbol.[67] She showed up in what was described as 'revealing clothes' for the first time at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards, a few months after announcing her separation from Mottola, wearing a Calvin Klein two-piece look, which has since been described by Elle as one of the "top 10 'revenge dress' moments that shaped pop culture".[68] At the next year's ceremony, she wore matching dresses with American singer Whitney Houston, before both singers ripped off fabric from the dresses to reveal two distinct looks.[69] The moment was recreated by Dua Lipa and Megan Thee Stallion at the 2022 Grammy Awards.[69] In 2000, Carey appeared on The Rosie O'Donnell Show where Rosie O'Donnell asked her about a "trampy" dress she had worn at the 2000 American Music Awards.[70] Carey responded in defence that she wanted to dress free after the covered-up looks that were chosen for her during the early part of her career.[71]BuzzFeed writer Ryan Schocket called the incident one of the various times the "media absolutely failed her".[72]CR Fashion Book writer Shepherd noted that while Carey's "sartorial aesthetic has shifted here and there [...] the music icon largely favors sexy, skin-baring, and often bedazzled looks.[73]
Carey has received attention for her various music video looks throughout her career.[74] She received praise for her outfit in the music video for "Honey" which saw Carey wearing a Dolce & Gabbana dress, followed by a moment in a white bra-and-skirt combo.[75] She has been credited for starting the trend of wearing low-rise jeans in the early 2000s, after cutting off the waistband of the denim pants she wore for the music video of "Heartbreaker" (1999).[76][77][78] Liana Satenstein of Vogue wrote that Carey was "quintessential" to the movement, calling it a "spur-of-the-moment creation".[76]Nylon writer India Roby also noted that Carey "kicked off the millennium with a denim look that shook the fashion DIY space".[79] Conversely, ¡Hola! writer Natalia Trejo opined that the trend was accredited to Alexander McQueen, although did note that Carey "definitely made a fashion statement".[80]
Carey's outfits on her album covers have often been paid tribute to by various artists including British singer Leigh-Anne Pinnock recreating Carey's look from the cover of The Emancipation of Mimi for the artwork of her single "Don't Say Love",[81] and American rapper Latto recreating the Rainbow album cover for Halloween.[82]
Carey is also well known for the fashion and outfits she wears in her Christmas concerts and performances.[83] The singer has also incorporated holiday-themed outfits throughout her music videos.[84][85]Billboard noted that "over the years, [Carey] has rocked nearly every shade of red for the season's fashions, from plunging gowns and floor-length coats to ensembles inspired by Santa, Mrs. Claus and The Nutcracker'stoy soldiers. She's also a pro at pulling off winter white, whether she's wearing a snow-white dress covered in crystals or a fluffy hood tailor-made for keeping the December chill at bay."[86]
Throughout her career, Carey has been used in several social mediamemes, having had a "continual contribution to the meme economy".[87] Kyle Munzenrieder from W stated that "Carey has tended to play coy when it comes to her meme-queen status".[87] Despite this, during her Billboard Icon Award speech at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards, Carey made reference to the "ups and downs" of her career, noting that "there’s been a few memes".[88] Brooke Marine, writing for W, noted that over her career, Carey has been a part of several pop culture moments, and "has been at times responsible and at other times unwittingly drawn into, including some of the Internet's most longstanding memes".[89] Similarly, Danette Chavez of The A.V. Club felt that Carey has figured out how to navigate "internet fame and being meme-able" adding that she is savvy and knows when and how to control it.[90] In a separate article, Munzenrieder called Carey the "Thanos of the Internet" for elevating to a level where she no longer creates memes but can also end a recurring meme.[91]
In 2014, Carey posted on her Instagram photos of herself in a bright blue gown, riding a Subway in New York City with the hashtag, #subwayincouture.[92] The incident garnered media attention with Munzenrieder retrospectively calling it "infamous".[87] Carey later referenced it in her music video for the song "A No No".[87] In 2019, Carey also responded to public concerns over FaceApp, tweeting on her Twitter account that the app is "not something I acknowledge".[93] That same year Carey participated in the Bottle Cap Challenge which saw various internet users kicking loosened caps off of bottles.[94] Carey used her signature whistle register to knock the cap off a bottle.[94] A year later in 2020, Twitter users began referring to her as "Comrade Carey" after a quote from an interview she had about how the systems reinforced by capitalism did not support her and her family while growing up went viral on the app.[89]
Throughout her career, Carey has been recognised for her ability to throw shade.[95] In 2003, when asked about American singer Jennifer Lopez in a German TV interview, Carey's response was, "I don't know her".[6][96] The clip went on to became one of the first viral internet memes.[97] In 2016, Elle called Carey the "Queen of Shade".[98]Vogue writer Christian Allaire called Carey a "true social media savant" noting that she "routinely re-share memes about herself from fans, throwing shade at others in the process".[93]
Carey has often made jokes about her refusal to acknowledge time which in turn has became a recurring meme.[99][100]The Cut writer Hannah Gold noted that Carey's "collapsibility of time is a notion essential to her art", feeling that it adds to her diva persona.[99] In The Meaning of Mariah Carey, Carey stated that "not living based on time became a way to hold on to myself, to keep close and keep alive that inner child of mine. It's why I gravitate toward enduring characters like Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and Tinker Bell. They remind me we can be timeless."[101] Carey also celebrates anniversaries rather than birthdays.[102]
Carey's influence as a holiday icon has inspired several Christmas-inspired memes. One of these memes show retail workers' disdain for the song due to its frequent airplay at their jobs, which sometimes require the round-the-clock display of Christmas music during the holiday season.[103] Another popular meme began in 2017 after people online began to notice that the song resurfaces during the holiday season on a regular basis, in which people responded by creating memes about Carey "defrosting" and thawing in time for the Christmas season.[104]
Due to her large gay fanbase and her impact on the LGBTQ+ community, Carey is recognized as a gay icon.[105][106] Most notably, Carey's 1993 song "Hero" has been regarded as a gay anthem as it touches upon themes of embracing individuality and overcoming self-doubt.[107] In 2023, Rolling Stone ranking the song at number 14 in their list of the 50 Most Inspirational LGBTQ Songs of All Time.[108] Tim Chan, writing for Rolling Stone, noted that the song was a "source of hope and conviction that became even more personal after Carey's own well-publicized struggles".[108] Carey's gay fans have also often noted relating to her 1997 song "Outside" which portrays the feeling of isolation and irregularity.[109] In the bridge of the song, Carey sings that "blind and unguided, into a world divided, you're thrown" in which originally acted as a reference to her racial heritage, but could be universally related to the experience of a queer person.[109]The Guardian writer Ian Eagleton found Carey to be a LGBTQ+ role model, adding that "she taught me that I had no choice: I had to survive".[110]
Her diva persona has also given her much admiration from gay fans.[111] Writing for Vice, writer Jake Hall noted in an analysis of gay icons, that "there is a reason traditional music divas like Mariah [...] have historically been framed within an LGBTQ+ context; because many of them have engaged with our community and been outspoken and supportive of our struggles".[111] Ian Kumamoto, writer for HuffPost noted that Carey's music made the LGBTQ+ community "feel seen and contributed to [their] confidence and self-worth".[106] In 2016, Carey was honored by GLAAD with the GLAAD Ally Award.[112] In her speech, Carey expressed gratitude to her LGBTQ+ fans, wishing them "love, peace, [and] harmony".[112]
"All I Want for Christmas Is You", as well as its parent album Merry Christmas (1994), have become such a ubiquitous part of wider popular culture that Carey's name became synonymous with the season,[113] and she has since been dubbed the "Queen of Christmas".[114][115][116] Multiple media sources have since cited Carey as a holiday icon.[86][117] Additionally, both the song and album were hailed as being "one of the few worthy modern additions to the holiday canon" by The New Yorker in 2006.[118]
The song specifically has received critical acclaim and has become a Christmas standard.[119]Forbes writer Lauren Alvarez called the song the "unofficial song of Christmas each year".[119] Speaking to Vogue in 2015, Elvis Duran stated that the song's appeal was based on the fact that it was "a modern song that could actually have been a hit back in the '40s", praising its "timeless, classic quality".[116] The success of the song, in particular, has led Carey to build what Billboard described as a "growing holiday mini-empire".[120]
In 2022, Carey embarked on mini-concert tour titled the Merry Christmas to All! Tour, which was later adapted into a television special[a] which aired on CBS and Paramount+.[147] The special became most watched program of the night, drawing in a total of 3.8 million viewers and a 0.4 demo rating.[148] Her 2023 tour, Merry Christmas One and All!, also received high praise from critics.[149][150][151]Billboard reported that the tour grossed almost $30 million, selling more than 200,000 tickets, becoming her largest attendance since her Butterfly World Tour in 1997.[130] In 2024, Carey is set to tour again with Mariah Carey's Christmas Time.[152]
Capitalizing on the continued popularity of "All I Want for Christmas Is You", Carey has made it a tradition to post a video on her social media accounts each year since 2019, at midnight Eastern Time on November 1, declaring that "it's time" to start playing Christmas music.[153]
In 2019, Carey recorded a clip of herself falling asleep in a Cyndi LauperHalloween-inspired outfit, and waking up on November 1 in Christmas-themed pyjamas, first uttering her popular phrase, "It's Time".[154]
In 2020, Carey's video featured a "creepy ghoulie" opening a cobweb-ridden door with the message "Not Yet" written on the door. Behind the door, Carey sat in a magical Christmas room declaring "It's Time (But let's get through Thanksgiving first)".[155]
In 2021, Carey smashed a pumpkin (in reference to Halloween) with a giant candy cane.[156]
In 2022, Carey dressed as a witch, riding a static exercise bike and cackling before being transformed into a Mrs.Claus-inspired outfit, swapping the exercise bike for a reindeer.[157]
In 2023, Carey's video featured herself frozen in a block of ice, being set free by Halloween-inspired creatures who used hairdryers to melt the ice around her.[158] Carey uses her signature whistle notes to say "it's time" before the ice shatters, and she's revealed in a red and white Santa jumpsuit.[159] This video was inspired by the popular meme about Carey "defrosting" in time for Christmas.[104]
Carey initially rejected the "Queen of Christmas" title, saying that "Mother Mary is the Queen of Christmas".[160][161] Despite this, in March 2021, she attempted to trademark the phrase "Queen of Christmas", which received backlash from singers Darlene Love and Elizabeth Chan.[162] In November 2022, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board denied Carey's request.[163]
In June 2022, Andy Stone of Vince Vance & the Valiants filed a lawsuit against Carey over alleged copyright infringement.[164] Stone alleged that Carey had stolen the song title from his own song, demanding at least $20 million in damages from her, co-writer Walter Afanasieff and Sony Music.[164] The case was dropped in November of that year.[164] In November 2023, Stone filed a similar complaint over alleged copyright infringement.[165]
^Susman, Gary (April 11, 2005). "Dance To The Music". Entertainment Weekly. Time Warner. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2011.
^Wonder, Stevie (May 12, 2008). "The 2008 TIME 100". Time. Archived from the original on May 6, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2021.