Mariah Carey, Boycotts, and Young Consumers Today:

“It’s tiiiiiiiiime!”

For five consecutive years, Mariah Carey’s yearly internet tradition of her defrosting has been uploaded. But this year, some netizens are less than pleased, citing the video as “insensitive in these times” and a mockery of the “corrupt capitalist system”. Corporations are starting to lose their audience of younger consumers this year.

The video’s plot goes as such: Mariah Carey starts her high note, but is interrupted by an elf stating that they were all going on strike and he was stealing her makeup products to pay for “elf therapy”, and saying that Christmas was “canceled”. Carey reacts indignantly by freezing the elf. 

The video, sponsored by the multinational cosmetics retailer Sephora, has sparked outrage in many people online. Many claim that it is a mockery of those who are boycotting companies and the capitalist system. In a survey conducted on thirty-two people ranging from ages 14-20, 46.9% of the participants stated that they had boycotted at least one company in the past year. The most mentioned corporations on the chopping block were Sephora, McDonalds, and Starbucks. When asked for a reason, most answered that they were boycotting in support of Palestine in the Palestine-Israel conflict or protesting their removal of DEI programs. 

Boycotts are not a new thing, however. There have been many successful boycotts in history, such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott from December 5, 1955, to December 20, 1956, which ended segregation on buses.

In modern times, however, it seems that boycotts are less successful.

Christopher Wong Michaelson, a business ethics professor at NYU and the University of St. Thomas, states that “even when boycotts impacts a company’s bottom line, the effect is often temporary.” Mega corporations no longer prioritize catering to a specific demographic because everyone shops at them now; customers will come regardless of the removal of their policies. For every boycotter, there is always another consumer to fill the void. 

It all comes down to this one question: if this is useless, what can I do about this?

Boycotts are only successful if everyone does it. Spread awareness on boycotts and social issues. Financial instability is greater than ever, with 83% of the participants answering with a 3 or less on a scale from 1-5, so consumers should be more aware of what they purchase. Regardless of boycotts and a company’s political ideations, consumers should be aware of where they’re buying from; several participants of the survey have stated that they boycotted companies such as SHEIN and Amazon for the poor treatment of their workers. A certain responsibility falls upon younger consumers today, and while they do not have to uphold that, it is more important to do so now than ever.

By: Nico J