Keep playing ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’
Classic Christmas song is a feminist anthem
Fearing that it promotes rape culture, multiple radio stations recently banned the 1944 Christmas song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” Meanwhile, some critics of the ban argue that the #MeToo movement is to blame for the overreaction, and that liberals are overly sensitive to an innocent flirtation.
But the lyrics to “Baby It’s Cold Outside” are not about coercion; rather, the lyrics are a progressive step toward sexual liberation. Let’s look closer.
Our heroine is not saying “no” to an aggressive man. She is saying, “I know I should say no, but really, I want to stay.”
Her family will be suspicious. People will talk. Everyone else has ideas about how she should behave. They tell her what time to be home. They tell her she should not drink or smoke cigarettes. If she stays, her reputation will be sullied.
Never mind that it’s freezing outside and that she doesn’t have a coat. They would prefer that she walk home in the cold and dark, because the alternative is that she stay out and enjoy herself, which would be improper. Ladies did not do that in 1944, certainly not alone.
At no point does she say, “I don’t want this.”
Instead, she says that everyone else will have a problem with this: mother and father, the neighbors, her sister, her brother and her maiden aunt.
The aunt, importantly, receives the only personal descriptor: This is her maiden aunt with a vicious mind. That the aunt is unmarried in the 1940s is crucial; there were few things more stigmatizing for women at that time.
Recall the 1946 holiday classic “It’s A Wonderful Life.” At the apex of the film, our beloved George Bailey learns every horrible thing that would have happened if he had never existed. But the very worst and most horrifying thing for George to learn? It was about his wife, Mary. The angel charged with convincing George that the world is better off with him alive tells him: “You’re not gonna like it, George. She’s an old maid. She never married!”
What does this mean for our heroine? Reflecting upon the absurdity of caring about her bitter aunt’s opinion, she asks for another cigarette. Brava.
As a liberal feminist professor in public health, I should never applaud someone for smoking. But for women in the first half of the 20th century, smoking was frowned upon because it was a luxury reserved for men.
Women who defied gender stereotypes by smoking were viewed as “loose” or “fast.” When women opted to smoke, especially in public, they were placing a toe in the men’s world, they were boldly challenging social norms, realizing they would face public scorn, and choosing to light up anyway.
This sexual slurring that occurs when women engage in gender nonconforming behaviors persists today.
Unfortunately, some argue that the lyrics reflect rape culture.
The line “Say, what’s in this drink?” could conjure up images of roofies and other rape drugs that had yet to be invented in the 1940s. Or, it could reflect that she is drinking and enjoying the alcohol — something that was also a nono for women who wanted to protect their reputations.
While some see in the song a struggle of sexual consent, that is a misinterpretation of what is happening. We are not witnessing an uncomfortable scene of a man aggressively urging a woman to stay over despite her objections. It is not a predecessor to #MeToo.
Instead, we are hearing a woman’s internal struggle as she determines she is strong enough to face the public ridicule that will follow when she chooses to defy social norms.
This song describes a woman’s conflict over her desire to do something progressive, while anticipating certain criticism.
Fortunately, the song ends on a cheerful note, when she appears to decide to stay over for the night — or at least for a bit longer. It is a decision made for her personal gratification.
“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” is a song ahead of its time, and it celebrates a feminist taking control of her own sexual choices.
The only reason to ban the song is to pit progressives against conservatives. Speaking for one liberal feminist, I will continue to appreciate the song for the anthem that it is.
Marney White is an associate professor at Yale’s School of Public Health.