Long ago, in an imaginary place called 1994, Mariah Carey made an innocent music video using Super 8 film to get across that true feel of nostalgia. Conveyed the kind of yearning for a childhood-imprinting, cheesy movie-inspired Christmas that she herself never got (big up to psychotic siblings and checked out matriarchs). Opening with a close-up on tree ornaments as we soon see Mariah herself hanging them, interspersed footage from the vantage point of driving past the cabin in a car lends a further “home movie feel” to the entire affair.
Mariah then showcases herself playing in the snow, tossing snowballs (at a presumably disinterested Tommy Mottola–for this was shot during Xmas ‘93, the same year they were married), appearing in a Mrs. Claus getup and generally trying her best to make it seem like it’s not at all strange that Mottola should play her Daddy-like Santa in the occasional moments when he does appear. Otherwise, it looks rather bleak as Mariah prances around alone in a snowsuit in between opening presents by herself (with the intermittent canine appearance), including, for some reason, rabbits and even, eventually, a dove. Maybe she was then recently influenced by Francis of Assisi, who knows?
The scenes of her frolicking continue to be interwoven, but, try as she might to lend genuine emotions to the production, it has this ersatz quality that Lana Del Rey would later become known for with her own “faux vintage” video splicing (in fact, one could easily imagine putting “Sad Girl” over the visuals for a sardonic flair). The only truly happy moment is the presaging scene of Mariah waving goodbye to Santa a.k.a. Tommy at the end.
And so, enter Anitta (who has cited Mariah Carey as one of her greatest musical influences), with another single hot off the press for 2021 following her sizzling September ’20 collab featuring Cardi B and Myke Towers, “Me Gusta.” This time, the title is even simpler: “Loco.” And like Tove Lo before her, Anitta sees no reason not to release some “Bikini Porn” in the dead of winter, taking to the ski slopes of As(s)pen to showcase plenty of Brazilian booty. Frolicking with friends and tearing it up on her skis, Anitta makes prancing around in the snow with next to nothing on look like the most natural thing in the world. Considering one of the lyrics, “Mira lo que te hago, cómo te rompo este pantalón,” translates to, “Look what I do to you, how I break these pants,” it’s no wonder her derrière is out in full swing.
When she’s not in her cheek-baring G-string, however, Anitta packs a powerful punch in ghetto fab couture, including a reflective gold puffer coat with matching skin-tight leggings, black boots, a black 80s-style sweatband with a ponytail flourish and sunglasses with bead-like tassels that fall vertically over the lenses. She also incorporates a yellow bikini set paired with an over-the-top purple fur coat as she skis the slopes with fellow revelers. Things quickly escalate to Spring Breakers-level partying as champagne gets popped and people gather like it’s 2019.
Other scantily clad female skiers soon start joining Anitta on the slopes, and throughout, just as the case in Mariah’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” the home video aesthetics are in full swing. Yet there is more joy and life in the snow-filled day of Anitta than anything presented in Mariah’s Christmas-themed world (shot mostly in New Jersey, at the Fairy Tale Forest… so maybe that’s why).
As things keep getting more and more “loco, demente” on the hills, the sense of cheer Mariah seemed so desperately to want to convey in her 1994 attempted homage to Norman Rockwell ends up coming across more effectively with an “X-rated” spin.
