Stop the song-shaming of Baby, it’s Cold Outside

By pushing a timeless favourite off the Christmas playlists, those who deem the lyrics improper are applying their own narrow, sexist lens, the same lens that used to characterize society’s negative view of sexually active unmarried women.

Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalbán sing Baby, It's Cold Outside in the 1949 movie, Neptune's Daughter. A Cleveland radio station pulled Baby, It's Cold Outside, a song about a man who wants a woman to stay overnight, from its broadcast because it said it's no longer appropriate in the #MeToo movement. On Dec. 4, several Canadian broadcasters followed the move, including Bell Media, Rogers, and the CBC. Photograph courtesy MGM/YouTube

Opinion

BY SHEILA COPPS

December 10, 2018

OTTAWA—Stop the song-shaming of Baby, It’s Cold Outside. The song is not about date rape. It is about so-called slut shaming. By pushing a timeless favourite off the Christmas playlists, those who deem the lyrics improper are applying their own narrow, sexist lens, the same lens that ...

To keep reading, subscribe and become a political insider.

Only $7.76 a week for an annual subscription.

Enjoy unlimited website access and the digital newspaper.

Cancel anytime.

Already a Subscriber?

Get Weekend Point of View Newsletter

A round up of the past weekâ€™s opinion writers and columnists on Saturdays and Sundays.

By entering your email address you consent to receive email from The Hill Times containing news, analysis, updates and offers. You may unsubscribe at any time. See our privacy policy