Girls Fuck Too
Why “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” is a Feminist Anthem
I know this argument is played out. I know that in the end it makes no difference if some people read the song as problematic when it really isn’t. I know it’s a waste of time to get so worked up and bothered about it every year. But dammit, this is a hill I intend to die on!
“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” is about two people who want to fuck. Plain and simple. You can make the argument that the man is too pushy and not taking no and drugging her drink while the woman is gracefully trying to extract herself from an unpleasant and potentially dangerous situation. But then you’d be wrong.
If you’ve been living on another planet for the last 70 years here’s a brief synopsis of the song: a man and woman are chillin at dudesies place. The girl figures she ought to head home cause otherwise everyone in the world would think she’s a slut but both she and the guy don’t want to see her leave so he tries to help by giving her excuses for why it would be in her best interest to stay with him instead of venturing out into the frosty night (there’s no cabs, it’s snowing, it’s so cold outside!) Lame excuses, sure, but you take what you can get when the world looks down on women who spend the night with men they aren’t married to.
“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” was written by Frank Loesser in 1944 so let’s all take a minute to remember the role women played in the 1940s when double standards were running rampant, purity and demureness reigned above all else, and a woman most certainly had no sexual needs to speak of let alone act upon. It wasn’t ladylike to show overt interest in having a physical relationship with a man. A woman had to act coy, feign resistance or risk her reputation. Wait, that sounds a lot like 2019. Weird.
Anyhoo, I’d bank that Loesser expected his song to raise eyebrows due to the suggestion of female promiscuity and sexual desire over the seemingly pushiness of her male counterpart. But he was from another time. In the wake of the MeToo movement, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” has faced extreme backlash from celebrities to radio stations who all give off the vibe that they’re just trying to prove how “woke” they are by misreading a somewhat outdated but ultimately still charming song about the perils of female sexuality in a patriarchal society.
Every year, this one cheeky song about a woman trying to get hers brings debaters out in droves. Many in support, a lot against, but all feeling strongly that theirs is the right interpretation. I am obviously no different and will continue to go to bat for “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” and the female character who just wants to get lucky without worrying what her family will think of her in the morning. Girls fuck too and it’s time our society accepts it.
Disagree with me? Think my stance is valid? Wish this whole argument would just go the fuck away? Sound off in the comments.