Mariah Carey is set to receive MTV’s Video Vanguard Award at next month’s Video Music Awards, which will mark Carey’s first-ever Moonman.
The honor, which is given to an artist who has made an outstanding impact on pop culture and music videos, has previously been given to artists including Michael Jackson, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Missy Elliott and most recently, Katy Perry. In 1991, the award was renamed the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award in honor of the “Thriller” hitmaker.
While many fans believe MTV’s recognition of Carey is long overdue, not everyone shares the sentiment.
Following MTV’s announcement on Thursday, fans flocked to social media to share their thoughts on the media company’s chosen Vanguard Award recipient. For every handful of comments praising Carey’s accomplishment, there were a few that criticized whether she was actually deserving of it.
Fans further illustrated their points of view by naming other pop stars they feel are more deserving of the award, like Taylor Swift or Ariana Grande.
“It should’ve been ariana or taylor,” an X user wrote.
Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus and Adele were also mentioned as being better suited for the award.
“Lady gaga you’ve been robbed again,” wrote one X user, while another added, “WE WANTED MILEY CYRUS BRO.”
Others believe that Carey hasn’t necessarily made “iconic” videos and that the award should’ve gone to another artist who came up in the ’90s but are happy for her nonetheless.
One X user wrote, “She’s never won a single VMA and no shade, she doesn’t make iconic videos. 5 maybe. This should’ve went to someone else. Busta Rhymes, TLC, or Christina Aguilera. Congrats though, cause shes been in the game for a long time,” and another added, “She’s the best singer of 90s, but her videos weren’t so good at the time.”
But troves of Lambs — Carey’s fandom’s name — came to her defense, calling for the “immediate” end to all of the “Mariah Carey disrespect.” The majority of Carey fans weighing in on the discourse have called out younger, more critical fans for not being alive when the pop star was coming up in the music industry.
“The kids on this app are trying to say Mariah Carey, THE MARIAH CAREY, doesn’t have an iconic music videos… please do not speak on years that you were not old enough to experience when that shit was happening,” an X user wrote in support of Carey.
Another fan shared a similar sentiment, writing on X, “If you were not at least 10yrs old in 1990 when Mariah Carey debuted please excuse yourself from the conversation of her IMPACT. An entire decade of non-stop pop dominance and iconography—it was something to witness in real time.”
Since breaking out in the music industry in the ‘90s, Carey has dropped more than 100 music videos. She released her debut music video, “Vision of Love,” in 1990 at just 20 years old. Her subsequent music video releases, like 1995’s “Fantasy” and 1996’s “Always Be My Baby,” marked Carey’s first and second times directing.
Carey was also heavily involved in developing the concepts for several of her more narratively-driven music videos. In 1997, Carey released the James Bond-themed music video for her 1997 single, “Honey,” in which she played seductive special Agent M. The music video for Carey’s 2005 breakup ballad, “We Belong Together,” sees the singer elope with her younger ex-lover, played by Prison Break star Wentworth Miller. For 2009’s “Obsessed,” her single that seemingly calls out rapper Eminem, the stalker-focused music video includes references to Carey’s favorite movies, like Mean Girls and The Devil Wears Prada.
For what’s widely considered one of her — if not most iconic — music videos, Carey reteamed with director Brett Ratner for 1999’s “Heartbreaker.”
“If this comes out good, can I get a freaking MTV Video Award or nomination at least?” Carey joked during an episode of Making the Video in 1999. “It’s so ambitious. I don’t know how much of the original concept is going to end up actually being on MTV, so we’re gonna have to see. I mean, I’m really working hard here, OK?”
Taking a comedic approach to the song’s lyrics, Carey plays a woman who reluctantly goes to confront her cheating boyfriend at a local movie theater. There, she gets into a physical altercation with the woman he’s seeing, Carey’s alter ego, Bianca, before eventually catching him in the lie. The music video, which also incorporates animation, reportedly cost more than $2.5 million to produce, making it one of the most expensive ever made.
With “Heartbreaker,” Carey also unknowingly pioneered an enduring fashion trend: low-rise denim jeans. Dissatisfied with the fit of her then-high-waisted jeans, Carey’s late stylist, Tonjua Twist, decided to chop off the top section with scissors, spawning the low-rise look that would become a favorite among aughts-era celebrities.
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