Every October 31, once it hits midnight, Mariah Carey defrosts and reappears on social media to announce the start of the holiday season with her famous words: “It’s tiiiiiime!” For years, this has been a lighthearted online tradition. But this year, something about it felt different.
Carey’s 2025 holiday video opens with comedian Billy Eichner, dressed as an elf and carrying Sephora shopping bags, declaring that there will be no holiday season because “the elves are striking this year”. He adds, “I’m pawning all this so I can afford elf therapy.” Moments later, she sings; Eichner freezes and transforms into a snowman. Carey then appears dressed in a Santa-inspired ensemble, driving a sleigh. As she makes her way around the world, she drops a Sephora bag into one chimney. The video has already gained over 200 million views across Instagram and TikTok.
It’s glossy, funny, and full of holiday sparkle. But under the tinsel and the sequins, there is something else happening; a disconnect that feels impossible to ignore.
Sephora’s inclusion in the video isn’t subtle. The brand bags are right there; the elf’s dialogue turns real-world financial struggles and labor strikes into punchlines. On paper, it’s satire. In practice, though, it feels like a brand is laughing at the people who can no longer afford its products.
That is the strange new tone of corporate marketing, a mix of irony, self-awareness, and mockery. Companies know consumers are frustrated about inflation, overconsumption, and how impossible it feels to keep up. Instead of addressing it sincerely, they are turning it into content.
The message becomes: “Yes, we know you’re broke, anxious, and tired, but wouldn’t you like a new lipstick anyway?”
This ad drops in a year when a government shutdown is dragging on, food assistance programs are being cut, and prices keep climbing. For millions, the holiday season is less about gift giving and more about survival. To release an ad joking about striking elves or pawning presents, while promoting a retailer that sells luxury items, feels like a misread of the moment. Especially when real workers are striking for better wages and healthcare access.
But that is part of a larger shift that we are seeing. Brands used to sell aspirations, the fantasy of joy, comfort, and belonging. Now they sell irony. They play into the absurdity of today’s capitalist life because pretending not to notice feels outdated. The results? Ads that acknowledge how bad things are but still ask you to participate.
It’s an unsettling paradox: companies mock consumer culture while cashing in on it.
A few years ago, self-aware marketing felt fresh. Duolingo’s chaotic TikToks, Wendy’s Twitter roasts, it all seemed like a second to internet culture. But now, that same tone is everywhere, and it’s starting to feel cynical. Brands act “in on the joke,” but the joke is often us, the exhausted consumer, still expected to show up, spend, and smile.
Sephora’s partnership with Carey could have been harmless holiday fun. Instead, it reflects how normal it has become for corporations to blur sincerity and satire. The ad laughs over consumption while literally selling it, using humor as a shield against criticism.
Carey herself remains as iconic as ever; her annual “it’s time” moment is pure pop culture. But this year’s collaboration captures more than just festive cheer; it mirrors a society where everything, even self-mockery, is monetized.
Maybe that is why this ad resonates and repels at the same time. It’s funny because it’s true. It’s uncomfortable because it’s also true.
As we head into another holiday season marked by instability and exhaustion, the “it’s time” video serves as a glitter-covered reminder: brands may know we’re struggling, but they’re still selling to us anyway.