Public image of Mariah Carey

After her debut in 1990, Carey was featured in the media, with Medium writer Lucas Cava noting that her debut single, "Vision of Love" signalled the emergence of a "supremely talented writer and performer".{{Cite web|url=https://lucascava.medium.com/behind-the-beat-mariah-careys-vision-of-love-3622811af0d0|title=Behind The Beat: Mariah Carey's "Vision Of Love"|access-date=August 16, 2024|website=Medium|date=May 14, 2020|last=Cava|first=Lucas}} Carey's debut was described by Stephen Holden, writer for The New York Times. as a win for Columbia Records, noting that it "came with more fanfare and promotional hoopla than [they] had bestowed on a new young talent in years".{{cite news |last=Holding|first=Stephen|date=June 13, 1990|title=The Pop Life|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/06/13/arts/the-pop-life-987890.html|work=The New York Times|location=New York City|access-date=August 16, 2024}} The story of Tommy Mottola, the Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment, spending two weeks using his contacts in the music industry to find Carey after she handed him her demo tape at a CBS music executives' gala, has often been described as Carey's "Cinderella story". Holden was the first journalist to note comparisons of Carey's voice to American singer Whitney Houston's who had made her debut five years earlier in 1985.{{Cite web|url=https://www.splinter.com/the-white-whitney-whose-album-sucks-what-critics-wrote-1793853666|title=The 'white Whitney' whose 'album sucks': What critics wrote about Mariah Carey in 1990|access-date=August 16, 2024|website=Splinter|date=December 22, 2015}} Early in her career, she faced criticism from journalists{{efn|Writing for The Globe and Mail and Rolling Stone among others.}} that she was a "Whitney Houston knock-off". Despite this, Dennis Hunt, writing for the Los Angeles Times noted that "Carey is undeniably, unstoppably popular" calling the situation ironic as Carey's debut album sold more than Houston's in its sixth week. Rumors of a rivalry between the two artist began to spread with both Carey and Houston asked about each other during interviews.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thethings.com/what-happened-between-mariah-carey-and-whitney-houston/|title=What Happened Between Mariah Carey And Whitney Houston?|access-date=August 16, 2024|website=TheThings|date=December 26, 2022|last=Papa|first=Rocco}} Carey noted "that since people weren't familiar with her, they needed to compare her to someone they already knew", hoping that people would see their musical differences. The two later performed the duet "When You Believe" from the animated feature film The Prince of Egypt (1998), dispelling any feud.{{Cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/mariah-carey-interview-career-moments-whitney-houston-8546655/|title=Mariah Carey Looks Back on Some of Her Biggest Career Moments, Like Bonding With Whitney Houston|access-date=August 16, 2024|website=Billboard|date=December 19, 2019|last=Schiller|first=Rebecca}} The duo performed the song live on The Oprah Winfrey Show,{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_3_95/ai_54724886/ |title=Whitney and Mariah team up on hit tune 'When You Believe' |work=BNET |publisher=Business Wire |date=June 30, 1997 |access-date=September 29, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727042844/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_3_95/ai_54724886/ |archive-date=July 27, 2011}} and at the 71st Academy Awards.{{harvnb|Pond|2005|pp=206–207}}

After the release of Carey's second studio album, Emotions (1991), critics began to doubt Carey's vocals and "questioned her ability to replicate it in the live setting".{{Cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/mariah-carey-30th-anniversary-mtv-unplugged-1235080821/|title=Mariah Carey Celebrates the 30th Anniversary of Her 'MTV Unplugged' Performance: 'I Truly Feel Blessed'|access-date=August 17, 2024|website=Billboard|date=February 6, 2022|last=Bowenbank|first=Starr}} Several critics accused Carey of being a studio artist and not being capable of delivering or replicating the same quality vocals live, particularly that of her whistle register.{{harvnb|Nickson|1998|p=70}} In response, Carey performed a special concert on MTV Unplugged, a show aired by MTV to present artists in an "unplugged" or stripped environment. Carey performance received critical acclaim, with BET writer Paul Meara noting that Carey not only "silenced her critics with the performance",{{Cite web|url=https://www.bet.com/article/2ihndt/mariah-carey-celebrates-mtv-unplugged-30th-anniversary-performance|title=Mariah Carey Celebrates 'MTV Unplugged' Performance's 30th Anniversary|access-date=August 17, 2024|website=BET|last=Meara|first=Paul|date=June 3, 2022}} but also "had the last laugh" according to Billboard writer Starr Bowenbank, with the live version of the performance released as an EP and selling over 2.7 million copies. The EP peaked at number three on the US Billboard 200 and garnered the number-one single "I'll Be There".{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/1992/12/25/great-performances-mariah-carey/|title=Carey On|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|publisher=Time Warner|access-date=March 30, 2011|date=December 25, 1992|archive-date=December 22, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091222095520/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,312805,00.html|url-status=live}}

At the beginning of her career, Carey adopted a polished image due to the influence her then-husband, Tommy Mottola{{efn|Mottola was the Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment, in which Carey's label (Columbia Records) was a subsidiary of.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/mottola-leaves-sony-179672/|title=Mottola Leaves Sony|access-date=August 16, 2024|website=Rolling Stone|date= January 9, 2003|last=Dansby|first=Andrew}}}} had over her career. Carey's marriage and later divorce to Mottola received media attention.{{Cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/whitney-houston-mariah-carey-2001-contracts/|title=The Year the Bubble Burst: How 2001 Mega Contracts For Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey Signaled a Shift in the Music Business|access-date=August 16, 2024|website=Billboard|date=September 4, 2021|last=Cochrane|first=Naima}} The two married in 1993, with the wedding said to have cost over $500,000.{{Cite web|url=https://bestlifeonline.com/mariah-carey-tommy-mottola-prisoner-news/|title=Mariah Carey Said She Had "No Freedom" in First Marriage: "Like Being a Prisoner"|access-date=August 16, 2024|website=Best Life|date=January 25, 2023|last=Beck|first=Lia}} In a 2019 interview with Cosmopolitan, Carey noted that during her marriage to Mottola, "there was no freedom for [her] as a human being", feeling like a "prisoner".{{Cite web|url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a28137694/mariah-carey-profile-cover-cosmo-interview-sex-shade-memes/|title=Mariah Carey GOES There on Sex, Shade, and the Stories Behind Those Epic Memes|access-date=August 16, 2024|website=Cosmopolitan|date=July 9, 2019|last=Herndon|first=Jessica}} Mottola later called the relationship "wrong and inappropriate". Carey and Mottola separated in 1997 and divorced in 1998. Carey's subsequent relationship with American baseball player Derek Jeter received media attention, with Carey retrospectively calling him a "catalyst" for her divorce to Mottola.{{Cite web|url=https://www.eonline.com/news/1191087/mariah-carey-says-derek-jeter-was-a-catalyst-in-her-divorce-from-tommy-mottola|title=Mariah Carey Says Derek Jeter Was a "Catalyst" In Her Divorce From Tommy Mottola|access-date=August 16, 2024|website=E! News|last=Thomas|first=Mona|date=September 24, 2020}}

After her separation with Mottola, Carey began to be depicted more sexually in her music videos and her red carpet looks were more provocative.{{harvnb|Harrison|2011|p=7}} The music video for "Honey" received media attention for showing a more sexual side to Carey, portraying her half-naked, jumping off a balcony into a pool.{{Cite web|url=https://impact89fm.org/82701/music/establishing-herself-in-the-hip-hop-community-honey-mariah-carey-1997/|title=Establishing Herself In the Hip-Hop Community|access-date=July 23, 2024|website=Impact89FM|last=Selzer|first=Nicholas}} Carey and Mottola were in the process of their divorce, which "caused fans to speculate the messages displayed within the video". The song was featured on Carey's 1997 album, Butterfly, which was later credited for revamping Carey's image in the public as a pop star who embraced hip-hop and R&B themes. This resulted in butterflies becoming a metaphorical symbol of her impact and legacy upon pop and R&B music.{{Cite web|url=https://theboombox.com/20-years-ago-mariah-carey-reinvents-herself-with-butterfly/|title=20 Years Ago: Mariah Carey Reinvents Herself With 'Butterfly'|access-date=November 24, 2020|website=The Boombox|date=September 16, 2017|archive-date=October 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025052254/https://theboombox.com/20-years-ago-mariah-carey-reinvents-herself-with-butterfly/|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/12/arts/critic-s-notebook-in-the-pop-kingdom-flying-is-the-reigning-metaphor.html|title=Critic's Notebook; In the Pop Kingdom, Flying Is the Reigning Metaphor|access-date=March 31, 2021|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 12, 1997|last=Strauss|first=Neil|archive-date=July 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721204925/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/12/arts/critic-s-notebook-in-the-pop-kingdom-flying-is-the-reigning-metaphor.html|url-status=live}} Carey noted in her 2020 memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey that Butterfly "a turning point in her songwriting career, where bits of her personal life began to inform her craft more explicitly".{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/11/09/931728500/mariah-careys-memoir-is-further-proof-she-has-a-gift-for-storytelling|title=Mariah Carey's Memoir Is Further Proof: She Has A Gift For Storytelling|website=NPR|date= November 9, 2020|access-date=August 16, 2024|last=Harris|first=Aisha}} The Washington Post writer Bethonie Butler called Butterfly "symbolic" adding that during the rollout of the album, Carey's "clothing style grew noticeably sexier" and in turn that made her "more playful with her fans, more frank in interviews".{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/09/18/twenty-years-ago-butterfly-changed-mariah-careys-career-it-also-helped-change-pop-music/|title=Twenty years ago, 'Butterfly' changed Mariah Carey’s career. It also helped change pop music|access-date=July 23, 2024|website=The Washington Post|last=Butler|first=Bethonie|date= September 19, 2017}}

During the late 1990s, Carey was involved in a publicised dispute between herself and her label.{{harvnb|Shapiro|2001|pp=133–134}} After the release of Butterfly and Carey's divorce with Mottola, her working relationship with the label deteriorated. Due to this, Carey negotiated her exit from the label with Norio Ohga, the president and chairman of Sony Corporation.{{Cite web|url=https://www.eonline.com/ca/news/1193262/the-biggest-bombshells-from-the-meaning-of-mariah-carey|title=The Biggest Bombshells from The Meaning of Mariah Carey|access-date=August 17, 2024|website=E! News|date=September 30, 2020|last=Nilles|first=Billy}} She achieved this but not before reaching an agreement on two greatest hits albums (#1's and Greatest Hits – later released in 1998 and 2001 respectively), a remix album (The Remixes – later released in 2003) and a last album under the label, her seventh studio album, Rainbow (1999).{{cite book |last1=Carey |first1=Mariah |author-link1=Mariah Carey |last2=Davis |first2=Michaela Angela |author-link2=Michaela Angela Davis |date=2020 |title=The Meaning of Mariah Carey |publisher=Andy Cohen Books |pages=215–218 |isbn=978-1-2501-6468-1}} During the rollout of Rainbow, Carey originally intended for her ballad "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" to be the third single from the album (following the number-one singles "Heartbreaker" and "Thank God I Found You"); however, Sony made it clear that they wanted the single to be a more upbeat track like "Crybaby". In response, Carey began posting messages on her website, informing fans about the dispute and instructing them to request "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" on radio stations. Fearing to lose Carey's commitment to the label, Sony released "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" and "Crybaby" as a simultaneously double A-side single, with limited promotion.{{harvnb|Shapiro|2001|pp=126–127}}

{{See also|Glitter (soundtrack)#Controversies|label1=Controversies of Glitter}}

In the early 2000s, after her departure from Columbia, Carey signed a four-album contract with Virgin Records worth an estimated $80–$100 million, which in turn received publicity for being the largest contract in music at that point in time.{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-apr-03-fi-46231-story.html|title=Carey Reportedly Signs 4-Album, $80-Million Virgin Records Deal|access-date=August 17, 2024|website=Los Angeles Times|date=April 3, 2001|last=Leeds|first=Jeff}} The first album to be released under Carey's contract would be the soundtrack to her 2001 film, Glitter.{{harvnb|Shapiro|2001|pp=97}} During this time, Carey became a "tabloid fixture", particularly for her public breakdown during the promotion of Glitter which became the "stuff of tabloid legend"{{efn|According to Justin Curto, writer for Vulture.}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/09/the-meaning-of-mariah-carey-book-best-stories.html|title=10 Shocking Stories From Mariah Carey's Memoir|access-date=April 12, 2021|website=Vulture|date=September 30, 2020|archive-date=April 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410235026/https://www.vulture.com/2020/09/the-meaning-of-mariah-carey-book-best-stories.html|url-status=live}}

File:Glitter Ad With Twin Towers Burning.jpeg (2001) seen in front of the Twin Towers burning on September 11, 2001.{{Cite web|url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2017/09/the-odd-story-behind-one-of-wikipedias-oddest-images.html|title=The Odd Story Behind One of Wikipedia's Oddest Images|access-date=February 4, 2021|website=Intelligencer|date=September 11, 2017}}]]

The soundtrack to Glitter received several setbacks, including the original sample for its lead single, "Loverboy", being used in Jennifer Lopez's song "I'm Real", causing Carey to rush to find a new sample.{{cite web|title=Mariah 'Ripped Off' Twice on Same Record|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/mariah-ripped-off-twice-on-same-record|publisher=Fox News Channel|date=April 4, 2002|access-date=May 28, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110906084328/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,49437,00.html|archive-date=September 6, 2011|url-status=live}} Vulture writer Matthew Jacobs noted that "assumptions about Carey's erraticism" began to spread in the media after her "quasi-scandalous" appearance on Total Request Live (TRL). Carey's appearance on TRL garnered strong media attention, with many critics and newspapers citing her behavior as "troubled" and "erratic".{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/24/us/record-label-pays-dearly-to-dismiss-mariah-carey.html|title=Record Label Pays Dearly To Dismiss Mariah Carey|last=Pareles|first=Jon|work=The New York Times|date=January 22, 2002|access-date=February 5, 2011|archive-date=January 28, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110128055201/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/24/us/record-label-pays-dearly-to-dismiss-mariah-carey.html|url-status=live}} Carey was later hospitalized and Glitter faced several additional setbacks.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1777172.stm|title=EMI Drops Mariah Carey|work=BBC News|date=January 31, 2002|access-date=February 3, 2011|archive-date=May 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140513053826/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1777172.stm|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/77238866.html?dids=77238866%3A77238866&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS%3AFT&type=current&date=Aug+09%2C+2001&author=Elysa+Gardner+and+Kelly+Carter&pub=USA+TODAY&desc=Mystery+shadows+Carey%27s+career+Pressures+linger+after+singer%27s+breakdown&pqatl=google|title=Mystery Shadows Carey's Career, Pressures Linger After Singer's Breakdown|last=Gardner|first=Elysa|work=USA Today|date=September 9, 2001|access-date=June 16, 2011|archive-date=July 24, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120724232939/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/77238866.html?dids=77238866%3A77238866&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS%3AFT&type=current&date=Aug+09%2C+2001&author=Elysa+Gardner+and+Kelly+Carter&pub=USA+TODAY&desc=Mystery+shadows+Carey%27s+career+Pressures+linger+after+singer%27s+breakdown&pqatl=google|url-status=dead}} The soundtrack was eventually released on September 11, 2001, with Carey retrospectively blaming the September 11 attacks for the project's weak commercial reaction.{{cite web|title=Carey Blames 9/11 For 'Glitter' Flop|work=Digital Spy|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/news/a199302/carey-blames-911-for-glitter-flop.html|last=Reynolds|first=Simon|date=January 26, 2010|access-date=April 13, 2011|archive-date=February 1, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100201061932/http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/news/a199302/carey-blames-911-for-glitter-flop.html|url-status=live}}

The film itself was received to mostly negative reviews, with many media outlets calling it a "critical and commercial" failure.{{Cite web|url=https://www.complex.com/music/a/cmplxtara-mahadevan/mariah-carey-discusses-how-glitter-impacted-her-career-it-almost-ruined-my-life|title=Mariah Carey Opens Up About How 'Glitter' 'Almost Ruined' Her Life|access-date=July 23, 2024|website=Complex|date=November 18, 2018|first=Tara|last=Mahadevan}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/the-terrible-film-festival-mariah-careys-glitter-is-not-movie-gold/PRMRXD66QTLEE7RPAQWAL25IFA/|title=The Terrible Film Festival: Mariah Carey's Glitter is not movie gold|access-date=July 23, 2024|website=The New Zealand Herald |date=July 20, 2017|last=Puschmann|first=Karl}} Initially, Carey insisted that the film was not autobiographical, although it was noted that the film often "mirrored details from her life".{{Cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2021/09/the-never-ending-story-of-glitter-20-years-on.html|title=The Never-ending Story of Glitter, 20 Years On|access-date=July 23, 2024|website=Vulture|date=September 11, 2021|last=Jacobs|first=Matthew}} Carey's acting was also panned by critics and she won the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress.{{cite web|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2001-09-25/film/eat-drink-man-mariah/|title=Eat Drink Man Mariah|first=Michael|last=Atkinson|date=September 25, 2001|access-date=July 20, 2016|archive-date=June 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120605023023/http://www.villagevoice.com/2001-09-25/film/eat-drink-man-mariah/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|author-link=Peter Bradshaw|last=Bradshaw|first=Peter|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021119164744/http://film.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_review/0,4267,603978,00.html|archive-date=November 19, 2002|url=http://film.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_review/0,4267,603978,00.html|title=Glitter|website=The Guardian|date=November 23, 2001 |access-date=March 20, 2022}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.razzies.com/forum/2001-razzie-nominees-winners_topic351.html|date=December 4, 2005|access-date=June 30, 2012|work=Golden Raspberry Awards|title=2001 RAZZIE® Nominees & "Winners"|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303171013/http://www.razzies.com/forum/2001-razzie-nominees-winners_topic351.html|archive-date=March 3, 2016|url-status=dead}} Several actors and actresses from Glitter have openly dismissed and criticised the film including Max Beesley,{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2006/apr/29/2|title=Bodies and soul|access-date=February 22, 2021|website=The Guardian |date=April 28, 2006|last=Freeman|first=Hadley}} Da Brat,{{Cite web|url=https://theblast.com/c/da-brat-mariah-carey-glitter|access-date=March 6, 2021|website=Blast|title=Da Brat Denies Making Bank From BFF Mariah Carey's Classic 'Glitter,' Reveals She Was Paid Scale for Film|date=December 18, 2018|archive-date=December 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206155506/https://theblast.com/c/da-brat-mariah-carey-glitter/|url-status=live}} and Terrence Howard.{{Cite web|title=Elle Macpherson & Terrence Howard Get Candid With Andy Cohen On 'WWHL'|url=https://toofab.com/2018/09/28/terrence-howard-says-f-k-em-to-iron-man-rates-glitter-on-wwhl/|date=April 16, 2021|website=TooFab|access-date=April 19, 2021|archive-date=April 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419124822/https://toofab.com/2018/09/28/terrence-howard-says-f-k-em-to-iron-man-rates-glitter-on-wwhl/|url-status=live}} Glitter has also been called one of the worst films ever made.{{Cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/worst-movies-rated-negative-10-reddit/|title=10 Movies That Are A Negative 10 Out Of 10, According To Reddit|first=Lukas|last=Shayo|date=November 12, 2022|website=ScreenRant}} In response to the failure of Glitter, Carey was bought out of her contract with Virgin Records for $28 million with The New York Times reporting that it marked "the first time that a major music corporation decided to cut its losses on a superstar agreement".{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/24/news/mariah-gets-scratched-but-with-a-glittering-buyout-from-emi.html|title=Mariah Gets Scratched, but With a Glittering Buyout From EMI|newspaper=The New York Times|date=January 24, 2002|access-date=September 4, 2023|first=Barry|last=James|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200721180306/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/24/news/mariah-gets-scratched-but-with-a-glittering-buyout-from-emi.html|archive-date=July 21, 2020}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/whitney-houston-mariah-carey-2001-contracts/|title=The Year the Bubble Burst: How 2001 Mega Contracts For Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey Signaled a Shift in the Music Business|magazine=Billboard|date=May 9, 2021|access-date=September 4, 2023|first=Naima|last=Cochrane|url-access=subscription|archive-date=September 4, 2023|archive-url=https://archive.today/20230904080027/https://www.billboard.com/pro/whitney-houston-mariah-carey-2001-contracts/}}

During this time, Carey faced media attention for other personal setbacks including her relationship with Latin singer Luis Miguel.{{Cite web|url=https://ca.news.yahoo.com/mariah-carey-luis-miguels-over-030827349.html?src=rss|title=Mariah Carey and Luis Miguel's 'Over-the-Top' and 'Extravagant' Relationship: A Look Back|access-date=August 17, 2024|website=Yahoo! News|date=October 30, 2021|last=Avila|first=Daniela}} Carey and Miguel were in a relationship from 1998 to 2001, with Carey stating in 2000 that the two were happy despite the media always attacking their relationship. Carey later explained in her memoir that there were "cultural gaps" between Miguel and herself. Their relationship was later dramatised in Miguel's autobiographical television series, Luis Miguel: The Series (2021), where Carey was portrayed by British singer and actress Jade Ewen.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/20211029125148/jade-ewen-role-on-luis-miguel-mariah-carey-exclusive-interview/|title=Jade Ewen on playing Mariah Carey: 'All my life experiences were in preparation for this role'|access-date=August 17, 2024|website=Hello!|date=October 29, 2021|last=Crosbie|first=Eve}} In 2002, Carey starred in WiseGirls alongside Mira Sorvino and Melora Walters which received generally mixed reviews, although praise was given to Carey's role.{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/mariah-makes-good-in-mob-movie|last=Friedman|first=Roger|title=Mariah Makes Good in Mob Movie|publisher=Fox News Channel|date=January 14, 2002|access-date=August 19, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314071924/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,42928,00.html|archive-date=March 14, 2012|url-status=live}} Various journalists called it a small comeback for Carey as an actress after Glitter.{{efn|Including Variety,{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2002/film/markets-festivals/wisegirls-1200551902/|website=Variety|title=Wisegirls|date=15 January 2002 |access-date=April 20, 2021}} Fox News,{{Cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/mariah-makes-good-in-mob-movie|title=Mariah Makes Good in Mob Movie|access-date=April 20, 2021|website=Fox News|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314071924/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,42928,00.html|archive-date=2012-03-14}} The Hollywood Reporter,{{Cite web|title=Wisegirls|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1257566 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051107034149/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1257566 |archive-date=2005-11-07 |website=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=April 20, 2021}} and USA Today.{{Cite web|url=https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/dcovfri.htm|title=Mariah Carey, 'standing again'|access-date=April 20, 2021|website=USA Today}}}} That same year, Carey signed a record deal with Island Def Jam valued at more than $24 million, after The New York Times reported that there was a bidding war.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/09/business/mariah-carey-and-universal-agree-to-terms-of-record-deal.html|title=Mariah Carey And Universal Agree to Terms Of Record Deal|accessdate=August 19, 2024|website=The New York Times|date=May 9, 2002|last=Holson|first=Laura}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/09/business/mariah-carey-and-universal-agree-to-terms-of-record-deal.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090610015420/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/09/business/mariah-carey-and-universal-agree-to-terms-of-record-deal.html |archive-date=June 10, 2009 |url-access=limited |url-status=live|title=Mariah Carey And Universal Agree to Terms of Record Deal|last=Holson|first=Lisa|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 21, 2002|access-date=August 19, 2011}} Carey had a mildly unsuccessful period in music following Glitter with her follow-up album Charmbracelet (2002).{{Cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/making-of-mariah-carey-caution-album-757429/|title=Mariah Carey Made Her Best Album of the Decade by Taking Back Control|accessdate=August 19, 2024|website=Rolling Stone|date=November 21, 2018|last=Leight|first=Elias|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181123022656/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/making-of-mariah-carey-caution-album-757429/|archive-date=November 23, 2018}}

File:Mariah Carey GMA 2005.jpg", on Good Morning America in 2005]]

Carey returned to mainstream media prominence with the album, The Emancipation of Mimi (2005).{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/mariah-carey-interview-the-emancipation-of-mimi-anniversary-9356111/|title=Mariah Carey on Why 2005's Iconic 'The Emancipation of Mimi' LP Was 'More Than a Comeback Album'|access-date=April 19, 2023|magazine=Billboard|archive-date=April 19, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230419175029/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/mariah-carey-interview-the-emancipation-of-mimi-anniversary-9356111/|url-status=live}} Vulture called the album an "all-time-great pop renaissance". Carey released the album's lead single, "It's Like That", to positive reviews with Billboard calling it a return for Carey.{{Cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XBQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA33 | title=Billboard| date=February 5, 2005}} The album's second single, "We Belong Together" received critical acclaim,{{cite web|url=http://business.highbeam.com/436102/article-1G1-141877770/jermaine-dupri-wins-rb-song-grammy-virgin-urban-music|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120611092331/http://business.highbeam.com/436102/article-1G1-141877770/jermaine-dupri-wins-rb-song-grammy-virgin-urban-music|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 11, 2012|title=Jermaine Dupri Wins R&B Song Grammy; Virgin Urban Music President Dupri Shares Songwriting Honors With Mariah Carey and So So Def/Virgin Artist Johnta Austin|publisher=Business Wire. Berkshire Hathaway|date=April 14, 2006|access-date=April 8, 2011}} and was deemed Carey's "comeback" song after Glitter and Charmbracelet.{{cite web|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/charmbracelet-r617273/review|title=((( Charmbracelet > Overview )))|work=AllMusic|publisher=Rovi Corporation|date=December 13, 2002|access-date=June 13, 2011|archive-date=May 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130507153629/http://www.allmusic.com/album/charmbracelet-mw0000226447|url-status=live}} The song peaked at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 and went on to be one of Carey's most successful songs.{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2006/12/07/2006s-best-grammy-moments/|title=Dance To The Music|last=Susman|first=Gary|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|publisher=Time Warner|date=April 11, 2005|access-date=February 21, 2011|archive-date=October 21, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021171836/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1158076,00.html|url-status=live}} The album also debuted atop the Billboard 200 and is one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century.{{cite web|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/mariah-carey-the-emancipation-of-mimi|title=Mariah Carey: The Emancipation Of Mimi|last=Cinquemani|first=Sal|work=Slant Magazine|date=April 5, 2005|access-date=February 21, 2010|archive-date=June 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615085209/http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/mariah-carey-the-emancipation-of-mimi|url-status=live}} The album's third single, "Shake It Off" peaked at number two on the Hot 100 behind "We Belong Together", marking the first time a female artist occupied the top two positions of the Hot 100.{{cite magazine|title=Chart Beat|magazine=Billboard|date=September 1, 2005|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/61584/chart-beat|last=Trust|first=Gary|access-date=April 9, 2011|archive-date=September 30, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140930135021/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/61584/chart-beat|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/mariah-careys-biography|title=Mariah Carey's Biography|last=Christopher|first=Jay|publisher=Fox News Channel|date=March 28, 2008|access-date=August 1, 2011|archive-date=May 28, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528231038/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,205054,00.html|url-status=live}} In 2008, Carey was named one of Time{{'}}s 100 most influential artists and entertainers in the world.{{Cite magazine|url=http://content.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1733748_1733752_1735744,00.html|title=The 2008 TIME 100|access-date=April 12, 2021|magazine=Time|date=May 12, 2008|last=Wonder|first=Stevie|archive-date=May 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506062802/https://content.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1733748_1733752_1735744,00.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite magazine|url=http://content.time.com/time/specials/2007/completelist/0,29569,1733748,00.html|title=Complete List – The 2008 TIME 100|magazine=Time|access-date=April 12, 2021|archive-date=May 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506093550/https://content.time.com/time/specials/2007/completelist/0,29569,1733748,00.html|url-status=live}} That same year, Carey married American comedian Nick Cannon.{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/mariah-carey-nick-cannon-get-wedding-tattoos|title=Mariah Carey, Nick Cannon Get Wedding Tattoos|last=McKay|first=Hollie|publisher=Fox News|date=April 3, 2008|access-date=August 6, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111101204436/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354539,00.html|archive-date=November 1, 2011|url-status=live}} She gave birth to their twins in 2011.{{cite magazine|url=https://people.com/bodies/mariah-carey-tells-rosie-odonnell-i-lost-70-lbs-after-twins/|title=Mariah Carey Tells Rosie O'Donnell: I Lost 70 Lbs. After Twins|date=November 8, 2011|magazine=People|access-date=November 11, 2019|first=Sara|last=Hammel|archive-date=January 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170128012929/https://people.com/bodies/mariah-carey-tells-rosie-odonnell-i-lost-70-lbs-after-twins/|url-status=live}}

Carey starred in the film Precious (2009) as a social worker named Ms. Weiss.{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-nov-05-et-mariah5-story.html|title=Mariah Carey shows her ugly side in 'Precious'|accessdate=August 19, 2024|website=Los Angeles Times|date=November 5, 2009|last=Lee|first=Chris}} Carey's role in the film received critical acclaim, while the film itself was also received well and went on to receive six nominations at the 82nd Academy Awards.{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2010/film/news/82nd-annual-academy-awards-winners-list-1118016173 |title=82nd Annual Academy Awards winners list |author=Variety Staff |work=Variety |publisher= Reed Elsevier Inc |date=March 7, 2010 |access-date=March 15, 2010}} Los Angeles Times writer Chris Lee noted that the "high-maintenance pop diva underwent a soup-to-nuts physical transformation". Lee added that the role was "far from the image Carey has cultivated for years", and described the character "drab but deeply empathetic soul". The film is considered Carey's acting comeback after Glitter,{{efn|As cited by The Sydney Morning Herald,{{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/mariahs-no-joke-director-praises-carey-in-acting-role-20100122-mq2f.html|title=Mariah's no joke: director praises Carey in acting role|accessdate=August 19, 2024|website=The Sydney Morning Herald |date= January 22, 2010}} The New York Times,{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/25/magazine/25precious-t.html|title=The Audacity of 'Precious'|accessdate=August 19, 2024|website=The New York Times|last=Hirschberg|first=Lynn|date=October 21, 2009}} and Bustle.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/how-mariah-careys-glitter-became-one-of-the-best-comeback-stories-of-2018-13180233|title=Mariah Carey's 'Glitter' Return Is Moment Of Major Redemption For The Legendary Singer|accessdate=August 19, 2024|website=Bustle|date=November 27, 2018|last=Bradley|first=Nina}}}} and TheThings writer Rocco Papa opined that Carey received acclaim for her "unrecognizable appearance".{{Cite web|url=https://www.thethings.com/how-mariah-carey-made-a-comeback-after-the-failure-of-glitter/|title=How Mariah Carey Made A Comeback After The Failure Of Glitter|accessdate=August 19, 2024|website=TheThings|date=October 22, 2022|last=Papa|first=Rocco}} The director of the film, Lee Daniels, noted that he broke several "Mariah rules" when filming her, including "the use of fluorescent lighting to her being filmed from the worst angles". Carey went on to win the Breakthrough Performance Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.{{cite web |url=http://www.psfilmfest.org/news/detail.aspx?NID=209&year=2009 |title=Palms Springs finds Carey precious |publisher=Palm Springs International Film Festival |access-date=March 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727190411/http://www.psfilmfest.org/news/detail.aspx?NID=209&year=2009 |archive-date=July 27, 2011 }} Her speech went viral on social media after some noted that she sounded drunk.{{Cite web|url=https://www.odt.co.nz/entertainment/mariah-carey-justifies-rambling-acceptance-speech|title=Mariah Carey justifies rambling acceptance speech|accessdate=August 19, 2024|website=Otago Daily Times |date=January 8, 2010}}{{Cite web|url=https://people.com/celebrity/mariah-carey-jokes-about-her-drinking-again/|title=Mariah Carey Jokes about Her Drinking (Again)|accessdate=August 19, 2024|website=People|date= January 18, 2010|last=Bartolomeo|first=Joey}} Carey later starred in The Butler (2013), also directed by Daniels which was also well received by critics.{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2015/film/features/mariah-carey-empire-lee-daniels-precious-1201556558/|title=Mariah Carey’s Movie Career Gets Big Boost from Lee Daniels|accessdate=August 19, 2024|website=Variety|date=August 5, 2010|last=Gallo|first=Phil}}

In the 2010s, Now writer Kevin Hegge stated that the media and general public began to dwell on Carey's "celebrity drama".{{Cite web|url=https://nowtoronto.com/music/features/mariah-carey-caution-comeback|newspaper=Now|access-date=April 12, 2021|title=Have We Been Underestimating Mariah Carey?|date=November 29, 2018|archive-date=April 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412095413/https://nowtoronto.com/music/features/mariah-carey-caution-comeback|url-status=dead}} In 2013, after joining American Idol as a judge for the twelfth season, Carey became one of the highest paid American television stars with a $18 million paycheck.{{cite magazine|last=Maloney|first=Devon|title=Mariah Carey's $18 Million 'Idol' Deal: How Does it Measure Up to Stars' TV Paydays?|url=http://www.spin.com/2012/07/mariah-careys-18-million-idol-deal-how-does-it-measure-stars-tv-paydays/|magazine=Spin|access-date=July 4, 2017|date=July 24, 2012|archive-date=June 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170621231852/http://www.spin.com/2012/07/mariah-careys-18-million-idol-deal-how-does-it-measure-stars-tv-paydays/|url-status=live}} During the show, there were onset disagreements between herself and fellow judge Nicki Minaj,{{cite news |url= http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/mariah-nicki-minaj-threaten-shoot-article-1.1175097 |title= Mariah Carey: Nicki Minaj threatened to shoot me on the set of 'American Idol' |author= Gina Salamone, Don Kaplan |work= New York Daily News |date= October 4, 2012 |access-date= January 8, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121105011719/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/mariah-nicki-minaj-threaten-shoot-article-1.1175097 |archive-date= November 5, 2012 |url-status= live }} with a video leaked by TMZ showing the two arguing.{{cite news |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/idol-worship/american-idol-smack-down-nicki-376454 |title='American Idol' Smackdown: Nicki Minaj-Mariah Carey Feud Explodes Online |author=Michele Amabile Angermiller |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=October 4, 2012 |access-date=January 8, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130129082129/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/idol-worship/american-idol-smack-down-nicki-376454 |archive-date=January 29, 2013 |url-status=live }} In 2014, Carey's separation and later divorce from Cannon received media attention after the two were spotted without their wedding rings.{{Cite web|url=https://people.com/music/mariah-carey-nick-cannon-relationship-timeline/|title=Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon's Relationship Timeline|access-date=August 15, 2024|website=People|date= August 9, 2024|last=Sweeney|first=Sydney}} In December of that year, Carey's performance of her song "All I Want for Christmas Is You" at the NBC Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting special received negative media attention{{efn|Reported by various journalists writing for USA Today,{{Cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2014/12/04/rockefeller-center-tree-lighting-protests-mariah-carey/19879249/|title=Mariah Carey bombs at NYC tree lighting|accessdate=August 20, 2024|website=USA Today|last= Oldenburg|first=Ann}} Forbes,{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/bobbyowsinski/2014/12/04/defending-mariah-careys-christmas-tree-lighting-performance/|title=Defending Mariah Carey's Christmas Tree Lighting Performance|accessdate=August 20, 2024|website=Forbes|last=Owsinski|first=Bobby}} and CNN.{{Cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2014/12/04/showbiz/music/mariah-carey-rockefeller-christmas/index.html|title=Mariah Carey slammed over NYC Christmas gig|accessdate=August 20, 2024|website=CNN |last=Reedy|first=Cara}}}} with TheWrap reporting that Carey sounded like she was "losing even more of her voice, as well as her breath".{{Cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/mariah-careys-vocal-struggles-during-live-televised-performance-lead-to-polarized-twitter-response-video/|title=Mariah Carey’s Vocal Struggles During Live Broadcast Lead to Polarized Twitter Response (Video)|accessdate=August 20, 2024|website=TheWrap|date=December 4, 2014|last=Hughes|first=Jason}} CNN also reported that Carey was three hours late, reportedly due to a meeting with her lawyer about her divorce settlement with Cannon. Carey later apologized on Twitter.

From 2015 to 2016, Carey's relationship, engagement and breakup to Australian billionaire James Packer received publicity.{{Cite web|url=https://bestlifeonline.com/mariah-carey-james-packer-fee/|title=Mariah Carey Demanded $50 Million "Inconvenience Fee" From Ex-Fiancé After Breakup|access-date=July 27, 2024|website=Best Life|last=Beck|first=Lia|date=November 12, 2023}} Packer proposed to Carey with a 35-carat diamond ring, estimated to be worth around $5–10 million.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/mariah-careys-engagement-ring-worth-almost-five-million-dollars/QY5TRJZEIXGCOM6OJRUGVBZMPI/|title=Mariah Carey's engagement ring worth almost five million dollars|accessdate=August 20, 2024|website=The New Zealand Herald |date=January 30, 2016}} The ring became one of the most expensive celebrity engagement rings of all time.{{Cite web|url=https://wwd.com/feature/most-expensive-celebrity-engagement-rings-1235751267/|title=The Most Expensive Celebrity Engagement Rings: Jackie O’s 40-Carat Harry Winston Sparkler, Grace Kelly’s Emerald-cut Cartier Bauble and More|date=January 28, 2024|accessdate=August 20, 2024|website=WWD|last=Malach|first=Hannah}} Carey later sold the ring and cited mental health reasons for their separation.{{Cite web|url=https://people.com/music/mariah-carey-james-packer-split-mental-health-allegations/|title=Mariah Carey 'Had to Leave' James Packer Because He Was 'Not Mentally Healthy' - But His Side Claims She 'Has Issues': Sources|accessdate=August 20, 2024|website=People|date=October 28, 2016|last=Mizoguchi|first=Karen}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.etonline.com/mariah-carey-no-longer-has-her-10-million-engagement-ring-from-james-packer-103243|title=Mariah Carey No Longer Has Her $10 Million Engagement Ring From James Packer|accessdate=August 20, 2024|website=Entertainment Tonight|last=Murphy|first=Desiree|date=May 30, 2018}} Carey reportedly sought a $50 million "inconvenience fee" from Packer and received a multimillion-dollar settlement,{{Cite web|url=https://www.etonline.com/mariah-carey-received-multimillion-dollar-settlement-ex-fiance-james-packer-kept-engagement-ring|title=Mariah Carey Received 'Multimillion-Dollar Settlement' From Ex-Fiance James Packer, Kept Engagement Ring|accessdate=August 20, 2024|website=Entertainment Tonight|last=Drysdale|first=Jennifer|date=November 29, 2017}} and she burnt her custom $250,000 wedding dress in the music video for her 2017 single "I Don't".{{Cite web|url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/fashion/a8680978/mariah-cary-burning-wedding-dress/|title=Watch Mariah Carey Casually Burn Her $250,000 Wedding Dress|accessdate=August 20, 2024|website=Cosmopolitan|last=Torgerson|first=Rachel|date=November 29, 2017}}

In 2017, Carey's Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve performance received media attention after it was marred by technical issues.{{Cite web|url=https://www.glamour.com/story/mariah-carey-had-the-realest-response-to-her-new-years-eve-performance-mishap|title=Mariah Carey Had the Realest Response to Her New Year's Eve Performance Mishap|access-date=July 27, 2024|website=Glamour|date=January 1, 2017|last=Reimel|first=Erin}} Various publications called the performance a disaster,{{Cite web|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/music/a821812/mariah-carey-blames-everyone-nye-lip-syncing/|title=Mariah Carey now blames "everyone" for her NYE lip-syncing disaster|access-date=August 15, 2024|website=Digital Spy|last=Mitchell|first=Bell|date=February 22, 2017}}{{Cite web|url=https://graziamagazine.com/articles/mariah-carey-nye-performance-disaster/|title=Mariah Carey accuses TV network of "sabotage" after train wreck Times Square performance|access-date=August 15, 2024|website=Grazia|first=Erin|last=Van Der Meer}}{{Cite web|url=https://people.com/music/ryan-seacrest-mariah-carey-new-years-eve-wwhl/|title=Ryan Seacrest Says Crew Didn't Fail Mariah Carey During NYE Disaster: 'She Was Working with the Best'|access-date=August 15, 2024|website=People|last=Quinn|first=Dave|date=September 22, 2017}} with Carey later tweeting, "Here's to making more headlines in 2017". A month later, Carey stated in an interview with Rolling Stone that it was a "chaotic mess", feeling that Dick Clark Productions had "set her up to fail". The production company denied all accusations. Vanity Fair writer Kenzie Bryant opined that "the malfunctions, mixed with Carey's extra diva humor, made for great television".{{Cite web|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2017/12/mariah-carey-new-years-eve-second-chance|title=Can Mariah Carey Bounce Back from Last New Year's Eve Mishap?|access-date=July 27, 2024|website=Vanity Fair|last=Bryant|first=Kenzie|date=December 29, 2017}} Carey returned to the same stage a year later with publications calling it redemption.{{Cite magazine|url=https://time.com/5084034/mariah-carey-hot-tea-meme-nye-2018/|title=Mariah Carey's New Year's Eve Tea Disaster Is the Hottest Meme of 2018 So Far|date=January 2, 2018|magazine=Time|access-date=July 15, 2023|archive-date=July 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230715212149/https://time.com/5084034/mariah-carey-hot-tea-meme-nye-2018/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/mariah-carey-redeems-years-eve-2018-live-performance/story?id=52082917|title=Mariah Carey redeems herself with New Year's Eve 2018 live performance|access-date=July 27, 2024|website=ABC News|date=January 2, 2018}} Carey's fifteenth studio album, Caution (2018) received widespread critical acclaim, with Hegge describing it as a musical comeback for Carey who had not received so much media attention for her music.

In the early 2020s, Carey and her songs have gone viral on TikTok.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/mariah-carey-goes-mega-viral-with-tiktok-video-defrosting-for-christmas-2362570/|title=Mariah Carey goes mega-viral with TikTok video "defrosting" for Christmas|date=November 2, 2023|access-date=July 27, 2024|website=Dexerto|last=Hale|first=Jacob}} In 2019, her song "Obsessed" became a viral TikTok challenge where thousands of users recreated a clip of a user sobbing and dancing to the song.{{Cite magazine|last=Aniftos|first=Rania|title=How TikTok Breathed Life into a Mariah Carey Hit with the #ObsessedChallenge|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8525840/tiktok-obsessed-challenge-mariah-carey-origin|magazine=Billboard|access-date=November 27, 2019|archive-date=November 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191110023441/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8525840/tiktok-obsessed-challenge-mariah-carey-origin|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Corry|first=Kristin|date=August 1, 2019|title=Mariah Carey's 'Obsessed' Is the Real Song of the Summer, Thanks to TikTok|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/bjwggw/mariah-careys-obsessed-is-the-real-song-of-the-summer-thanks-to-tiktok|website=Vice|language=en|access-date=April 29, 2021|archive-date=April 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429015422/https://www.vice.com/en/article/bjwggw/mariah-careys-obsessed-is-the-real-song-of-the-summer-thanks-to-tiktok|url-status=live}} "Always Be My Baby" also went viral on the app, causing the song to chart on various charts including the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart.{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2024/07/17/mariah-careys-decades-old-smash-reaches-a-chart-for-the-first-time/|title=Mariah Carey’s Decades-Old Smash Reaches A Chart For The First Time|access-date=July 27, 2024|website=Forbes|date=July 17, 2024|last=McIntyre|first=Hugh}} Other songs which prompted viral challenges include "Fantasy",{{Cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/parenting/2019/11/11/mariah-carey-just-won-tiktoks-fantasy-challenge/2561498001/|title=Game over! Mariah Carey outdid every kid on TikTok with her 'Fantasy challenge'|access-date=July 30, 2024|website=USA Today|date=November 11, 2019|last=Haller|first=Sonja}} "It's a Wrap",{{cite magazine|last=Lipshutz|first=Jason|url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/mariah-carey-its-a-wrap-streaming-tiktok-challenge/|url-access=subscription|title=Mariah Carey's 'It's a Wrap' Explodes at Streaming Thanks to TikTok Challenge|date=February 2, 2023|magazine=Billboard|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307135454/https://www.billboard.com/pro/mariah-carey-its-a-wrap-streaming-tiktok-challenge/|archive-date=March 7, 2023}}{{cite magazine|last=Abraham|first=Mya|url=https://www.vibe.com/music/music-news/mariah-carey-tiktok-challenge-its-a-wrap-1234731971/|title=Mariah Carey's 'It's A Wrap' Gets Streaming Surge Thanks to TikTok|date=February 2, 2023|magazine=Vibe|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404190437/https://www.vibe.com/music/music-news/mariah-carey-tiktok-challenge-its-a-wrap-1234731971/|archive-date=April 4, 2023}} and "Touch My Body".{{Cite web|url=https://fm100.com/2024/01/18/our-favorite-tiktok-dances/|title=10 of Our Favorite TikTok Dances|access-date=July 27, 2024|website=FM100.3|last=Ville|first=Bon|date=January 18, 2024}}

Carey's personal life continued to receive media coverage throughout the decade, including her break up after seven years together with Bryan Tanaka, who announced it through a statement on Instagram on Boxing Day in 2023,{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/mariah-carey-tanaka-breakup-b2469722.html|title=Mariah Carey’s ex Bryan Tanaka confirms ‘amicable’ breakup ‘with mixed emotions’|access-date=January 8, 2025|website=Independent|last=Hebert|first=Olivia|date=December 26, 2023}} as well as the deaths of her mother and sister, who both died on the same day in August 2024.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/aug/27/mariah-carey-announces-death-of-mother-and-sister-on-same-day|title=Mariah Carey announces death of mother and sister on same day|access-date=January 8, 2025|website=The Guardian |last=|first=|date=August 26, 2024}} In December 2024, several media outlets began speculating about Carey's rumoured relationship with fellow American singer Anderson .Paak.{{Cite web|url=https://metro.co.uk/2024/12/24/mariah-carey-55-sparks-dating-rumours-holding-hands-grammy-winning-rapper-38-22248390/|title=Mariah Carey, 55, sparks dating rumours after holding hands with Grammy-winning rapper, 38|access-date=January 8, 2025|website=Metro|last=Iftikhar|first=Asyia|date=December 24, 2024}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.themirror.com/entertainment/mariah-carey-anderson-paak-hands-875550|title=Mariah Carey spotted holding hands with Anderson .Paak after dinner in Aspen|access-date=January 8, 2025|website=The Mirror US|last=Cuevas|first=Jailene|date=December 24, 2024}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a63313204/mariah-carey-anderson-paaks-relationship-timeline/|title=Mariah Carey and Anderson .Paak's Complete Relationship Timeline|access-date=January 8, 2025|website=Elle|last=Lutkin|first=Aimée|date=December 31, 2024}}

File:MariahRAH270519-59 (49621356786).jpg for a fan in 2019]]

Carey's fanbase is known as the "Lambily", a portmanteau of "lamb" and "family".{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/12/17/mariah-careys-devoted-lambily-celebrate-justiceforglitter|title=Mariah Carey's Devoted Lambily Celebrate #JusticeForGlitter|access-date=July 20, 2021|magazine=The New Yorker|archive-date=May 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513123751/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/12/17/mariah-careys-devoted-lambily-celebrate-justiceforglitter|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-elusive-mariah-careys-new-memoir|title=The Elusive Mariah Carey's New Memoir|access-date=August 14, 2024|date=October 2, 2020|last=Lordi|first=Emily|website=The New Yorker}} The name derived from Carey's use of the word as a term of endearment in the early 2000s when she would leave voice memos and messages on her website for her fans.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/22/style/mariah-carey-in-concert.html|title=The Defiance of Mariah's Lambs|access-date=July 27, 2024|website=The New York Times|date=December 22, 2018|last=Juzwiak|first=Rich|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110080137/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/22/style/mariah-carey-in-concert.html|archive-date=November 10, 2021}} With over 10 million followers as of April 2013, Carey is one of the most popular musicians on Twitter.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/apr/19/twitter-music-app-100-most-followed-musicians|title=The 100 most popular musicians on Twitter: get the full list|access-date=April 21, 2023|magazine=The Guardian |date=April 19, 2013|last=|first=|archive-date=April 4, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404191313/https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/apr/19/twitter-music-app-100-most-followed-musicians|url-status=live}}

Carey has often noted that she feels a close bond with her fans. Emily Lordi of The New Yorker wrote that she "makes an effort to preserve her relationship with her fans", adding that Carey "does not lament the need to perform for them constantly at the peak of her career, or recount any scary brushes with obsessed followers". In her 2020 memoir, Carey recounted the moment when she performed a concert special in 1993{{efn|Later released as a video album titled Here Is Mariah Carey.{{cite news |last=Huff |first=Richard |date=September 9, 1993 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80646615/daily-news/ |title=NBC special tuning in to Mariah Carey |department=Television |work=Daily News |page=95 |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=July 8, 2021 |archive-date=July 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709181908/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80646615/daily-news/ |url-status=live }}}} noting that due to her fans' presence, it was one of the first times she had come to understand her level of fame.{{Cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/10/mariah-carey-memoir-song-stories.html|title=The Stories Behind 13 of Mariah Carey's Biggest Hits|website=Vulture|date=October 8, 2020|access-date=August 14, 2024|last=Curto|first=Justin}}

Carey's fans are credited with originating the internet term "skinny legend", which was often used as a form of praise and endearment for their idol.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/skinny-legend-is-the-highest-praise-you-can-give-on-the-internet-right-now|title='Skinny Legend' Is the Highest Praise You Can Give on the Internet Right Now|access-date=April 21, 2023|website=The Daily Beast|date=April 12, 2016|last=Lorenz|first=Taylor|archive-date=April 21, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421190338/https://www.thedailybeast.com/skinny-legend-is-the-highest-praise-you-can-give-on-the-internet-right-now|url-status=live}} The term has since been used for other celebrities including Christina Aguilera and Raini Rodriguez. In 2018, as part of a build-up to Carey's then-upcoming album, Caution, Carey's fans started a campaign titled #JusticeforGlitter which resulted in pushing Carey's 2001 album, Glitter, to the top of the iTunes albums charts in several countries including the United States.{{Cite web|url=https://thatgrapejuice.net/2019/02/mariah-carey-kicks-off-caution-tour-with-hits-unique-fan-faves-glitter-salute/|title=Mariah Carey Kicks Off 'Caution Tour' With Hits, Unique Fan Faves, & 'Glitter' Salute|access-date=November 13, 2020|website=thatgrapejuice|archive-date=October 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020032823/https://thatgrapejuice.net/2019/02/mariah-carey-kicks-off-caution-tour-with-hits-unique-fan-faves-glitter-salute/|url-status=live}}

{{See also|Obsessed (Mariah Carey song)#Controversy|label 1=Controversy of Obsessed}}

Carey has been involved in a publicised feud with American rapper Eminem which has gone on to become one of the most infamous feuds from the 2000s.{{Cite web|url=https://americansongwriter.com/the-infamous-eminem-and-mariah-carey-feud-explained/|title=The Infamous Eminem and Mariah Carey Feud, Explained|access-date=July 27, 2024|website=American Songwriter|date=May 27, 2024|last=Davis|first=Melanie}} Eminem alleged that he had a relationship with Carey in 2002, which prompted Carey to release a diss track titled "Clown" on Charmbracelet. The two went back and forth in various years until it culminated in 2009 with the release of Carey's song "Obsessed" from her twelfth studio album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. Critics heavily compared its lyrics to the relationship between Carey and Eminem and suggested that Carey alluded to him and his "obsession" with her.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/mariah-carey-impersonates-eminem-on-tiktok-for-obsessed-anniversary-2973249|title=Mariah Carey impersonates Eminem on TikTok for 'Obsessed' anniversary|magazine=NME|access-date=July 20, 2021|date=June 18, 2021|first=Shaheem|last=Reid|archive-date=July 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720151848/https://www.nme.com/news/music/mariah-carey-impersonates-eminem-on-tiktok-for-obsessed-anniversary-2973249|url-status=live}} While "Obsessed" never mentioned the rapper by name, many reviewers felt it to be very obvious.{{cite news|url=https://www.eonline.com/uk/news/1280864/mariah-carey-throws-shade-at-eminem-while-celebrating-obsessed-anniversary|title=Mariah Carey Throws Shade at Eminem While Celebrating "Obsessed" Anniversary|agency=E!|access-date=July 20, 2020|date=June 17, 2021|first=Kisha|last=Forde|archive-date=July 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210724114639/https://www.eonline.com/uk/news/1280864/mariah-carey-throws-shade-at-eminem-while-celebrating-obsessed-anniversary|url-status=live}} Additionally, Carey played a role that resembled the rapper in the song's accompanying music video.{{cite news|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1614088/mariah-careys-obsessed-directed-at-eminem.jhtml|title=Is Mariah Carey's 'Obsessed' Directed At Eminem?|access-date=August 13, 2011|date=June 30, 2009|first=Shaheem|last=Reid|publisher=MTV News |archive-date=October 20, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111020164455/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1614088/mariah-careys-obsessed-directed-at-eminem.jhtml|url-status=dead}} Eminem replied with "The Warning".{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/gowhere-hip-hop/2009/07/eminem-releases-new-diss-track-on-mariah-carey-nick-cannon.html|title=Eminem releases new diss track on Mariah Carey & Nick Cannon|work=ChicagoNow|publisher=Tribune Media Group|date=July 30, 2009|access-date=July 11, 2012|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055216/http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/gowhere-hip-hop/2009/07/eminem-releases-new-diss-track-on-mariah-carey-nick-cannon.html|url-status=dead}}

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| footer = Carey has cited American actress Marilyn Monroe (right) as a style icon; Carey (pictured left) drew inspiration from Monroe's 1953 visit to US troops in Korea for her "I Still Believe" music video in 1998.{{cite news|last1=MTV News Staff|title=Mariah Carey Shoots New Video, Eyes Collaboration With Brenda K. Starr|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1426941/mariah-carey-shoots-new-video-eyes-collaboration-with-brenda-k-starr/|access-date=August 22, 2015|work=MTV News|date=December 18, 1998|archive-date=April 10, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410094430/http://www.mtv.com/news/1426941/mariah-carey-shoots-new-video-eyes-collaboration-with-brenda-k-starr/|url-status=dead}}

| image1 = Mariah Carey4 Edwards Dec 1998 (cropped).jpg

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Carey has also been called a pop icon in the media.{{Cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/12/mariah-carey-mc30-meaning-of-mariah-essay.html|title=Mariah Carey Might Be As Close to Pop Perfection As Pop Will Ever Allow|access-date=March 4, 2021|website=Vulture|date=December 8, 2020|archive-date=February 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218040342/https://www.vulture.com/2020/12/mariah-carey-mc30-meaning-of-mariah-essay.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/interview/forever-mariah-an-interview-with-an-icon/|title=Forever Mariah: An Interview With an Icon|website=Pitchfork|date=November 28, 2018|access-date=July 5, 2020|archive-date=November 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107043251/https://pitchfork.com/features/interview/forever-mariah-an-interview-with-an-icon/|url-status=live}}{{Cite magazine|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/159685/sweet-fantasy-female-pop-star|title=The Sweet Fantasy of the Female Pop Star|access-date=March 4, 2021|magazine=The New Republic|date=October 9, 2020|last=Livingstone|first=Jo|archive-date=February 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210201301/https://newrepublic.com/article/159685/sweet-fantasy-female-pop-star|url-status=live}} Her style has been described as "eccentric" and "over the top".{{cite magazine|url=https://www.redbookmag.com/life/news/a22238/mariah-careys-ex-breaks-his-silence-about-what-the-pop-star-is-really-like/|title=Mariah Carey's Ex Drops Some Major Truth Bombs About the Notorious Diva|magazine=Redbook|date=May 27, 2015|access-date=April 21, 2023|archive-date=April 21, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421191840/https://www.redbookmag.com/life/news/a22238/mariah-careys-ex-breaks-his-silence-about-what-the-pop-star-is-really-like/|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine |url=http://time.com/84645/mariah-carey-album-title-generator/ |title=Make Your Own Iconic Mariah Carey Album Title |last=Macsai |first=Dan |magazine=Time |date=May 1, 2014 |access-date=May 2, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502151600/http://time.com/84645/mariah-carey-album-title-generator/ |archive-date=May 2, 2014 |url-status=live }} Writer Noah Berlatsky noted that "Carey has always reveled in uber-feminine, girly imagery", with her album titles such as Butterfly, Rainbow, Glitter and Charmbracelet being prime examples.{{cite web|url=https://ravishly.com/2015/05/01/subversive-gender-message-mariah-careys-latest-music-video|title=The Subversive Gender Message In Mariah Carey's Latest Music Video|publisher=Ravishly|date=May 1, 2015|access-date=April 21, 2023|archive-date=April 21, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421190339/https://ravishly.com/2015/05/01/subversive-gender-message-mariah-careys-latest-music-video|url-status=live}} Tom Breihan of Stereogum wrote in 2015 that "decades from now, we will be looking back at Mariah Carey as one of the most gloriously batshit pop stars of all time."{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/1797944/mariah-careys-best-friend-is-a-dolphin/news/|title=Mariah Carey's Best Friend Is A Dolphin|date=April 29, 2015|access-date=April 19, 2023|archive-date=April 20, 2023|website=Stereogum|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420003638/https://www.stereogum.com/1797944/mariah-careys-best-friend-is-a-dolphin/news/|url-status=live}}

Carey cites American actress Marilyn Monroe as not only one of her biggest idols but also her style and beauty icon, and has referenced Monroe in various stages of her career, including imitating her in her music videos for "I Still Believe" and "Don't Forget About Us".{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2011/11/a-history-of-famous-women-whove-imitated-marilyn-monroe/4|title=A History of Famous Women Who've Imitated Marilyn Monroe|first=Tara|last=Aquino|date=November 14, 2011|access-date=June 4, 2021|magazine=Complex|archive-date=June 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604213155/https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2011/11/a-history-of-famous-women-whove-imitated-marilyn-monroe/4|url-status=live}} Emilia Petrarca of W opined that while Carey is "uber-cautious about cultivating her public image", that when it comes to style, she is "more do than don't".{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wmagazine.com/gallery/25-reasons-why-were-so-obsessed-with-mariah-carey-style|title=25 Reasons Why We're So Obsessed With Mariah Carey's Style|access-date=March 31, 2021|magazine=W|date=March 27, 2017|archive-date=June 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620140639/https://www.wmagazine.com/gallery/25-reasons-why-were-so-obsessed-with-mariah-carey-style|url-status=live}}

Carey has often been labeled a "diva" for her stardom and persona.{{cite web|url=https://www.insider.com/mariah-careys-craziest-moments-2017-9|title=20 of Mariah Carey's wildest and most diva moments|publisher=Insider Inc.|date=July 15, 2019|access-date=July 5, 2020|archive-date=March 5, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240305111746/https://www.businessinsider.com/mariah-careys-craziest-moments-2017-9#when-she-subtly-dissed-madonna-1|url-status=live}} Paper labelled her the "ultimate diva".{{Cite web|url=https://www.papermag.com/the-ultimate-diva-mariah-carey-1427528523.html|title=The Ultimate Diva: Mariah Carey|date=March 27, 2015|work=Paper|access-date=February 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161103145513/https://www.papermag.com/the-ultimate-diva-mariah-carey-1427528523.html|archive-date=November 3, 2016}} Interviewing Carey for an article, The Guardian writer Hadley Freeman felt that interviewing and talking with Carey was the closest she had come to imagining how it would have been to spend time with original pop divas such as Bette Davis or Aretha Franklin.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/oct/05/mariah-carey-theyre-calling-me-a-diva-i-think-im-going-to-cry|title=Mariah Carey: 'They're calling me a diva? I think I’m going to cry!'|access-date=July 27, 2024|website=The Guardian |date=October 5, 2020|last=Freeman|first=Hadley}} She noted that the diva term "is a term she has laboured under throughout her career, and it is unlikely she will escape it" but praised Carey for her "true-to-herself honesty" calling her a "proper grande dame of the old school". The Guardian writer Elizabeth Day opined that Carey's "diva-ish antics are simply part of the package that her fans buy into".{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/jan/17/new-year-new-cool-mariah-carey|title=Mariah Carey: Who are you calling a diva?|access-date=July 27, 2024|website=The Guardian |date=January 17, 2010|last=Day|first=Elizabeth}}

While the term often has negative connotations,{{Cite web|url=https://wno.org.uk/news/diva-criticism-or-compliment|title=Diva: criticism or compliment?|access-date=January 5, 2022|website=Welsh National Opera (WNO)}} Carey herself has embraced the title stating that she gets her diva nature from her mother who was an opera singer, calling her a real "Juilliard diva".{{cite news|url=https://www.bramptonguardian.com/whatson-story/7513645-mariah-carey-gets-diva-nature-from-her-mom/|title=Mariah Carey gets diva nature from her mom|newspaper=Brampton Guardian|date=August 21, 2017|access-date=July 5, 2020|archive-date=July 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710102416/https://www.bramptonguardian.com/whatson-story/7513645-mariah-carey-gets-diva-nature-from-her-mom/|url-status=live}} She called it a "compliment" and that the stories about her being a difficult diva "are just not true and [she's] learned to shake them off".{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts/being-called-a-diva-is-a-compliment-1.525725|title='Being called a diva is a compliment'|access-date=July 27, 2024|website=The National|date=November 27, 2009}} In 2022, Carey appeared on a podcast interview with Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex and discussed the dual connotations to the word "diva".{{Cite web|url=https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a41029740/meghan-markle-mariah-carey-mixed-race-diva-archetype-best-quotes/|title=Meghan Markle Discussed Being Mixed Race With Mariah Carey—and How Dating Harry Changed How She Was Treated|access-date=July 27, 2024|website=Elle|date=August 30, 2022|last=Bailey|first=Alyssa}} Carey felt that in today's media, the term "means you're a successful woman usually" but "it's not okay for you to be a boss [...] or a strong woman".{{Cite web|url=https://graziamagazine.com/us/articles/meghan-markle-mariah-carey-achetypes-podcast-diva/|title=Meghan Markle And Mariah Carey Want To Reclaim The Positivity Behind The Word 'Diva'|website=Grazia|access-date=July 27, 2024|last=Militano|first=Hannah}}

In 1995, while recording her album Daydream, Carey secretly recorded and produced the alternative rock album Someone's Ugly Daughter with her friend Clarissa Dane, under the moniker "Chick".{{Cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/mariah-carey-chick-album-engineer-1070305/|title=Mariah Carey’s Former Engineer Details Secret Alt-Rock Album Recording|date=October 5, 2020|access-date=October 8, 2020|website=Rolling Stone|last=Spanos|first=Brittany|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201008194815/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/mariah-carey-chick-album-engineer-1070305/|archive-date=October 8, 2020}} Her contributions were kept secret until the release of her 2020 memoir in which she stated that, "I created an alter-ego artist and her Ziggy Stardust-like spoof band" adding that the "character was a dark-haired brooding Goth girl who wrote and sang ridiculous tortured songs".

A version of her aforementioned alter ego, named Bianca Storm, appeared for the first time in 1999, for the music video of Carey's single "Heartbreaker".{{Cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/mariah-carey-reality-show-mariahs-world-premiere-ridiculous-moments-1201933780/|title=5 Ridiculous Moments From Premiere of Mariah Carey’s E! Docu-Series|access-date=July 31, 2024|magazine=Variety|date=December 5, 2016|last=Yee|first=Lawrence}} During the video, Carey appears as both herself and Bianca, who's wearing a red seductive outfit with a bag in which she carries her dog around. The two end up having a physical fight in the cinema bathroom, in which Bianca is ultimately defeated. Carey has since revitalized the character on multiple occasions, including the music videos for "Boy (I Need You)",{{cite web|url=http://www.mvpa.com/articles/mariahvideo.htm|title=Mariah Carey Video Article|last=Rushing|first=Brad|publisher=Music Video Production Association|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040609055523/http://www.mvpa.com/articles/mariahvideo.htm|archive-date=June 9, 2004|access-date=August 17, 2011}} "Heartbreaker (Remix)"{{cite web|title=Mariah Carey Casts "Rainbow" For Next LP; Taps Missy, Da Brat For Remix|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1426929/19990813/carey_mariah.jhtml|work=MTV News|publisher=MTV|date=August 13, 1999|access-date=May 7, 2009|archive-date=November 7, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107040128/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1426929/mariah-carey-casts-rainbow-next-lp-taps-missy-da-brat-remix.jhtml|url-status=dead}} and the 2016 docu-series Mariah's World.{{Cite web|url=https://www.eonline.com/news/812197/bianca-returns-watch-mariah-carey-impersonate-her-evil-alter-ego|title=Bianca Returns! Watch Mariah Carey Impersonate Her Evil Alter Ego|access-date=August 2, 2024|website=E! News|last=Cohen|first=Jess|date=December 1, 2016}}

Throughout her career, Carey has become known to refer to the left side of her face as her "bad side" due to a beauty mark near her lips.{{Cite web|url=https://people.com/mariah-carey-posts-a-photo-of-the-left-side-of-her-face-8421130|title=Newly Single Mariah Carey Celebrates 2024 by Posting Rare Photo of the 'Bad Side' of Her Face|accessdate=March 14, 2025|website=People|date=January 1, 2025|last=Lavinthal|first=Andrea}} In an episode of Mariah's World (2016), Carey explained that when she was 19, a photographer at her first-ever photoshoot told her she should only ever be shot from the right, resulting in the insecurity.{{Cite web|url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/mariah-carey-shares-rare-glimpse-101305555.html|title=Mariah Carey Shares Rare Glimpse of the Left Side of Her Face as a Special New Year's Treat|access-date=March 13, 2025|website=Yahoo|last=Thompson|first=Eliza|date=January 2, 2024}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/oct/06/does-mariah-carey-really-not-do-stairs|title=Total legend: does Mariah Carey really not ‘do stairs’?|access-date=March 13, 2025|website=The Guardian |last=Sampson|first=Issy|date=October 6, 2020}} Carey has also been particular about the lighting used when photographing her and has expressed her disdain for overhead lighting numerous times.{{Cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/mariah-carey-slams-overhead-lighting-las-culturistas-1235799921/|title=Mariah Carey Reveals the 'Hideous' Commonplace Thing She Can't Stand: 'It Makes Me Sick'|access-date=March 13, 2025|website=Billboard|last=Dailey|first=Hannah|date=October 14, 2024}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.admiddleeast.com/story/mariah-careys-no-overhead-lighting-rule-can-transform-a-home-heres-how|title=Mariah Carey's No Overhead Lighting Rule Can Transform a Home – Here's How|access-date=March 13, 2025|website=AD Middle East|last=Marchese|first=Kieron|date=October 31, 2024}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a41333/mariah-carey-loves-lighting/|title=Mariah Carey's Fight Against Oppressive Lighting Is an Inspiration|access-date=March 13, 2025|website=Elle|last=Arceneaux|first=Michael|date=December 9, 2016}} American Singer Britney Spears cited Carey as an early user of ring lights when she met her backstage at an awards show in 1999.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/mariah-carey-britney-spears-memoir-mention-response-1234869657/|title=Mariah Carey Calls Her Mention in Britney Spears' Memoir 'Super Sweet': 'I Love Her'|access-date=March 13, 2025|website=Rolling Stone|last=Paul|first=Larisha|date=November 3, 2023}}

Carey has often received body shaming critical comments from media outlets and on social media about her weight fluctuations.{{Cite web|url=https://www.glamour.com/gallery/best-celebrity-body-transformations-2008|title=Best Celebrity Body Transformations of 2008|accessdate=March 14, 2025|website=Glamour|date=November 30, 2008|last=Unterberger|first=Lindsey}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/mariah-carey-accused-of-photoshop-paper-cover-2017-8l|title=Mariah Carey is being accused of Photoshop over her new magazine cover|access-date=March 13, 2025|website=Business Insider|last=Arps|first=Brianna|date=August 23, 2017}} In 2011, she received favorable media attention following a weight loss, becoming a spokesperson for the American nutrition company Jenny Craig.{{Cite web|url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/obsessed-see-mariah-carey-weight-173339315.html|title=Obsessed! See Mariah Carey's Weight Loss Transformation Through the Years: Then and Now [Photos]|access-date=March 13, 2025|website=Yahoo|last=|first=|date=July 20, 2023}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mariah-carey-touting-jenny-craig-after-losing-30-pounds/|title=Mariah Carey touting Jenny Craig after losing 30 pounds|accessdate=March 14, 2025|website=CBS News|date=November 10, 2011|last=Jaslow|first=Ryan}}

Fashion has been a large part of Carey's image and career.{{Cite web|url=https://graziadaily.co.uk/fashion/trends/mariah-carey-1990s-style/|title=Mariah Carey's 1990s Outfits Are Actually A Brilliant Source Of Style Inspiration|access-date=March 31, 2021|website=Grazia|date=April 10, 2020|archive-date=November 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113191650/https://graziadaily.co.uk/fashion/trends/mariah-carey-1990s-style/|url-status=live}} She was cited as a fashion icon by Insider Inc. writer Susanna Heller who added that "her decadent closet spans multiple rooms and is full of designer clothing, lingerie, shoes, and accessories".{{Cite web|url=https://www.insider.com/mariah-carey-style-evolution-2018-3|access-date=March 31, 2021|publisher=Insider Inc.|title=43 Pictures that Show Mariah Carey's Glamorous Style Evolution|archive-date=March 5, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240305111812/https://www.businessinsider.com/mariah-carey-style-evolution-2018-3|url-status=live}} Vogue writer Christian Allaire stated that Carey has "rarely hit without her evening gowns, often embellished with crystals, sequins, or feathers."{{cite magazine|url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/gallery/mariah-carey-christmas-special-2020|title=A Closer Look At Mariah Carey's Festive, Fabulous Fashion For Her Holiday Special|magazine=Vogue|date=December 5, 2020|access-date=April 23, 2023|archive-date=April 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423131500/https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/gallery/mariah-carey-christmas-special-2020|url-status=live}} Laura Antonia Jordan of Grazia called Carey fashion "royalty" and stated that in the 1990s, her go-to looks were "super-tight silhouettes, cropped tops, thigh-grazing hemlines and dangerously high slits." During her tours, Carey has frequently worn Jimmy Choo and Christian Louboutin high-end stiletto footwear,{{cite web|url=https://www.eonline.com/au/news/876638/take-a-look-inside-mariah-carey-s-enviable-closet|title=Take a Look Inside Mariah Carey's Enviable Closet|publisher=E!|date=August 29, 2017|access-date=July 5, 2020|archive-date=July 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710102413/https://www.eonline.com/au/news/876638/take-a-look-inside-mariah-carey-s-enviable-closet|url-status=live}} as well as leotards, corsets, and fishnet tights.{{cite web|url=https://www.instyle.com/news/mariah-carey-gym-look-fishnets-heels|title=Only Mariah Carey Could Get Away with Wearing This to the Gym|work=InStyle|date=February 3, 2017|access-date=July 5, 2020|archive-date=July 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710110904/https://www.instyle.com/news/mariah-carey-gym-look-fishnets-heels|url-status=live}}

Carey has often received polarized responses for her revealing clothes,{{Cite web|url=https://www.wmagazine.com/fashion/mariah-carey-schiaparelli-couture-corset-dress|title=Mariah Carey Brings a Couture Touch To Lingerie Dressing|access-date=July 30, 2024|website=W|date=February 3, 2024|last=Velasco|first=Matthew}}{{Cite web|url=https://medium.com/@lauraelin/is-mariah-careys-attire-too-revealing-for-a-woman-of-54-years-03fa74b59f4d|title=Is Mariah Carey’s Attire Too Revealing for a Woman of 54 Years?|access-date=July 27, 2024|website=Medium|date=March 14, 2024|last=Elin|first=Laura}} and has been called a sex symbol.{{cite magazine|first1=Lauren|last1=Nostro|first2=Julian|last2=Patterson|url=https://www.complex.com/music/2012/12/the-100-hottest-female-singers-of-all-time/lisa-loeb|title=The 100 Hottest Female Singers of All Time|magazine=Complex|date=December 10, 2012|access-date=July 5, 2020|archive-date=April 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422202531/https://www.complex.com/music/2012/12/the-100-hottest-female-singers-of-all-time/lisa-loeb|url-status=live}} She showed up in what was described as 'revealing clothes' for the first time at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards, a few months after announcing her separation from Mottola, wearing a Calvin Klein two-piece look, which has since been described by Elle as one of the "top 10 'revenge dress' moments that shaped pop culture".{{cite web|url=https://www.elle.com.au/fashion/fashion-news/mtv-vmas-red-carpet-worst-dressed-21119/|title=The 24 Most Controversial Red Carpet Looks In The History Of The MTV Video Music Awards|work=Elle|date=August 31, 2020|access-date=July 31, 2024}} At the next year's ceremony, she wore matching dresses with American singer Whitney Houston, before both singers ripped off fabric from the dresses to reveal two distinct looks. The moment was inspired by the rumours of the rivalry between the singers and it was recreated by Dua Lipa and Megan Thee Stallion at the 2022 Grammy Awards.{{cite web|url=https://people.com/style/grammys-2022-dua-lipa-megan-thee-stallion-recreate-whitney-houston-mariah-carey-1998-vmas-moment/|title=Dua Lipa and Megan Thee Stallion Recreate 'That' Famous Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey Moment at the Grammys|work=People|date=April 3, 2022|access-date=July 31, 2024}} In 2000, Carey appeared on The Rosie O'Donnell Show where Rosie O'Donnell asked her about a "trampy" dress she had worn at the 2000 American Music Awards.{{Cite web|url=https://money.yahoo.com/12-times-tv-host-tried-051603448.html|title=12 Interviewers Who Tried To Embarrass A Female Celeb, But Just Ended Up Embarrassing Themselves|access-date=July 28, 2024|date= January 7, 2023|website=Yahoo!}} Carey responded in defence that she wanted to dress free after the covered-up looks that were chosen for her during the early part of her career.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thethings.com/what-happened-between-mariah-carey-and-rosie-odonnell/|title=What Happened Between Mariah Carey And Rosie O'Donnell?|access-date=July 28, 2024|website=TheThings|date=July 4, 2023|last=Papa|first=Rocco}} BuzzFeed writer Ryan Schocket called the incident one of the various times the "media absolutely failed her".{{Cite web|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanschocket2/times-the-media-failed-mariah-carey|title=19 Times The Media Absolutely Failed Mariah Carey|access-date=July 28, 2024|website=Buzzfeed|date=March 10, 2021|last=Schocket|first=Ryan}} CR Fashion Book writer Shepherd noted that while Carey's "sartorial aesthetic has shifted here and there [...] Carey largely favors sexy, skin-baring, and often bedazzled looks.{{Cite web|url=https://www.crfashionbook.com/fashion/g26961358/mariah-carey-style-evolution/|title=Mariah Carey's Style Evolution|access-date=March 31, 2021|website=CR Fashion Book|date=March 27, 2019|archive-date=April 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423001753/https://www.crfashionbook.com/fashion/g26961358/mariah-carey-style-evolution/|url-status=dead}}

Carey has received attention for her various music video looks throughout her career.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/gallery/mariah-carey-hot-women|title=Hottest Women of the Week: Mariah Carey takes centre stage in Mexico|access-date=July 27, 2024|website=GQ|date=November 10, 2016}} She received praise for her outfit in the music video for "Honey" which saw Carey wearing a Dolce & Gabbana dress, followed by a moment in a white bra-and-skirt combo.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thelist.com/1462927/mariah-carey-wardrobe-evolution/|title=The Evolution Of Mariah Carey's Wardrobe|access-date=July 29, 2024|website=The List|date=December 9, 2023|last=Georgiou|first=Antonia}} She has been credited for starting the trend of wearing low-rise jeans in the early 2000s, after cutting off the waistband of the denim pants she wore for the music video of "Heartbreaker" (1999).{{cite magazine|url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/mariah-carey-jeans|title=How One Influencer Recreated Mariah Carey's Waistless Low-Rise Jeans With Help From Elvis Presley's Tailor|magazine=Vogue|date=December 4, 2021|access-date=April 23, 2023|archive-date=April 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423131500/https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/mariah-carey-jeans|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/mariah-carey-ended-wearing-those-182424619.html|title=This is how Mariah Carey ended up wearing those iconic jeans in the 'Heartbreaker" video|agency=Yahoo! Sports|date=August 27, 2017|access-date=April 23, 2023|archive-date=April 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423131458/https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/mariah-carey-ended-wearing-those-182424619.html|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/fashion/celebrity/a12114504/mariah-carey-heartbreaker-jeans/|title=Mariah Carey still has the jeans she wore in the Heartbreaker video|magazine=Cosmopolitan|date=August 29, 2017|access-date=April 23, 2023|archive-date=April 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423134502/https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/fashion/celebrity/a12114504/mariah-carey-heartbreaker-jeans/|url-status=live}} Liana Satenstein of Vogue wrote that Carey was "quintessential" to the movement, calling it a "spur-of-the-moment creation". Nylon writer India Roby also noted that Carey "kicked off the millennium with a denim look that shook the fashion DIY space".{{Cite web|url=https://www.nylon.com/fashion/2000s-celebrities-low-rise-jeans|title=Low-Rise Jeans Were a Celebrity Style Staple in the Early 2000's|access-date=July 27, 2024|website=Nylon|date=May 27, 2022|last=Roby|first=India}} Conversely, ¡Hola! writer Natalia Trejo opined that the trend was accredited to Alexander McQueen, although did note that Carey "definitely made a fashion statement".{{Cite web|url=https://www.hola.com/us/fashion/20191219fix9swgopy/mariah-carey-low-rise-jeans-trend-2000s/|title=Mariah Carey claims this 2000s trend was her idea|access-date=July 27, 2024|website=Hola!|last=Trejo|first=Natalia|date=December 19, 2019}}

Carey is also well known for the fashion and outfits she wears in her Christmas concerts and performances.{{Cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/usa/news/mariah-carey-just-announced-her-biggest-christmas-tour-ever-080224|title=Mariah Carey just announced her biggest Christmas tour ever|access-date=August 5, 2024|website=Time Out|date=August 2, 2024|last=Kravitz Hoeffner|first=Melissa}} The singer has also incorporated holiday-themed outfits throughout her music videos.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.hellomagazine.com/healthandbeauty/mother-and-baby/20221126158126/mariah-carey-reveals-lavish-christmas-plans-with-family/|title=Mariah Carey reveals lavish holiday plans with her kids - and they're so extra|magazine=Hello!|date=November 26, 2022|access-date=April 23, 2023|archive-date=April 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423131501/https://www.hellomagazine.com/healthandbeauty/mother-and-baby/20221126158126/mariah-carey-reveals-lavish-christmas-plans-with-family/|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wmagazine.com/culture/mariah-carey-cover-interview-2022|title=It's Mariah Season, Darling|magazine=W|date=November 25, 2022|access-date=April 23, 2023|archive-date=April 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423131459/https://www.wmagazine.com/culture/mariah-carey-cover-interview-2022|url-status=live}} Billboard noted that "over the years, [Carey] has rocked nearly every shade of red for the season's fashions, from plunging gowns and floor-length coats to ensembles inspired by Santa, Mrs. Claus and The Nutcracker{{'s}} toy soldiers. She's also a pro at pulling off winter white, whether she's wearing a snow-white dress covered in crystals or a fluffy hood tailor-made for keeping the December chill at bay."

File:Mariah Carey - Frozen in Ice.png

Throughout her career, Carey has been used in several social media memes, having had a "continual contribution to the meme economy".{{Cite web|url=https://www.wmagazine.com/story/mariah-carey-subway-meme-a-no-no-music-video|title=Mariah Carey Turned One of Her Most Famous Memes Into a Music Video|access-date=July 26, 2024|website=W|date=March 9, 2019|last=Munzenrieder|first=Kyle}} Kyle Munzenrieder from W stated that "Carey has tended to play coy when it comes to her meme-queen status". Despite this, during her Billboard Icon Award speech at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards, Carey made reference to the "ups and downs" of her career, noting that "there’s been a few memes".{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2019/music/news/mariah-carey-bbmas-icon-speech-1203203064/|title=BBMAs: Mariah Carey Nods to 'Drama' and 'a Few Memes' in Funny and Earnest Icon Speech|access-date=July 26, 2024|website=Variety|date= May 1, 2019|last=Amabile Angermiller|first=Michele}} Brooke Marine, writing for W, noted that over her career, Carey has been a part of several pop culture moments, and "has been at times responsible and at other times unwittingly drawn into, including some of the Internet's most longstanding memes". Similarly, Danette Chavez of The A.V. Club felt that Carey has figured out how to navigate "internet fame and being meme-able" adding that she is savvy and knows when and how to control it.{{Cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/from-mariah-to-meme-mi-how-a-vocal-icon-became-a-socia-1843981355|title=From Mariah to Meme-mi: How a vocal icon became a social media maven|access-date=July 26, 2024|website=AV Club|date=June 11, 2020|last=Chavez|first=Danette}} In a separate article, Munzenrieder called Carey the "Thanos of the Internet" for elevating to a level where she no longer creates memes but can also end a recurring meme.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wmagazine.com/story/7-27-2019-in-and-out|title=In & Out: Could This Be Quentin Tarantino’s Year at the Oscars?|access-date=July 26, 2024|website=W|date=July 28, 2019|last=Munzenrieder|first=Kyle}}

In 2014, Carey posted on her Instagram photos of herself in a bright blue gown, riding a Subway in New York City with the hashtag, #subwayincouture.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/26330-mariah-carey-rides-nyc-subway-in-the-most-mariah-carey-way-possible-photos|title=Mariah's Glam NYC Subway Ride|access-date=July 26, 2024|website=Bustle|date=May 31, 2014|last=Beck|first=Lia}} The incident garnered media attention with Munzenrieder retrospectively calling it "infamous". Carey later referenced it in her music video for the song "A No No". In 2019, Carey also responded to public concerns over FaceApp, tweeting on her Twitter account that the app is "not something I acknowledge". That same year Carey participated in the Bottle Cap Challenge which had seen various internet users kicking loosened caps off of bottles.{{Cite web|url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/music/a28335722/mariah-carey-bottle-cap-challenge/|title=Wait, Did Mariah Carey Really Remove a Bottle Cap With Just Her Voice?|access-date=August 7, 2024|date=July 11, 2019|last=Hernandez|first=Daisy|website=Popular Mechanics}} Carey used her signature whistle register to knock the cap off a bottle. A year later in 2020, Twitter users began referring to her as "Comrade Carey" after a quote from an interview she had about how the systems reinforced by capitalism did not support her and her family while growing up went viral on the app.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wmagazine.com/story/comrade-carey-the-meaning-behind-mariah-careys-newest-meme|title=Comrade Carey: The Meaning Behind Mariah Carey’s Newest Meme|access-date=July 26, 2024|website=W|date=October 10, 2020|last=Marine|first=Brooke}}

Throughout her career, Carey has been recognised for her ability to throw shade.{{Cite web|url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2016/12/133546/mariah-carey-i-dont-know-her-meaning|title=Why It Might Be Kind Of Important That Mariah Carey Makes It Clear Who She Doesn’t "Know"|website=Refinery29|access-date=July 26, 2024|date=December 20, 2016|last=Bowen|first=Sesali}} In 2003, when asked about American singer Jennifer Lopez in a German TV interview, Carey's response was, "I don't know her".{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2016/09/mariah-carey-i-dont-know-her-meme|title=The Summer That "I Don't Know Her" Became the Most Crushing Celebrity Shade|access-date=July 20, 2021|magazine=Vanity Fair|date=September 9, 2016|archive-date=August 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210805012911/https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2016/09/mariah-carey-i-dont-know-her-meme|url-status=live}} The clip went on to became one of the first viral internet memes.{{cite news|last=Sampson|first=Issy|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/jul/13/how-mariah-carey-i-dont-know-her-became-pops-shadiest-power-move|title=How Mariah Carey's 'I Don't Know Her' Became Pop's Shadiest Power Move|date=July 13, 2018|work=The Guardian|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416202051/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/jul/13/how-mariah-carey-i-dont-know-her-became-pops-shadiest-power-move|archive-date=April 16, 2023}} In 2016, Elle called Carey the "Queen of Shade".{{cite magazine|date=May 18, 2016|access-date=May 27, 2024|first=Estelle|last=Tang|title=Mariah Carey, Queen of Shade, Dishes on J.Lo and Nicki Minaj|url=https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/news/a36445/mariah-carey-on-jlo-and-nicki-minaj/|magazine=Elle|archive-date=May 27, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240527151301/https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/news/a36445/mariah-carey-on-jlo-and-nicki-minaj/|url-status=live}} Vogue writer Christian Allaire called Carey a "true social media savant" noting that she "routinely re-share memes about herself from fans, throwing shade at others in the process".{{Cite web|url=https://www.vogue.com/article/mariah-carey-faceapp-social-media-star|title=FaceApp? Mariah Carey Doesn’t Know Her|access-date=July 26, 2024|website=Vogue|date=July 18, 2019|last=Allaire|first=Christian}} Vanity Fair writer Kenzie Bryant noted that "Carey has been forced to confront her comment many times over the years" by fans and on various talk shows.{{Cite web|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2017/01/mariah-carey-viral-moments|title=Mariah Carey: Queen of the Unwanted Viral Moment|access-date=August 15, 2024|website=Vanity Fair|last=Bryant|first=Kenzie}} In later years, she has reused the phrase various times to shade Lopez and other artists such as Demi Lovato.{{Cite web|url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/mariah-carey-disses-ariana-grande-demi-lovato|title=Mariah Carey Disses Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Jennifer Lopez|access-date=August 15, 2024|website=Teen Vogue|date=December 19, 2016|last=Elizabeth|first=De}}

Carey has often made jokes about her refusal to acknowledge time which in turn has become a recurring meme.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thecut.com/2019/12/a-brief-history-of-mariah-carey-refusing-to-acknowledge-time.html|title=A Brief History of Mariah Carey Refusing to Acknowledge Time|access-date=July 26, 2024|website=The Cut|date=December 27, 2019|last=Gold|first=Hannah}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.wmagazine.com/story/mariah-carey-10-year-challenge|title=Mariah Carey Shuts Down 10-Year Challenge By Declaring Passage of Time Irrelevant|access-date=July 26, 2024|website=W|date=January 17, 2019|last=Muller|first=Marissa}} The Cut writer Hannah Gold noted that Carey's "collapsibility of time is a notion essential to her art", feeling that it adds to her diva persona. In The Meaning of Mariah Carey, Carey stated that "not living based on time became a way to hold on to myself, to keep close and keep alive that inner child of mine. It's why I gravitate toward enduring characters like Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and Tinker Bell. They remind me we can be timeless."Carey and Davis, preface Carey also celebrates anniversaries rather than birthdays.{{Cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/mariah-carey-celebrates-birthday-anniversary-1235642512/|title=Mariah Carey Celebrates Her 55th 'Anniversary' on a Boat|date=March 27, 2023|access-date=July 26, 2024|last=Aniftos|first=Rania}}

Carey's influence as a holiday icon has inspired several Christmas-inspired memes. One of these memes show retail workers' disdain for the song due to its frequent airplay at their jobs, which sometimes require the round-the-clock display of Christmas music during the holiday season.{{cite web | url=https://jezebel.com/mariah-carey-is-back-on-a-peloton-to-capitalize-on-yo-1849731538 | title=Mariah Carey is Back (On a Peloton) to Capitalize on Your Holiday Cheer | date=November 2, 2022 | access-date=November 3, 2022 | archive-date=November 3, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221103082658/https://jezebel.com/mariah-carey-is-back-on-a-peloton-to-capitalize-on-yo-1849731538 | url-status=live }} Another popular meme began in 2017 after people online began to notice that the song resurfaces during the holiday season on a regular basis, in which people responded by creating memes about Carey "defrosting" and thawing in time for the Christmas season.{{Cite web|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/mariah-careys-defrosting-memes-take-over-social-media-as-christmas-approaches/articleshow/104895599.cms?from=mdr|title=Mariah Carey's defrosting memes take over social media as Christmas approaches|website=The Economic Times|access-date=July 26, 2024|date=November 1, 2023}}

Due to her large gay fanbase and her impact on the LGBTQ+ community, Carey is recognized as a gay icon.{{Cite web|url=https://fandomwire.com/the-song-that-turned-mariah-carey-into-a-gay-icon-and-messiah/|title=The Song That Turned Mariah Carey into a Gay Icon and Messiah|access-date=July 24, 2024|website=Fandom Wire|date=December 27, 2023|first=Rahul|last=Thokchom}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mariah-carey-queer-men-of-color_n_6565fd92e4b03ac1cd177071|title=Why Queer Men Of Color Love Mariah Carey So Hard|access-date=July 24, 2024|website=Huff Post|last=Kumamoto|first=Ian|date= May 13, 2024}} Most notably, Carey's 1993 song "Hero" has been regarded as a gay anthem as it touches upon themes of embracing individuality and overcoming self-doubt.{{cite web|url=https://www.therainbowtimesmass.com/heroism-of-mariah-carey/|title=The Heroism of Mariah Carey|work=The Rainbow Times|date=February 17, 2017|access-date=July 5, 2020|archive-date=July 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712141804/https://www.therainbowtimesmass.com/heroism-of-mariah-carey/|url-status=live}} In 2023, Rolling Stone ranking the song at number 14 in their list of the 50 Most Inspirational LGBTQ Songs of All Time.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-inspirational-lgbtq-anthems-pride-songs-1234773829/years-and-years-1234775088/|title=The 50 Most Inspirational LGBTQ Songs of All Time|access-date=July 24, 2024|website=Rolling Stone|date=June 28, 2023}} Tim Chan, writing for Rolling Stone, noted that the song was a "source of hope and conviction that became even more personal after Carey's own well-publicized struggles". Carey's gay fans have also often noted relating to her 1997 song "Outside" which portrays the feeling of isolation and irregularity.{{cite web|url=https://the97.net/featured/the-butterfly-effect-mariah-discovers-the-art-of-letting-go/|title=The Butterfly Effect: Mariah Discovers The Art of Letting Go|work=The 97|date=October 9, 2014|access-date=June 6, 2021|archive-date=June 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605222904/https://the97.net/featured/the-butterfly-effect-mariah-discovers-the-art-of-letting-go/|url-status=live}} In the bridge of the song, Carey sings that "blind and unguided, into a world divided, you're thrown" in which originally acted as a reference to her racial heritage, but could be universally related to the experience of a queer person. The Guardian writer Ian Eagleton found Carey to be a LGBTQ+ role model, adding that "she taught me that I had no choice: I had to survive".{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/feb/22/a-moment-that-changed-me-i-was-vilified-as-a-gay-teenager-but-mariah-carey-saved-me|title=A moment that changed me: I was vilified as a gay teenager – but Mariah Carey saved me|access-date=July 24, 2024|website=The Guardian |date=February 22, 2023|last=Eagleton|first=Ian}} Gay athlete Kerron Clement admitted that Carey's music helped him come to terms with his identity, noting that "I didn’t know of any other gay people growing up. I listened to a lot of Mariah Carey. I related a lot to the lyrics on her Butterfly album, particularly a song called "Outside" that’s about not fitting in. I would listen to it nonstop. I know for her she was singing about her biracial identity, but I related it to how I felt about my sexuality".{{Cite web|url=https://www.pride.com/celebrities/2021/6/02/mariah-carey-responds-gay-olympian-who-says-her-music-empowered-him|title=Mariah Carey Responds to Gay Olympian Who Says Her Music Empowered Him|access-date=January 8, 2025|website=Pride|date=June 2, 2021|last=Henderson|first=Taylor}}

Her diva persona has also given her much admiration from gay fans.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/rnw8jq/how-the-gay-icon-in-music-has-evolved|title=How the Gay Icon in Music Has Evolved Since Mariah Carey|magazine=Vice|date=July 29, 2016|access-date=July 5, 2020|archive-date=July 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710111024/https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/rnw8jq/how-the-gay-icon-in-music-has-evolved|url-status=live}} Writing for Vice, writer Jake Hall noted in an analysis of gay icons, that "there is a reason traditional music divas like Mariah [...] have historically been framed within an LGBTQ+ context; because many of them have engaged with our community and been outspoken and supportive of our struggles". Ian Kumamoto, writer for HuffPost noted that Carey's music made the LGBTQ+ community "feel seen and contributed to [their] confidence and self-worth". In 2016, Carey was honored by GLAAD with the GLAAD Ally Award.{{cite web|url=https://www.mic.com/articles/143485/mariah-carey-just-explained-what-lgbtq-truly-stands-for-at-glaad-media-awards|title=Mariah Carey Just Explained What LGBTQ Truly Stands For at GLAAD Media Awards|publisher=Mic|date=May 15, 2016|access-date=July 5, 2020|archive-date=August 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200815055041/https://www.mic.com/articles/143485/mariah-carey-just-explained-what-lgbtq-truly-stands-for-at-glaad-media-awards|url-status=live}} In her speech, Carey expressed gratitude to her LGBTQ+ fans, wishing them "love, peace, [and] harmony".

Carey has also been the subject of numerous drag queens in their performances. Kiara and Pangina Heals both impersonated Carey for the Drag Race segment Snatch Game.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gaytimes.com/originals/exclusive-pangina-heals-drag-race-uk-vs-the-world-exit-interview/|title=Exclusive: Pangina Heals addresses her “triggering” Drag Race UK vs the World exit|accessdate=January 13, 2025|website=Gay Times|date=February 23, 2022|last=Damshenas|first=Sam}} Other drag acts who have impersonated Carey include Shangela, Derrick Barry, Milk, Cynthia Lee Fontaine and Plastique Tiara, among others.{{Cite web|url=https://metro.co.uk/2019/03/15/mariah-carey-majorly-disrespected-latest-episode-rupauls-drag-race-8908462/|title=Mariah Carey was majorly disrespected on latest episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race|accessdate=January 13, 2025|website=Metro|date=March 15, 2019|last=Kelly|first=Emma}} Pride Magazine's writer Zachary Zane noted that "Carey is a significantly easy role to play [for drag queens] because she is a true diva. She has her iconic over-it attitude along with major pipes and major breasts".{{Cite web|url=https://www.pride.com/rupaulsdragrace/2018/2/02/we-need-talk-about-weeks-eliminated-all-stars-3-queen|title=We Need to Talk About This Week's Eliminated All Stars 3 Queen|accessdate=January 13, 2025|website=Pride|date=February 2, 2018|last=Zane|first=Zachary}}

{{See also|Honorific nicknames in popular music}}

File:Mariah Carey at the Library of Congress in 2023.jpg at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. where her song "All I Want for Christmas Is You" was inducted into the Library for its cultural sound heritage.]]

"All I Want for Christmas Is You", as well as its parent album Merry Christmas (1994), have become such a ubiquitous part of wider popular culture that Carey's name became synonymous with the season,{{Cite web|url=https://tulanehullabaloo.com/64883/arcade/mariah-careys-influence-on-holiday-music|title=Mariah Carey’s influence on holiday music|accessdate=September 21, 2024|website=The Tulane Hullabaloo|date=November 29, 2023|last=Menard|first=Emma}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2020-12-14/mariah-carey-all-i-want-for-christmas-queen|title=In the court of the Queen of Christmas, Mariah Carey: 'I'm obsessed'|access-date=October 11, 2021|website=Los Angeles Times|date=December 14, 2020|archive-date=December 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201214150713/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2020-12-14/mariah-carey-all-i-want-for-christmas-queen|url-status=live}} and she has since been dubbed the "Queen of Christmas".{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/article/christmas-mariah-carey-queen-song-346d94b58c268edb5a7fcb3c912e982c|title=Why Mariah Carey's 'All I Want for Christmas is You' became so popular — and stayed that way|work=Associated Press|first=David|last=Bauder|date=December 11, 2023|access-date=December 24, 2023}}{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2017/11/daily-chart-25?fsrc=scn/tw/te/bl/ed/|title=The music industry should be dreaming of a white Christmas|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=December 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202064133/https://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2017/11/daily-chart-25?fsrc=scn/tw/te/bl/ed/|archive-date=December 2, 2017|url-status=dead}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.vogue.com/article/mariah-carey-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-analysis|first=Michelle|last=Ruiz|title=The Enduring Magic of Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You"|magazine=Vogue|date=December 23, 2015|access-date=June 15, 2019|archive-date=November 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128193559/https://www.vogue.com/article/mariah-carey-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-analysis|url-status=live}} Multiple media sources have since cited Carey as a holiday icon.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/photos/mariah-carey-christmas-outfits-gallery-9501092/|title=Mariah Carey's Christmas Looks: See All Her Best Outfits|magazine=Billboard|date=December 20, 2022|access-date=April 23, 2023|archive-date=April 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423024307/https://www.billboard.com/photos/mariah-carey-christmas-outfits-gallery-9501092/|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine|url=https://i-d.vice.com/en/article/a3gqkz/how-mariah-carey-became-the-queen-of-christmas|title=how mariah carey became the queen of christmas|magazine=Vice|date=December 14, 2015|access-date=April 23, 2023|archive-date=April 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423131501/https://i-d.vice.com/en/article/a3gqkz/how-mariah-carey-became-the-queen-of-christmas|url-status=live}} Additionally, both the song and album were hailed as being "one of the few worthy modern additions to the holiday canon" by The New Yorker in 2006.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/04/03/on-top|title=On Top|last=Frere-Jones|first=Sasha|magazine=The New Yorker|date=March 27, 2006|access-date=June 15, 2019|issn=0028-792X|archive-date=July 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711053617/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/04/03/on-top|url-status=live}} When asked about whether or not she's worried that people might associate her predominantly with holiday music, Carey said that "I do some of my other hits too [...] and thankfully the kids seem to sing along. It's what I've been worried about too, that people would only know me for Christmas. But in a way, I wouldn't care, because I do just love Christmas so much".{{Cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/mariah-carey-interview-christmas-music-career-upbringing-b1200788.html|title=Mariah Carey: 'I’ve worried that people only know me for Christmas — but I don’t care, I love it'|last=Keens|first=Oliver|magazine=Standard|date=December 19, 2024|access-date=January 8, 2024}}

The song specifically has received critical acclaim and has become a Christmas standard.{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurenalvarez/2019/11/27/mariah-careys-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-breaks-three-guinness-world-records/?sh=72fc6af310fa#33f2732a10fa%20Mariah%20Carey%20All%20I%20Want%20For%20Christmas%20Is%20You%20Guiness%20World%20Records%20on%20www.guinnessworldrecords.com|title=Mariah Carey's 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' Breaks Three Guinness World Records|access-date=November 19, 2020|website=Forbes|archive-date=November 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126205333/https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurenalvarez/2019/11/27/mariah-careys-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-breaks-three-guinness-world-records/?sh=72fc6af310fa#33f2732a10fa%20Mariah%20Carey%20All%20I%20Want%20For%20Christmas%20Is%20You%20Guiness%20World%20Records%20on%20www.guinnessworldrecords.com|url-status=live}} Forbes writer Lauren Alvarez called the song the "unofficial song of Christmas each year". Speaking to Vogue in 2015, Elvis Duran stated that the song's appeal was based on the fact that it was "a modern song that could actually have been a hit back in the '40s", praising its "timeless, classic quality". The success of the song, in particular, has led Carey to build what Billboard described as a "growing holiday mini-empire".{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8031430/mariah-carey-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-movie|title=Mariah Carey Reflects on 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' and Her Growing Holiday Mini-Empire|first=Deborah|last=Wilker|date=November 13, 2017|magazine=Billboard|access-date=June 15, 2019|archive-date=June 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190616031231/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8031430/mariah-carey-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-movie|url-status=live}} Carey and the song were referenced in Marvel Studios' What If...? (2023) Christmas special episode "What If... Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?".{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/what-if-season-2-premiere-review/|title=Review: Marvel's What If...? Season 2 Premiere|date=December 22, 2023|access-date=August 14, 2024|website=CBR.|last=Rose|first=Hannah}}

The song has also garnered Carey several achievements, including becoming her nineteenth number-one song on the Billboard Hot 100.{{Cite web|url=https://www.revolt.tv/article/2023-12-25/346569/mariah-careys-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-breaks-new-record|title=Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" single shatters Spotify record|access-date=July 26, 2024|date=December 25, 2023|last=Powell|first=Jon}} In 2021, Forbes reported that the song has earned approximately $60 million since 1994.{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/tonifitzgerald/2021/12/24/million-dollar-song-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-keeps-raking-it-in/?sh=db805b9256de|title=Million-Dollar Song: 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' Keeps Raking It In|access-date=July 26, 2024|website=Forbes|date=December 24, 2021|last=Fitzgerald|first=Toni}} The song has broken numerous Spotify records, and was ranked by Billboard as the greatest holiday song of all time.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/greatest-of-all-time-holiday-100-songs/|title=Greatest of All Time Holiday 100 Songs|access-date=April 19, 2023|magazine=Billboard|archive-date=December 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228184050/https://www.billboard.com/charts/greatest-of-all-time-holiday-100-songs/|url-status=live}} The song was also selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry in 2023, based on its "cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage."{{cite web |title=2023 National Recording Registry selections |url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/recording-registry/registry-by-induction-years/2023/ |website=Library of Congress |access-date=12 April 2023 |archive-date=April 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412104836/https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/recording-registry/registry-by-induction-years/2023/ |url-status=live }}

While Carey did not officially tour for Merry Christmas after its release in 1994, she performed a live concert at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on December 8, 1994.{{cite web|access-date=May 21, 2019|date=November 21, 2019|first=Alejandra|last=Torres|title=You can now watch Mariah Carey's first performance of 'All I Want for Christmas' on repeat|url=https://us.hola.com/celebrities/2019112130229/mariah-carey-all-i-want-for-christmas-first-performance/|work=Hola!|archive-date=December 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230165224/https://us.hola.com/celebrities/2019112130229/mariah-carey-all-i-want-for-christmas-first-performance/|url-status=live}} In 2001, she participated in CBS's third annual holiday special, "A Home for the Holidays With Mariah Carey", which promoted adoption and saw performances from herself amongst other artists.{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2001/12/21/mariah-careys-holiday-hash/0c786449-2b9c-4f21-82a5-a1705304f278/|title=Mariah Carey's Holiday Hash|accessdate=January 9, 2025|website=The Washington Post|date=December 20, 2001|last=Shales|first=Tom}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-dec-21-et-tips21-story.html|title=Mariah Carey’s Adoption Special Tugs the Holiday Heartstrings|accessdate=January 9, 2025|website=Los Angeles Times|date=December 21, 2001|last=Sachs|first=Mark}} To promote her second Christmas album, Merry Christmas II You (2010), Carey hosted her first Christmas television special Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to You, pre-recorded and broadcast through ABC.{{cite magazine|last=Stransky|first=Tanner|url=http://www.ew.com/article/2010/12/14/mariah-carey-merry-christmas-special|title=Mariah Carey's 'Merry Christmas' special last night: Three highlights worth watching|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=September 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151025155106/http://www.ew.com/article/2010/12/14/mariah-carey-merry-christmas-special|archive-date=October 25, 2015|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Daw|first=Robbie|url=http://www.idolator.com/5717392/mariah-carey-christmas-special|title=Mariah Carey Celebrates The Music Of Christmas On Her ABC Special|work=Idolator|date=December 14, 2010|access-date=September 18, 2015|archive-date=September 23, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923064746/https://www.idolator.com/5717392/mariah-carey-christmas-special|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Dinh|first=James|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1651323/mariah-carey-spreading-christmas-cheer-with-holiday-tv-special/|title=Mariah Carey Spreading Christmas Cheer With Holiday TV Special|work=MTV News|date=November 2, 2010|access-date=September 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927102620/http://www.mtv.com/news/1651323/mariah-carey-spreading-christmas-cheer-with-holiday-tv-special/|archive-date=September 27, 2015|url-status=dead}} In 2013, Carey appeared with Michael Bublé on his 3rd Annual Christmas Special to perform "All I Want for Christmas Is You" as a duet.{{Cite web|url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/12/9078770/mariah-carey-all-i-want-for-christmas-song-videos#slide-5|title=Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" Performances, Ranked|access-date=August 9, 2024|website=Refinery29|date=December 24, 2019|last=Komonibo|first=Ineye}}

Since 2014, Carey has either toured or held mini residencies for the Christmas season. Billboard writer Eric Frankenberg noted that Carey has "put in the work each year and assumed her [Queen of Christmas] throne on stage as well". From 2014 to 2019, Carey performed a concert residency, All I Want for Christmas Is You: A Night of Joy and Festivity.{{cite web|last=Gamboa|first=Glen|url=http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/mariah-carey-sets-holiday-shows-at-beacon-theatre-1.9570795|title=Mariah Carey sets holiday shows at Beacon Theatre|work=Newsday|date=October 31, 2014|access-date=October 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709005025/http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/mariah-carey-sets-holiday-shows-at-beacon-theatre-1.9570795|archive-date=July 9, 2017|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}{{cite web|last=Smith|first=Courtney E.|url=http://news.radio.com/2014/11/03/mariah-carey-new-york-city-christmas-concerts-beacon-theatre-dates/|title=Mariah Carey Announces NYC Christmas Concerts|work=Radio.com|date=November 3, 2014|access-date=October 6, 2017|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240528063555/https://www.webcitation.org/6u0XbEXAr?url=http://news.radio.com/2014/11/03/mariah-carey-new-york-city-christmas-concerts-beacon-theatre-dates/|archive-date=May 28, 2024|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}} In 2015, Carey directed and starred in the Hallmark Channel Christmas television film A Christmas Melody (2015).{{cite magazine|last1=Strecker|first1=Erin|title=All I Want for Christmas Is Mariah Carey's Christmas TV Movie: Watch the Trailer|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6769123/mariah-carey-hallmark-christmas-melody-movie-trailer|magazine=Billboard|access-date=November 18, 2015}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2015/12/21/460561885/20-things-you-desperately-need-to-know-about-mariahs-hallmark-movie|title=20 Things You Desperately Need To Know About Mariah's Hallmark Movie|access-date=August 9, 2024|website=NPR|date=December 21, 2015|last=Holme|first=Linda}} She also hosted the special Mariah Carey's Merriest Christmas (2015) on the same channel where she performed various songs from her Christmas discography.{{cite magazine|last1=Robinson|first1=Will|title=Mariah Carey is making movies (and music) for the Hallmark Channel|url=https://ew.com/article/2016/05/23/mariah-carey-hallmark-channel-deal/|access-date=February 15, 2018|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=May 23, 2016|language=en|archive-date=February 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215084243/http://ew.com/article/2016/05/23/mariah-carey-hallmark-channel-deal/|url-status=live}} The special became the network's most-viewed show.{{Cite web|url=https://ew.com/article/2016/05/23/mariah-carey-hallmark-channel-deal/|title=Mariah Carey signs Hallmark Channel deal for movies|access-date=August 9, 2024|website=Entertainment Weekly|date= May 23, 2016|last=Robinson|first=Will}}

In December 2016, Carey appeared on The Keys of Christmas (2016), a Christmas special hosted on YouTube, alongside YouTube's top music personalities including DJ Khaled and Rudy Mancuso.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thefader.com/2016/12/06/dj-khaled-mariah-carey-the-keys-of-christmas-special|title=DJ Khaled And Mariah Carey Will Star In The Keys Of Christmas Special|access-date=August 9, 2024|website=The Fader|date=December 6, 2016|last=Dandridge-Lemco|first=Ben}} In 2017, Carey released an animated film Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You (2017) which was based on a book she released in 2015 of the same name.{{Cite web|url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/535327/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-by-mariah-carey-illustrated-by-colleen-madden/|title=All I Want for Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey|access-date=October 2, 2023|website=Penguin Random House}}{{Cite web|url=https://people.com/celebrity/mariah-carey-announces-childrens-book-based-on-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you/|title=Hoorah! Mariah Carey to Release Children's Book Based on Hit Song 'All I Want for Christmas Is You'|access-date=October 2, 2023|website=People|date=August 26, 2015|last=Rayne|first=Naja}} Carey voiced the narrator and also performed the soundtrack's lead single, "Lil Snowman".{{Cite web|url=https://www.etonline.com/listen-to-mariah-careys-adorable-new-holiday-song-in-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-clip-exclusive|title=Listen to Mariah Carey's Adorable New Holiday Song in 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' Clip (Exclusive)|access-date=October 2, 2023|website=Entertainment Tonight|last=Boone|first=John|date=November 13, 2017}} That same year, she performed "The Star" for the animated film of the same.{{Cite web|url=https://www.vibe.com/2017/10/mariah-carey-the-star-song|title=Mariah Carey Releases New Song "The Star"|date=October 23, 2017|website=Vibe|last=Fresh|first=Mikey|access-date=August 9, 2024}} The song was later nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song at the 75th Golden Globe Awards.[https://www.avclub.com/here-are-the-winners-from-the-75th-annual-golden-globes-1821861586 Here are the winners from the 75th annual Golden Globes|AV Club]

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Carey released a Christmas special titled Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special (2020).{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/rambling-reporter/mariah-careys-magical-christmas-special-tops-apple-tv-charts-in-100-countries|title=Mariah Carey's 'Magical Christmas Special' Tops Apple TV+ Charts in 100 Countries|access-date=March 24, 2021|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=December 8, 2020 |archive-date=January 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210130182202/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/rambling-reporter/mariah-careys-magical-christmas-special-tops-apple-tv-charts-in-100-countries|url-status=live}} Released through Apple TV+, Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter reported that the special hit number-one in over 100 countries.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9495735/mariah-carey-magical-christmas-special-tops-apple-tv-charts/|title=Mariah Carey's 'Magical Christmas Special' Tops Apple TV+ Charts in 100 Countries|access-date=March 24, 2021|magazine=Billboard|archive-date=February 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218030533/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9495735/mariah-carey-magical-christmas-special-tops-apple-tv-charts/|url-status=live}} The special received positive reviews from critics and was described by Decider writer Brett White as a revival of 21st century holiday specials that were popular on television throughout the 1960s.{{Cite web|url=https://decider.com/2020/12/07/mariah-careys-magical-christmas-special-apple-tv-plus-review/|title=Stream It or Skip It: 'Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special' on Apple TV+, a Befuddling and Bedazzled Holiday Treat|access-date=March 7, 2021|website=Decider|date=December 7, 2020 |archive-date=May 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508201057/https://decider.com/2020/12/07/mariah-careys-magical-christmas-special-apple-tv-plus-review/|url-status=live}} A year later, Carey released a sequel titled Mariah's Christmas: The Magic Continues (2021).{{Cite web|url=https://ratedrnb.com/2021/12/watch-mariah-careys-holiday-special-mariahs-christmas-the-magic-continues/|title=Watch Mariah Carey's Holiday Special 'Mariah's Christmas: The Magic Continues'|access-date=December 3, 2021|website=Rated RNB|date=December 3, 2021 |archive-date=December 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211203050417/https://ratedrnb.com/2021/12/watch-mariah-careys-holiday-special-mariahs-christmas-the-magic-continues/|url-status=live}}

File:Mariah Carey Toronto 2022 1.jpg in December 9, 2022.]]

In 2022, Carey embarked on mini-concert tour titled the Merry Christmas to All! Tour, which was later adapted into a television special{{efn|subtitled Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All!{{Cite web|url=https://www.pennlive.com/life/2023/12/how-to-watch-mariah-carey-merry-christmas-to-all-tonight-122523-free-live-stream-time-channel.html|title=How to watch 'Mariah Carey Merry Christmas to All' tonight (12/25/23): FREE live stream, time, channel|date=December 26, 2023|accessdate=August 19, 2024|website=Penn Live|last=Kiner|first=Deb}}}} which aired on CBS and Paramount+.{{Cite web |title=Mariah Carey to host holiday special for CBS and Paramount+ |url=https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/mariah-carey-host-holiday-special-073858171.html |access-date=2023-04-23 |website=Yahoo Sports |date=November 11, 2022 |language=en-GB}} The special became most watched program of the night, drawing in a total of 3.8 million viewers and a 0.4 demo rating.{{Cite web |last=Mitovich |first=Matt Webb |date=December 21, 2022 |title=Ratings: Grinch, Santa Claus Top Night in Demo, Mariah Draws Biggest Crowd |url=https://tvline.com/2022/12/21/ratings-mariah-carey-merry-christmas-to-all-cbs/ |access-date=2023-04-23 |website=TVLine |language=en-US}} Her 2023 tour, Merry Christmas One and All!, also received high praise from critics.{{cite magazine|last=Tailor|first=Leena|date=November 17, 2023|title=The Best Holiday Season Concerts in L.A. – Starting with Mariah Carey's 'Merry Christmas One and All!'|url=https://lamag.com/music/best-holiday-season-concerts-in-la-mariah-carey-merry-christmas-one-and-all|magazine=Los Angeles|access-date=November 18, 2023}}{{cite web|last=Williams|first=Aaron|date=November 16, 2023|title=Mariah Carey Season Has Arrived In Style|url=https://uproxx.com/pop/mariah-carey-concert-review-merry-christmas-one-and-all-tour-2023/|website=Uproxx|access-date=November 17, 2023}}{{cite web|last=Washington|first=Kiara|date=November 17, 2023|title='Something Is Wrong': Mariah Carey Fans Express Concerns for Singer's Well-Being After Watching Her Latest Performance|url=https://atlantablackstar.com/2023/11/17/fans-express-concerns-for-mariah-carey-well-being/|website=Atlanta Black Star|access-date=November 18, 2023}} Billboard reported that the tour grossed almost $30 million, selling more than 200,000 tickets, becoming her largest attendance since her Butterfly World Tour in 1997.{{Cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/mariah-carey-merry-christmas-one-and-all-tour-2023-earns-30-million/|title=Mariah Carey’s 2023 Holiday Tour Scored Her Best Concert Attendance in 25 Years|access-date=August 5, 2024|last=Frankenberg|first=Eric|date=January 19, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240202013032/https://www.billboard.com/pro/mariah-carey-merry-christmas-one-and-all-tour-2023-earns-30-million/|archive-date=February 2, 2024}} In 2024, Carey embarked on the Mariah Carey's Christmas Time tour.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/mariah-carey-announces-2024-christmas-time-tour-1235072740/|title=Mariah Carey, Undisputed Christmas Queen, Announces 2024 Holiday Tour|access-date=August 5, 2024|website=Rolling Stones|date=August 2, 2024|first=Tomás|last=Mier|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240802141532/https://rollingstone.com/music/music-news/mariah-carey-announces-2024-christmas-time-tour-1235072740/|archive-date=August 2, 2024}}

Capitalizing on the continued popularity of "All I Want for Christmas Is You", Carey has made it a tradition to post a video on her social media accounts each year since 2019, at midnight on November 1, declaring that "it's time" to start playing Christmas music.{{cite news | url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/books/2022/11/01/mariah-carey-interview-christmas/10647037002/ | title=Mariah Carey says her new Christmas book is for 'all the people who have ever felt othered' | newspaper=USA Today | access-date=November 3, 2022 | archive-date=November 3, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221103082658/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/books/2022/11/01/mariah-carey-interview-christmas/10647037002/ | url-status=live }} The videos were created in response to another phrase made popular by Carey who would say "not yet" when people would play Christmas music before the season had begun.{{Cite web|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/story/mariah-carey-queen-of-christmas|title=Mariah Carey Talks How She Wrote "Hero", a Patrick Swayze Memory, and Becoming Queen of Christmas|accessdate=September 25, 2024|website=Vanity Fair|date=September 23, 2024|last=Ledonne|first=Rob}} Carey noted that she and her team then "sat down and decided [they would] make an "It's Time" video to signal when it’s time".

• In 2019, Carey recorded a clip of herself falling asleep in a Cyndi Lauper-inspired Halloween outfit, and waking up on November 1 in Christmas-themed pyjamas, first uttering her popular phrase, "It's Time".{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/11/mariah-carey-gets-in-the-holiday-spirit-going-directly-to-christmas-1202775406/|title=Mariah Carey Gets In The Holiday Spirit, Going Directly To Christmas With Twitter Video|access-date=July 23, 2024|website=Deadline|first=Bruce|last=Haring|date= November 2, 2019}}
• In 2020, Carey's video featured a "creepy ghoulie" opening a cobweb-ridden door with the message "Not Yet" written on the door. Behind the door, Carey sat in a magical Christmas room declaring "It's Time (But let's get through Thanksgiving first)".{{Cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/11/watch-mariah-carey-says-its-time-for-christmas.html|title=Mariah Carey Says It’s Time for Christmas in Teaser Trailer for the Concept of Christmas|access-date=July 23, 2024|website=Vulture|date=November 1, 2020|last=Alter|first=Rebecca}}
• In 2021, Carey smashed a pumpkin (in reference to Halloween) with a giant candy cane.{{Cite web|url=https://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/mariah-carey-christmas-countdown-videos-49309135|title=Mariah Carey's Christmas Countdown Videos Are Getting More Extra by the Year|access-date=July 23, 2024|website=PopSugar|date=November 2, 2023|last=Messina|first=Victoria}}
• In 2022, Carey dressed as a witch, riding a static exercise bike and cackling before being transformed into a Mrs.Claus-inspired outfit, swapping the exercise bike for a reindeer.{{Cite web|url=https://metro.co.uk/2022/11/01/mariah-carey-hops-on-reindeer-to-declare-its-time-for-christmas-17676242/|title=Mariah Carey dusts off the reindeer to declare ‘it’s time’ for Christmas with Halloween done|access-date=July 23, 2024|website=Metro|last=Adejobi|first=Alicia|date=November 1, 2022}}
• In 2023, Carey's video featured herself frozen in a block of ice, being set free by Halloween-inspired creatures who used hairdryers to melt the ice around her.{{Cite web|url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/mariah-carey-its-time-video/|title=Mariah Carey Ushers In The Holiday Season With 'It’s Time!' Video|access-date=July 23, 2024|website=uDiscover|date=November 1, 2023|last=Armstrong|first=Sam}} Carey uses her signature whistle notes to say "it's time" before the ice shatters, and she's revealed in a red and white Santa jumpsuit.{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/mariah-carey-announces-time-annual-video-ringing-holiday/story?id=104536962|title=Mariah Carey announces 'It's time' in annual video ringing in the holiday season|access-date=August 5, 2024|website=ABC News|last=Dresdale|first=Andrea}} This video was inspired by the popular meme about Carey "defrosting" in time for Christmas.
• In 2024, Carey dressed as Morticia Addams from The Addams Family, dancing with a man who represented Gomez Addams.{{Cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/mariah-carey-its-time-addams-family-christmas-season-kick-off-video-1235817467/|title=Mariah Carey Finally Says ‘It’s Time’ in Addams Family-Themed Christmas Season Kick-Off Video|accessdate=November 2, 2024|website=Billboard|date=November 1, 2024|last=Kaufman|first=Gil}} Carey then opens a cabinet to reveal herself in a red and white Santa jumper, using her whistle register to say "it's time" before Gomez is transformed into a snowman.

Carey initially rejected the "Queen of Christmas" title, saying that "Mother Mary is the Queen of Christmas".{{cite news|url=https://people.com/music/mariah-carey-announces-set-of-christmas-concerts-in-nyc-and-toronto/|title=Mariah Carey Sets 2022 Christmas Concerts in N.Y.C. and Toronto: 'Excited to Be Back on Stage'|last=Rice|first=Nicholas|date=December 24, 2021|magazine=People|access-date=May 29, 2023|archive-date=May 29, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529153627/https://people.com/music/mariah-carey-announces-set-of-christmas-concerts-in-nyc-and-toronto/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://news.yahoo.com/mariah-carey-never-called-myself-003613918.html|title=Mariah Carey: 'I never called myself the Queen of Christmas'|last=Portée|first=Alex|date=December 9, 2022|magazine=Yahoo|access-date=May 29, 2023|archive-date=May 29, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529153628/https://news.yahoo.com/mariah-carey-never-called-myself-003613918.html|url-status=live}} Despite this, in March 2021, she attempted to trademark the phrase "Queen of Christmas", which received backlash from singers Darlene Love and Elizabeth Chan.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62564327|title=Mariah Carey 'Queen of Christmas' trademark attempt prompts backlash|agency=BBC News |date=August 16, 2022|access-date=December 11, 2022|archive-date=December 11, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221211222404/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62564327|url-status=live}} In November 2022, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board denied Carey's request.{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2022/11/18/1137714601/mariah-carey-christmas-queen-trademark|title=Mariah Carey can't be the only 'Queen of Christmas,' the trademark agency rules|last=Treisman|first=Rachel|agency=NPR|date=November 18, 2022|access-date=December 15, 2022|archive-date=December 14, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221214234049/https://www.npr.org/2022/11/18/1137714601/mariah-carey-christmas-queen-trademark|url-status=live}}

In June 2022, Andy Stone of Vince Vance & the Valiants filed a lawsuit against Carey over alleged copyright infringement of his country ballad "All I Want for Christmas Is You".{{Cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/mariah-carey-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-copyright-case-dropped/|title=Mariah Carey Accuser Drops Lawsuit Over 'All I Want For Christmas Is You'|access-date=July 26, 2024|website=Billboard|date=November 1, 2022|last=Donahue|first=Bill}} Stone alleged that Carey had stolen the song title from his song, demanding at least $20 million in damages from her, co-writer Walter Afanasieff and Sony Music Entertainment. The case was dropped in November of that year. In November 2023, Stone filed a similar complaint over the same alleged copyright infringement.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/nov/02/mariah-carey-sued-for-copyright-infringement-over-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you|title=Mariah Carey sued for copyright infringement over All I Want for Christmas Is You|access-date=July 26, 2024|website=The Guardian |date=November 2, 2023|last=Beaumont-Thomas|first=Ben}}

• Women in music
• Honorific nicknames in popular music

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

{{refbegin|30em}}

• {{cite book|last1=Carey|first1=Mariah|author-link1=Mariah Carey|last2=Davis|first2=Michaela Angela|author-link2=Michaela Angela Davis|date=2020|title=The Meaning of Mariah Carey|place=New York|publisher=Andy Cohen Books|isbn=978-1-250-16468-1}}
• {{Cite book|last=Harrison|first=Thomas|title=Music of the 1990s|year=2011|place=Santa Barbara, California|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-37942-0}}
• {{Cite book|last=Pond|first=Steve|title=The Big Show: High Times and Dirty Dealings Backstage at the Academy Awards|url=https://archive.org/details/bigshowhightimes00pond|url-access=registration|year=2005|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bigshowhightimes00pond/page/206 206–207]|publisher=Faber and Faber|isbn=978-0-571-21190-6}}
• {{Cite book|last=Nickson|first=Chris|title=Mariah Carey revisited: her story|year=1998|publisher=St. Martin's Press|isbn=978-0-312-19512-0}}
• {{Cite book|last=Shapiro|first=Marc|title=Mariah Carey: The Unauthorized Biography|publisher=ECW Press|year=2001|isbn=978-1-55022-444-3}}

{{refend}}

{{Mariah Carey}}

Category:Mariah Carey

Category:1990s in music

Category:2000s in music

Category:2010s in music

Category:2020s in music

Category:Public image by individuals

Category:Cultural depictions of pop musicians