People are suggesting Father Christmas should be renamed 'Person Christmas'. Photo / Getty Images
People are suggesting Father Christmas should be renamed 'Person Christmas'. Photo / Getty Images
He's the face of Christmas and someone children around the world have loved for centuries, but now people are calling for jolly old Father Christmas (aka Santa Claus) to be renamed.
As the concept of gender fluidity, the idea that our gender identities are not fixed and that people mayidentify as a mix of both male and female, has become more mainstream, it has sparked a whole new debate on social media: namely that Santa Claus should be gender fluid, according to news.com.au.
According to Unilad, there have also been calls for the magical figure to be renamed 'Person Christmas' rather than 'Father Christmas'.
While some have supported the idea, others have slammed it, with one Twitter user saying things are "getting out of hand".
Claudia Carvell from the LGTB Foundation in the UK didn't comment on Father Christmas but told Unilad that society needs more gender fluid representation in general: "The conversation just starts with gender-neutral clothing lines or gender-fluid imagery, we need to be hearing more of the voices and experiences of gender-fluid and non-binary people."
Meanwhile, Go Social suggests that those against the idea may argue that Father Christmas should be represented as male as he is based on St Nicholas, a fourth-century saint who wore red robes and gave gifts to the poor.
However, changing Father Christmas's name and gender identity raises more issues. As Unilad asks, if we change the name and gender identity of Father Christmas, what will we have to change next?
The call to rename Santa is the latest in a growing a debate over "political correctness" and Christmas, as the phrase "Merry Christmas" is being replaced by the more inclusive "Happy holidays", and Christmas carols are being banned from some schools.
