Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer had a very shiny nose and… was a lady?
A new Twitter theory claims that all of Santa’s elves are actually female, and not male, as many people believe.
The theory emerged earlier this week when user Cat Reynolds took to the platform to explain her reasoning and express her support for the strong, female reindeer.
Interesting: A new Twitter theory claims that all of Santa’s elves are actually female, and not male, as many people believe
‘Male reindeer lose their antlers in winter and females don’t therefore Santa’s sleigh is actually pulled by a team of strong, powerful, underrated women!!!!!’ Reynolds tweeted excitedly.
‘You go, girls!! I see you!!!’
Reindeer, or caribous, do shed their antlers at different times of the year, according to the San Diego Zoo. Males begin to grow theirs in February, and use them to fend off predators as well as to woo females.
The mating season occurs during the fall, and male reindeer thus shed their antlers once it’s over, around November. Males remain without full antlers until the following spring.
Females, meanwhile, start growing their antlers in May. They keep them throughout the winter, during which they use them to find food in the snow, and to keep other animals from eating their stock.
Important detail: Male reindeer lose their antlers in the winter, but female reindeer do not. This would indicate that Santa’s reindeer, who are typically represented with antlers, are female
Santa’s reindeer are typically represented with full-grown antlers during Christmastime, meaning they have to be female.
Yet, despite this fact, many think of Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen as an all-male group, or as an ensemble of both male and female reindeer.
The famous Rudolph, meanwhile, usually has small antlers in his depictions—and certainly sports them in the famous movie.
Rudolph is also depicted as male in the well-known song telling the tell of his red nose and how useful it came to be on Christmas night.
Yet, based on Reynolds’ theory, it would appear that Rudolph is actually a female reindeer.
The theory has proven a hit on Twitter, and Reynolds’ message has been retweeted more than 202,000 times while receiving more than 667,000 likes.
Reynolds even got a hat tip from the writer Jodi Picoult, who shared her tweet with three flexed biceps emoji.