diff --git a/crates/ruma-common/src/events/message.rs b/crates/ruma-common/src/events/message.rs
index d393f29c..70a50ed9 100644
--- a/crates/ruma-common/src/events/message.rs
+++ b/crates/ruma-common/src/events/message.rs
@@ -47,6 +47,8 @@
 //! [MSC3245]: https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-spec-proposals/pull/3245
 //! [MSC3381]: https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-spec-proposals/pull/3381
 //! [`RoomMessageEventContent`]: super::room::message::RoomMessageEventContent
+use std::ops::Deref;
+
 use ruma_macros::EventContent;
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 
@@ -162,24 +164,17 @@ impl MessageContent {
 
     /// Get the plain text representation of this message.
     pub fn find_plain(&self) -> Option<&str> {
-        self.variants()
-            .iter()
+        self.iter()
             .find(|content| content.mimetype == "text/plain")
             .map(|content| content.body.as_ref())
     }
 
     /// Get the HTML representation of this message.
     pub fn find_html(&self) -> Option<&str> {
-        self.variants()
-            .iter()
+        self.iter()
             .find(|content| content.mimetype == "text/html")
             .map(|content| content.body.as_ref())
     }
-
-    /// Get all the text representations of this message.
-    pub fn variants(&self) -> &[Text] {
-        &self.0
-    }
 }
 
 impl From<Vec<Text>> for MessageContent {
@@ -188,6 +183,14 @@ impl From<Vec<Text>> for MessageContent {
     }
 }
 
+impl Deref for MessageContent {
+    type Target = [Text];
+
+    fn deref(&self) -> &Self::Target {
+        &self.0
+    }
+}
+
 /// Text message content.
 #[derive(Clone, Debug, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 #[cfg_attr(not(feature = "unstable-exhaustive-types"), non_exhaustive)]
diff --git a/crates/ruma-common/src/events/message/content_serde.rs b/crates/ruma-common/src/events/message/content_serde.rs
index 401e3102..f664d4f6 100644
--- a/crates/ruma-common/src/events/message/content_serde.rs
+++ b/crates/ruma-common/src/events/message/content_serde.rs
@@ -59,11 +59,10 @@ impl Serialize for MessageContent {
         S: serde::Serializer,
     {
         let mut st = serializer.serialize_struct("MessageContent", 1)?;
-        let variants = self.variants();
-        if variants.len() == 1 && variants[0].mimetype == "text/plain" {
-            st.serialize_field("org.matrix.msc1767.text", &variants[0].body)?;
+        if self.len() == 1 && self[0].mimetype == "text/plain" {
+            st.serialize_field("org.matrix.msc1767.text", &self[0].body)?;
         } else {
-            st.serialize_field("org.matrix.msc1767.message", variants)?;
+            st.serialize_field("org.matrix.msc1767.message", &self.0)?;
         }
         st.end()
     }
diff --git a/crates/ruma-common/src/events/room/message.rs b/crates/ruma-common/src/events/room/message.rs
index 26b5be2c..829bb3c2 100644
--- a/crates/ruma-common/src/events/room/message.rs
+++ b/crates/ruma-common/src/events/room/message.rs
@@ -586,8 +586,7 @@ impl EmoteMessageEventContent {
 #[cfg(feature = "unstable-msc1767")]
 impl From<MessageContent> for EmoteMessageEventContent {
     fn from(message: MessageContent) -> Self {
-        let body =
-            if let Some(body) = message.find_plain() { body } else { &message.variants()[0].body };
+        let body = if let Some(body) = message.find_plain() { body } else { &message[0].body };
         let formatted = message.find_html().map(FormattedBody::html);
 
         Self { body: body.to_owned(), formatted, message: Some(message) }
@@ -798,8 +797,7 @@ impl NoticeMessageEventContent {
 #[cfg(feature = "unstable-msc1767")]
 impl From<MessageContent> for NoticeMessageEventContent {
     fn from(message: MessageContent) -> Self {
-        let body =
-            if let Some(body) = message.find_plain() { body } else { &message.variants()[0].body };
+        let body = if let Some(body) = message.find_plain() { body } else { &message[0].body };
         let formatted = message.find_html().map(FormattedBody::html);
 
         Self { body: body.to_owned(), formatted, message: Some(message) }
@@ -1000,8 +998,7 @@ impl TextMessageEventContent {
 #[cfg(feature = "unstable-msc1767")]
 impl From<MessageContent> for TextMessageEventContent {
     fn from(message: MessageContent) -> Self {
-        let body =
-            if let Some(body) = message.find_plain() { body } else { &message.variants()[0].body };
+        let body = if let Some(body) = message.find_plain() { body } else { &message[0].body };
         let formatted = message.find_html().map(FormattedBody::html);
 
         Self { body: body.to_owned(), formatted, message: Some(message) }
diff --git a/crates/ruma-common/tests/events/message.rs b/crates/ruma-common/tests/events/message.rs
index 523d7dff..aedc831c 100644
--- a/crates/ruma-common/tests/events/message.rs
+++ b/crates/ruma-common/tests/events/message.rs
@@ -280,8 +280,8 @@ fn room_message_plain_text_stable_deserialization() {
             }),
             ..
         } if body == "test"
-          && message.variants().len() == 1
-          && message.variants()[0].body == "test"
+          && message.len() == 1
+          && message[0].body == "test"
     );
 }
 
@@ -305,8 +305,8 @@ fn room_message_plain_text_unstable_deserialization() {
             }),
             ..
         } if body == "test"
-          && message.variants().len() == 1
-          && message.variants()[0].body == "test"
+          && message.len() == 1
+          && message[0].body == "test"
     );
 }
 
@@ -336,9 +336,9 @@ fn room_message_html_text_stable_deserialization() {
             ..
         } if body == "test"
             && formatted.body == "<h1>test</h1>"
-            && message.variants().len() == 2
-            && message.variants()[0].body == "<h1>test</h1>"
-            && message.variants()[1].body == "test"
+            && message.len() == 2
+            && message[0].body == "<h1>test</h1>"
+            && message[1].body == "test"
     );
 }
 
@@ -368,9 +368,9 @@ fn room_message_html_text_unstable_deserialization() {
             ..
         } if body == "test"
             && formatted.body == "<h1>test</h1>"
-            && message.variants().len() == 2
-            && message.variants()[0].body == "<h1>test</h1>"
-            && message.variants()[1].body == "test"
+            && message.len() == 2
+            && message[0].body == "<h1>test</h1>"
+            && message[1].body == "test"
     );
 }
 
@@ -511,8 +511,8 @@ fn room_message_notice_stable_deserialization() {
             }),
             ..
         } if body == "test"
-          && message.variants().len() == 1
-          && message.variants()[0].body == "test"
+          && message.len() == 1
+          && message[0].body == "test"
     );
 }
 
@@ -536,8 +536,8 @@ fn room_message_notice_unstable_deserialization() {
             }),
             ..
         } if body == "test"
-          && message.variants().len() == 1
-          && message.variants()[0].body == "test"
+          && message.len() == 1
+          && message[0].body == "test"
     );
 }
 
@@ -679,8 +679,8 @@ fn room_message_emote_stable_deserialization() {
             }),
             ..
         } if body == "test"
-          && message.variants().len() == 1
-          && message.variants()[0].body == "test"
+          && message.len() == 1
+          && message[0].body == "test"
     );
 }
 
@@ -704,8 +704,8 @@ fn room_message_emote_unstable_deserialization() {
             }),
             ..
         } if body == "test"
-          && message.variants().len() == 1
-          && message.variants()[0].body == "test"
+          && message.len() == 1
+          && message[0].body == "test"
     );
 }
 
@@ -746,7 +746,7 @@ fn lang_deserialization() {
     });
 
     let content = from_json_value::<MessageContent>(json_data).unwrap();
-    assert_eq!(content.variants()[0].lang.as_deref(), Some("fr"));
-    assert_eq!(content.variants()[1].lang.as_deref(), Some("de"));
-    assert_eq!(content.variants()[2].lang.as_deref(), Some("en"));
+    assert_eq!(content[0].lang.as_deref(), Some("fr"));
+    assert_eq!(content[1].lang.as_deref(), Some("de"));
+    assert_eq!(content[2].lang.as_deref(), Some("en"));
 }