{"id":4564,"date":"2021-02-11T15:31:37","date_gmt":"2021-02-11T20:31:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/server.peraltadev.com\/peraltadesign\/?p=4564"},"modified":"2021-02-11T18:31:11","modified_gmt":"2021-02-11T23:31:11","slug":"the-aunt-jemima-rebrand-this-was-long-overdue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/server.peraltadev.com\/peraltadesign\/the-aunt-jemima-rebrand-this-was-long-overdue\/","title":{"rendered":"The Aunt Jemima Rebrand: This Was Long Overdue"},"content":{"rendered":"

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My first reaction to the new rebranded packaging revealed by PepsiCo yesterday, that is to make its way onto store shelves by June 2021, was <\/span>\u201cHey, why didn\u2019t they keep the likeness of Aunt Jemima and honor Nancy Green by renaming the syrup and pancake mix after her.\u201d Sounds like the \u2018woke\u2019 thing to do, that is until you go a little deeper into Aunt Jemima\u2019s sordid past. Within minutes, you\u2019ll agree that getting rid of this racist, human mascot imagery from their product was the only option, and you should actually be very angry when you think to yourself, why did it take so long?<\/span><\/p>\n

The truth is that Aunt Jemima was not based on a real person, if that were the case, then the argument that the likeness should\u2019ve been retained in the rebrand with a simple name change might have some validity. In fact, the opposite is true. Not only was it NOT based on a real person, it was based on a racist stereotype designed to dehumanize and depict African-Americans as passive servants, cooks and slaves.<\/p>\n

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Even when Quaker Oats bought the brand in 1925, they doubled down on stereotyping: they trademarked it. This human \u201ctrademark\u201d became one of the longest running advertisement \u201cmascots\u201d in history.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

One that would go on to be portrayed by different living women at least half a dozen times before it was decided it would be retired in the midst of civil unrest, demands for social justice and racial division<\/p>\n

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