A Tangy Delight Aunt Jemima AD

Sonali Heath-Retemyer

 COMD 3504

Professor: Jenna Spevack 

3/12/24

Have you ever heard of a brand called Aunt Jemima? You’ve probably seen the brand in many stores, and even ate some of the products the brand has. When you look at the logo of the brand all you see is a black woman smiling, looking happy. After a while of seeing this brand, I know eventually you asked the question, Who is Aunt Jemima? Where did she come from? and etc. I was one of these people who asked these questions too, and eventually after learning the truth behind who she is and what she is supposed to do it was not the positive outlook I was hoping for. Which brings me to my main point, of why this ad is the harmful use of a stereotype and can be deemed as a Oppositional reading. 

First when looking at the typography especially with the words “Tickle yo Appetite”, its trying to attempt to use the words of Black slang to make it more authentic to the brand the company is trying to give off, which is basically using a stereotype of black people talk, which is a form of mockery. Let’s start off with the history of the face of this brand,  Aunt Jemima wasn’t actually a real person and was made from racist caricatures from minstrel shows where the name itself came from an old Minstrel song  called “Old Aunt Jemima” in 1975, and the actual figure of the ideal look of aunt jemima was based off of a real woman named Nancy Green hired by Davis Mill where the image of “Mammy” Caricature came into play, depicting a black enslaved woman with very exaggerated feature with big red lips and teeth  happily “working” for her master and deemed it to be a happy life, which definitely not the case. This caused harm to the Black image because it defined slavery as a happy time in history, as something where African Americans enjoyed being enslaved, working for no wage,  uneducated enough to the point that they didn’t want to be free and independent. According to an article from Britannica it stated that “  she made pancakes and told scripted nostalgic stories about the Old South. An advertising firm added the necessary backstory, including Green’s supposed “loyal service” to a Louisiana slaveholder whom she protected from raiding Union soldiers. So successful was the character and the product line, along with its Lost Cause romanticism, that Davis renamed his firm Aunt Jemima Mills in 1914.” This piece of information shows that this was an example of a piece of media where it was made to look at white people as the saviors and protectors of black people since they were already not under the best circumstances. It’s also stated from Britannica that “ The image was that of what has been called the “mammy,” a popular trope of an enslaved older Black woman who cooked and cleaned for her white owners, apparently quite content with her lot in life. The image did not materially change following Black emancipation: it was represented by a dark-skinned heavyset woman of indeterminate middle age who wore an apron and a bandana as a headscarf.” This explains one of the many stereotypes and concepts of minstrel shows made of black people that have been harmful towards the black image, which were depicted  to be servants, and not become their own person but instead being benefited for entertainment or service of white people. 

The face and image behind the Aunt Jemima advertisements and products, has been used for centuries, it was seen as something normal or something to not think too much of it since it was already normalized during that early era of society. The meaning behind this image is much more than just a lady smiling on a bottle, it comes from the concept of Minstrel shows. During the 1830’s After the Civil War,  Minstrel shows were created to be, made as an insult to the black community by depicting them as a joke, through the many uses of Black face, where white man dressing up a black man having big red lips, super dark skin, eating watermelon, etc so they can create the view of the black community as people not worthy to be respected, to be belittled to not have their own sense of freedom, but only to be laughed at. Due to its popularity people started to use these stereotypes of black people’s ways of money and business. These stereotypes caused harm to the black community for so long. According to The National Museum of African American History and Culture it states that “ The pervasiveness of stereotypical images like these made the civil rights efforts of African Americans even more difficult. The black people represented here were irresponsible, laughable, and difficult to understand. If white people accepted these stereotypes, it became that much easier to deny African Americans the full rights of citizenship.” This quote proves that the effects of these stereotype caricatures show black Americans in a negative light where they weren’t able to do normal activities, due to the false representations which made them not properly gain the resources to survive and not afford a proper place in america. With this another detail from this article states that “ Minstrelsy, comedic performances of “blackness” by whites in exaggerated costumes and make-up, cannot be separated fully from the racial derision and stereotyping at its core.  By distorting the features and culture of African Americans—including their looks, language, dance, deportment, and character—white Americans were able to codify whiteness across class and geopolitical lines as its antithesis.” This quote proves that, main purpose of these shows were to diminish and dehumanize the status of african americans creating the an image to the world that the african american race would not worthy of being seen as important, no matter what status they have whether if they are poor or middle class. The white americans used this as a way to better themselves up or separate themselves from the black americans to show themselves in a brighter light. These stereotypes of black Americans have caused so much damage during the 20th century with actions of violence, segregation, lack of resources, very low non-paying jobs, etc. Over time we have gained a lot of memorable black faces that could deal with the abuse anymore and overturned the white superiority, and started to fight for what is right. Now with the effects of fighting back against the stereotype, black Americans are now able to say what they agree to be deemed disrespectful and have the power to change it.  

Which leads me to my last point as to why this according to Stuart Hills reception theory that this ad is and should be considered an Oppositional Reading, where the audience rejects the preferred meaning and creates their own meaning. Due to the racist meaning behind the image of the Aunt Jemima products and advertisements, by the now own Pearl Milling Company the public called out their product and demanded a change in action with their product. According to npr.org it states that “ Aunt Jemima and other food brands, including Uncle Ben’s, Cream of Wheat, and Mrs. Butterworth’s, announced redesigns amid protests against systemic racism and police brutality in the U.S. last summer. But calls to remove the Aunt Jemima imagery, and others like it, were made long before companies acquiesced to public pressure last year.” With the future generation of the black community, they had strong passion for change for their own justice but not only black Americans wanted change to happen for them but other races as well want to show their support on improving the image of black people. Realizing this support The Pearl Milling Company wanted to take it a step further from said article “The company said Pearl Milling Company will also announce details of a $1 million commitment to empower and uplift Black girls and women in the coming weeks. The investment is in addition to PepsiCo’s $400 million, five-year commitment to advance and uplift Black businesses and communities, the company said.” They have a desire to take accountability for the past action of the company’s old desire and change for the better by giving back. In today’s day and age, we’ve eventually now have more respect for everyone and their cultures no matter what race they are. The meaning behind the company’s original image was very disrespectful and using a force of harm to their own advantage and wanted that name and face to be gone. This ad is Oppositional and has the right to be changed due to its controversies, by the decision of the people. Black Americans  have a voice too and should be heard. 

In conclusion, we now know the reason and meaning behind this ad and why it should be considered Oppositional. The Proper use of Representation is very important because it’s a form of communication through the world through people. It shows people being recognised and heard, not just something made up or false accumulated by others. Aunt Jemima was a bad source for representation of black Americans through the use of stereotypes and myths, which was hugely shown due to its popularity in the mass media at the time. Representation should be used for connection of learning about other cultures, with embrace and acceptance. The media can be a power tool to spread awareness but it’s up to us as the people to show what it be used for  

Work Cited:

“Aunt Jemima (Pearl Milling Company).” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 30 Jan. 2024, www.britannica.com/topic/Aunt-Jemima-Pearl-Milling-Company. 

“Blackface: The Birth of an American Stereotype.” National Museum of African American History and Culture, 22 Nov. 2017, nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/blackface-birth-american-stereotype. 

Diaz, Jaclyn. “Aunt Jemima No More; Pancake Brand Renamed Pearl Milling Company.” NPR, NPR, 10 Feb. 2021, www.npr.org/2021/02/10/966166648/aunt-jemima-no-more-pancake-brand-renamed-pearl-milling-company. 

Image from:

“Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben Deserve Retirement. They’re Racist Myths of Happy Black Servitude.” NBCNews.Com, NBCUniversal News Group, 21 June 2020, www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/aunt-jemima-uncle-ben-deserve-retirement-they-re-racist-myths-ncna1231623. 

DRAFT

FINAL