An Enslaving Breakfast Mix. Aunt Jemima and Covert Racism (eBook)

Essay aus dem Jahr 2023 im Fachbereich Medien / Kommunikation - Public Relations, Werbung, Marketing, Social Media, Note: 1,0, Universität Potsdam (Anglophone Modernities in Literature and Culture), Veranstaltung: Academic Essay Writing, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: When companies undergo severe criticism for a product, they are often faced with two options: either make changes to its design or rebrand the whole commodity itself. The latter can be seen with the former popular pancake mix ‘Aunt Jemima’ by Quaker Oats, which was a brand that specialised in the advertisement for breakfast products, such as self-raising flour and syrup.

This essay argues that the controversy of the former Aunt Jemima brand and its name change showcase how popular enterprises employ racism and stereotypes to boost market sales of their products. In this paper, said connection will be briefly outlined by an analysis of the Aunt Jemima products and the cover-up of the racist history tied to them. By taking a closer look at individual ingredients such as the antebellum romanticization of the south, minstrel shows, as well as advertisements of Aunt Jemima and, with that, reimagined African American Vernacular English (AAVE), her, in racial inequality enrooted, recipe for success will be exposed.

In order to evade further criticism and not lose their public image, Quaker Oats rebranded its product, displaying miniscule ethical ambitions regarding the long-ongoing justified critiques but rather only commercially driven interests. Evidently, the concealed derogatory usage of minorities on the covers of material goods illuminates a link between white superiority and commodity racism.