Nine Corporate Brands That Are Totally Racist
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In the early decades of American advertising, efforts to entice the "middle class" consumer sometimes took the form of blatantly racist corporate branding. The mascots and logos that defined a given company or product — including several that still exist today — were marked by offensive generalizations and caricatures of nonwhite figures, especially Black, Asian, Latino, and indigenous people.
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Popular companies that sell everything from bananas to corn chips have also faced criticism for promoting racist brands; some have been discontinued, while others continue to sell in America today.
These nine corporate brands are totally racist.
1. Aunt Jemima
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2. Chiquita
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3. Cream of Wheat
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4. Fritos
5. Uncle Ben's
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6. Pillsbury
7. Stroh Brewery
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8. Krispy Kernels
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9. Darkie Toothpaste
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These are just a few examples of what passed (or, in some cases, continues to pass) as appropriate marketing campaigns for some of the most well-known food brands in the U.S. While casting minorities in offensively goofy, subservient roles as brand representatives might appear to be losing ground in the consumer market today, the fact that select companies have yet to abandon the racial stereotype model of advertising proves that there's work yet to be done.
[h/t Business Insider]
ATTN: reached out to all companies listed above that are still in operation, but representatives from those companies could not be reached by the time of publication.
