Assvertising

[Content Note: Misogyny; racism; coercion.]

Part wev in an infinitely ongoing series...

Via Shaker KatherineSpins comes this picture of an ad for Athenos Feta cheese:

picture of an older woman wearing a scarf on her head and holding a wood bowl full of feta and watermelon salad, who is meant to be Yiayia, accompanied by text reading: 'Feta & Watermelon Yiayia's Way: 1. Organize arranged marriage for daughter. 2. Crumble Athenos Feta over watermelon in bowl. 3. If daughter resists, call priest. 4. Sprinkle cucumber and mint over salad. 5. Exorcise demon from daughter. 6. Enjoy feta and watermelon salad.'

"YiaYia" is a Greek term of endearment for "grandmother." It's interesting, ahem, how many immigrant groups to the US which were nonwhite many years ago, and then were subsumed into the broad, vague category of "white," are now being used in place of overtly racist stereotypes.

There's definitely a very cynical trend in advertising to appropriate "white ethnic" stereotypes, in order to pluck the same strings as racist stereotypes while hiding behind a defense of white assimilation.

(Which is not to suggest that overly racist stereotypes are not still being used in advertising, because they are. It's just that some advertisers think they're being savvy by pulling this shit, but I SEE YOU.)

Further, I don't know how the hell this advertisement made it through the vetting process without someone flagging that coerced marriage isn't a fucking joke. I can only assume the vetting process consists of holding the mock-up in front of a dog and seeing if she wags her tail.

"Welp, Rosie thinks it looks great! Print it!"

Anyway. Athenos is part of the Kraft Food Group. If you would like to contact Athenos and/or Kraft and ask them to reconsider their advertising strategy, here is some contact information:

Athenos' Facebook page. | Kraft Facebook page.

Athenos on Twitter. | Kraft on Twitter.

Athenos/Kraft contact form.

teaspoon icon Work dem spoons!

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