Although depictions vary over time they are similar to the common attire and physical features of mammy characters throughout history. Her skin is dark and dewy with a pearly white smile. Aunt jemima is based on the common enslaved mammy archetype a plump black woman wearing a headscarf who is a devoted and submissive servant.
Nbc news was first to report her demise. Tons of people were calling for aunt jemima to be shelved or re branded. Specifically aunt jemima is meant to portray a real life woman named nancy green.
Nancy green march 4 1834 august 30 1923 was a storyteller cook activist and the first of many african american models hired to promote a corporate trademark as aunt jemima the famous aunt jemima recipe was not her recipe but she became the advertising world s first living trademark. The character was first brought to life by former slave nancy green in 1890. Aunt jemima products were previously represented by real black women until quaker oats started using drawings instead.
We recognize aunt jemima s origins are based on a racial stereotype quaker foods north america s vp and cmo kristin kroepfl said in a press. It would seem that quaker oats recent decision to retire aunt jemima and end its 130 year history of questionable brand imagery rooted in racial stereotypes falls into that latter category. Nancy green was born into slavery on november 17th 1834 in kentucky.
Aunt jemima was not a real person but the original face of the brand was nancy green a formerly enslaved black woman. Aunt jemima s freedom was negated or revoked in this role because of the character s persona as a plantation slave not a free black woman employed as a domestic. And although aunt jemima is a fictitious character constructed to be the warm and welcoming creator of a simple and satisfying pancake mix a number of real and talented women acted as the face.
She did not create the famous aunt jemima recipe but she was one of the first african american models in history to become the face of a popular food product. The woman we know as aunt jemima is in fact a real person but her real name was actually nancy green. Nancy green actually worked with the aunt jemima brand until 1923.
Aunt jemima is based on a real woman nancy green who was a storyteller cook and missionary worker.
