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HelpRe: Jemima
in reply to a message by Martha
I didn't know about the US connotation, but it's not an issue here. I'm inclined not to have a nickname for Jemima at all. The one big mistake I made with Theodora was starting the nickname Theo. I changed my mind and don't really use it now, but hubby only calls her Theo, so he introduces her to everyone as Theo, so now no one apart from me, mum and gran actually call her Theodora :(
I'm so insanely excited for my friend. We both started trying for a baby around the same time and Theodora's now 16 months old. Now i'm really hoping that I end up getting pregnant soon so our babies will be close in age!
I'm so insanely excited for my friend. We both started trying for a baby around the same time and Theodora's now 16 months old. Now i'm really hoping that I end up getting pregnant soon so our babies will be close in age!
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That's why I didn't bother bringing up the fact that Jemima is unusable in the US due to the Aunt Jemima association. It's been mentioned many times here, as I recall. It's also been mentioned by people not from the US that it's not unusable where they are. I figure many have learned from this board that it's unusable in the US and why. Perhaps some haven't (I remember that VeKalvin thought it was a brand of candy until I advised him otherwise), but either way, there's no reason it should matter to anyone not American, and I know that you're Australian.
But the Aunt Jemima association is a darn shame for us Americans, and it's such a cute, sparkly, and pretty name.
But the Aunt Jemima association is a darn shame for us Americans, and it's such a cute, sparkly, and pretty name.
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Eh...I don't think so. Even without the racist association, I would hate it. I think it sounds doofy.
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ETA: Is it the pancake brand association?
This message was edited 12/22/2017, 5:03 PM
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Yes. Since the old advertising is no longer used, and the image has been changed, a lot of people, especially younger, people, may not be aware of the Aunt Jemima character's racist origins. I hesitate to post any of the old advertisements here because they are so offensive. You can find out easily by Googling "Aunt Jemima racist" and "Aunt Jemima old racist ads".
But I once had a book on the subject. Yes, an entire book on Aunt Jemima and its racist origins. It explained how an ad man, back between 1910 and 1920, dreamed up an entire back story for the character, that she had been a slave on a plantation before The Civil War, and her favorite thing to do was to make pancakes for the white folks, and how after the war a Northern company came to her, asking for her pancake recipe, and presto Aunt Jemima pancake mix was born. It was a huge ad campaign that ran for years.
So yeah, it's the mammy stereotype of a black woman being sexless, overweight, and with no identity but to serve white people and be happy doing it.
But I once had a book on the subject. Yes, an entire book on Aunt Jemima and its racist origins. It explained how an ad man, back between 1910 and 1920, dreamed up an entire back story for the character, that she had been a slave on a plantation before The Civil War, and her favorite thing to do was to make pancakes for the white folks, and how after the war a Northern company came to her, asking for her pancake recipe, and presto Aunt Jemima pancake mix was born. It was a huge ad campaign that ran for years.
So yeah, it's the mammy stereotype of a black woman being sexless, overweight, and with no identity but to serve white people and be happy doing it.
This message was edited 12/22/2017, 5:18 PM
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Oh, thank you for explaining. I'd never seen it before, and upon a quick google search I was like, "What's so wrong with pancakes?" God, those ads are horrendous. Do you think Jemima will ever again be usable?
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Hard to say. Maybe in another hundred years or so.
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Yes, but it's a little more than that:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aunt_Jemima
In the UK it's most associated with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck - we actually used to call a cousin of mine Jemima Puddle-Duck. I think it's quite sweet as a name, but certainly not usable in the US.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aunt_Jemima
In the UK it's most associated with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck - we actually used to call a cousin of mine Jemima Puddle-Duck. I think it's quite sweet as a name, but certainly not usable in the US.
This message was edited 12/22/2017, 5:15 PM
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