In the late 1880s, Pearl Milling Company introduced American to Aunt Jemima, the face of a popular brand of pancake mix. Under ownership of PepsiCo, the original brand was discontinued and restyled as Pearl Milling Company with the tagline, “Same great taste as Aunt Jemima.”
However, one TikTok user feels that ever since the rebranding, that tagline has not been the case. Oh Marni, with the social media handle @ohmarni, feels that the “same great taste” is a thing of the past and wants Aunt Jemima back in the hopes that it’ll mean a return to the flavor. But is that enough, and what of the cultural subtext?
A TikTok user feels that the former Aunt Jemima syrup doesn’t taste as good rebranded as Pearl Milling
Earlier this week, Marni shared a video to TikTok comparing the original branding to its newer counterpart. “As a waffle enthusiast i tasted it,” she captioned the post. “I knew.” Armed with her beloved waffles, she compared the two syrups and adamantly believes the brand has taken a step back in terms of flavor.
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“So I supposedly bought the same syrup from the same company, right?” she said. “No. I don’t want to call people a bold-faced liar, but that’s what Imma have to do. I just finished this bottle. Yes, it expired in 2020; I think that is beside the point.” She indicated an empty Aunt Jemima bottle.
The votes are in
“Something was lost in translation when she became her,” asserts Marni, once again gesturing to indicate the transition from the original to Pearl Milling. “10 calorie difference in serving size. Aunt Jemima 60 ML, 210 calories. Pearl 30 ML serving size, a hundred calories. So she’s a liar and a thief. Girl, don’t look like she know what seasoning is.”
Finally, she demanded, “Free my Aunt Mima!”
In the comments, many of her over 180k followers agreed with Marni. One said, “Aunt Jemima took the flavor with her when she was replaced.” Another agreed, “I miss aunt jemima label and flavor.” She was also advised to keep the original bottle for historical sentimentality. Yet another user threw a curveball and countered, “Mrs Butterworth syrup is better tbh,” but another one shared, “When my husband came home with the new stuff. I literally said you don’t cheap out on syrup where’s my Aunt Jemima ..then he broke the news to me…its not the sameeee.”
Aunt Jemima was portrayed by Nancy Green at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Her appearance and demeanor were one of the most famous examples of the Mammy character archetype, which in fiction represents an enslaved Black woman in the American South happily performing matronly duties. The submissive joy of the character created the misconception that Black women were content with their enslavement. The character played by Green was dropped as the face of the Pearl Milling pancake mix due to mounting racial unrest in the U.S.
“We recognize Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype,” said Kristin Kroepfl, chief marketing officer at Quaker Foods North America in a statement. “While work has been done over the years to update the brand in a manner intended to be appropriate and respectful, we realize those changes are not enough.”
@ohmarni As a waffle enthusiast i tasted it. I knew. #syrup #maplesyrup #auntjemima #pearlmillingcompany #food