Popeye's: Annie the Chicken Queen
This spot had white folks mad. That title? "Annie the Chicken Queen," she actually calls herself that? What's up with that post "Gone with the Wind" acting. The script may have been written by the Colonel himself and he hates Popeye's. Not since "Chicken George" has a nick-name been so hurtful.
Well... that is... unless you factor in Leroy "the Biscuit Boy" or Mammy "the ho-cake cook".
Question: How she gon' touch her hair at the beginning of the spot talking to black people about cooking/serving some damn chicken. See it's that isht right there that tells you black people had nan-parts of this commercial. Can I get a witless? You don't so much as pat your itchy new growth under your perm around food.
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15 comments:
Yeah, no hair net or nuttin' hmph!
Anon, if you love black women, really, you would better understand their plight and not just side with their objectification and the constant degradation of their images.
Take a moment to figure out why black women hate this imagery. If you can't you should question if you love black women or are you just in love with what you assume them to be. That's not love at all.
How are you going to talk about this commercial being hurtful and demeaning and then proceed to use the slang " isht " and " witliss " ?
It would seem to me that you'd get more respect and taken seriously by being proper.
Btw, none of the black women I've seen working at Popeyes in Louisiana wear hair nets and Popeyes Annie is a cutie pie.
Anon,
I never said the commercial was hurtful. I said nicknaming a black woman "the Chicken Queen" is hurtful.
"isht" is not slang. It is a nonsensical euphemism for a much harsher word. Perhaps in this instance I was not so much looking for your "respect" as I was humoring myself to offset the inherent pain of this kind of portrayal of Black women.
I have more than enough self respect, I don't need to garner it through what you deem as "being proper." What does that mean any ways??? By who's standards are you judging "proper?"
I find that taking myself or anybody "seriously" in most instances is overkill.
Btw, I guess if referred to Black women at Popeye's as "cutie pies" that would be acting proper, get me respected and taken seriously? By you at least, huh.
... if that works for you...
No one can cook like a black women anyway!!
I would have to side with Craig. I hate it when white people always use the "rainbow love/ one love" ideology whenever they what to justify their questionable understanding of true blackness, lol. Annie is a reincarnated Aunt Jemima, which is based on a 19th century blackface minstrel character BTW. No self respecting black woman would carry herself that way, blue collar or white collar. She is a woman, not a "cutie pie", "suga", "lil mama", or anything else. Loving black women is not good enough to understand the hurt they have been through. They are sensitive b/c dominant society has tried to destroy them, though they could not. Anon, it seems to me that you're not black, based from a lack of understanding this. The problem is not if she looks good, or if other selected unconscious black women don't have a problem with her character; it's that Annie hurts alot of black people, and reminds them of a bad time in America. You would help the cause more by respecting that and helping to end that pain, and not questioning whether black Americans are worthy or not of their pain. To me, that is unconscious arrogance. You do not determine what is acceptable in black America, black Americans do lol.
I'm from Louisiana and I feel very insulted by this whole ad campaign! BTW, Deidrie Henry's fake southern accent isn't fooling anyone! http://youtu.be/cozrqezlOhE
DJ, as a native of East Texas, I've heard phonier accents from native's of Louisiana...and she isn't faking 'Southern', she's faking 'Cajun'. (The two are very dissimilar. I'd have expected any real Luzianne to know that.)
Dierdre is a beautiful young actress, and since she happens to be black, maybe someone should ask *her* if she finds the role offensive. She's the one, after all, who has to deliver the lines. I'd imagine she's just happy to have the work, given the economy and times.
Me...I'm happy for the chance to see her face and hear her voice. Bit parts on Bones and NCIS don't put a lot of chicken and biskits on the table.
And Craig...
I'm aware of the vaudevillian act that gave the name 'Aunt Jemima' to the pancake mix, and later the syrup. Are you as aware of Nancy Green? We'll be celebrating her birthday come the 17th. You might want to google or bing her, since your software here won’t allow me room to tell you much, butMiss Green took the first steps down a road that led to Halle Berry's memorable acceptance speech for the Academy Award for Best Actress. To call Deidrie Henry 'an Aunt Jemima' in a scornful way is to completely miss the heritage of Nancy Green, and the wonderful woman, story-teller, person behind that corporate image. I suggest that too much attention is being paid to looking for reasons to be offended, these days.
People your age (guessing from your picture) often try to put me in my place by calling me "old man"; I always remind them that, whatever they may be trying to do, Old Man is a title of respect...and I will take it no other way.
Diedrie isn't TRYING to fool anyone with that attempt at a Cajun accent, and no one was intended to believe that the Chicken Queen is any more a real person than the other Popeye when he shows up on spinach cans. Annie the Chicken Queen is a bit of showmanship designed to sell a product. For all of me, she does it very well; she makes me feel warm and a lot like the loving woman next door when I was growing up...the one who came over to clean for my mother when she was sick, and refused to be offended when less intelligent people asked Mom "where she got her girl."
She knew where her heart was, and didn't need to concern herself with the hearts of those who'd apparently misplaced their own I think we could all take a valuable lesson from her.
Thanks for your comment s_wordsmith.
I am aware of Nancy Green, but I don't recall referring to Nancy Green or Aunt Jemima in a scornful way in this posting or comments. If I have, I have every right to. I think you misunderstand the image of an Aunt Jemima or an Uncle Ben and others as it relates to the black experience. Sure many people find comfort in seeing African Americans represented in these stereotypical fashions. It's probably hard for you to understand how I can both celebrate and despise that type of imagery. It is the complex striation of pride and acceptance of AA imagery and perception in America.
As for Ms Henry's role in this; I'm happy for her. She makes a wonderful spokes person for the brand. If you've ever seen her speak, you'd notice she is the very personification of Black elegance, grace, talent, poise and intelligence. Why is it that she can't represent Popeye's with that truer version of AA people in 2011? I understand the need for character in the ad world. But this one border lines insensitivity. No fault of Ms. Henry's I'm sure. They made a fine choice and should continue with her face in these ads. I would only suggest toning down the "Chicken Queen" persona and let the ebullience of the actress shine through, because that's the real attraction.
I don't know how to speak to your ageist remark in your comment. Neither my age or yours has any place in this conversation other than to say, your experience is appreciated and valued here. So I would never try and disparage you for the wealth of life experience that you can share and from which we can all learn.
The character is showmanship and that I can appreciate. To be steeped in hated and antiquated stereotypes I just can't understand. No doubting that she is doing a fine job of the role she was given. I'm happy she gives you warm feelings. But from the African American perspective it is just the opposite affect most times.
Look at your own statement. She reminds you and represents an era of servitude and pandering and a station beneath you. She represents to you a cleaning woman, a menial position, a nurse maid, a woman who was more commonly referred to as a girl by your mother's contemporaries.
Can you imagine, your mother, your aunt, your grand mother in all these same positions? Her womanhood constantly demeaned and viewed as a girl? Despite her abilities, years of life and the very essence of who she was, she was seen as a "GIRL?" A mere means to cleaning someone else's home, nursemaid to others' children and cook to comfort all your needs and whims.
Most importantly and most often hidden is the superiority that is felt from the dominant people in this power structure. The lingering affects of which make you feel comfortable enough to come here and tell African Americans how they should and should not feel, who should and shouldn't be insulted or offended. That is a part of your self and commenting you should really re-evaluate.
The irony here is; for the same reasons "The Chicken Queen" reference warms your heart... It sickens most African Americans to their very core.
I really hope you can see that.
Craig.
I really feared I hadn't been clear; I spoke of a neighbor, a woman of grace, culture and not a little wealth, who was kind to my mother. I have never thought of her as a servant or remembered her woth anythimg but love. That the Annie character reminded me of her had to do with the warming feeling her smile engendered, as well as a perkiness that she never lost, into her sixties, when we moved away.
I said she "came over to clean for my mother when she was sick" and it was a truly surprising thing to me. She could have sent *her* maid. It was an act of love and Christian charity...one that she refused to let be spoiled by the more ignorant of Mom's "Church friends" (who came over with the obligatory chicken and pie when they'd never speak to her in Church!) The illness was lengthy, but Miz Ransom came twice a week, herself, to sit with Mom, to make us a better meal than my older sister was able, and to clean house.
I think perhaps you've read into my words what you'd have expected or wanted me to say, but you miss the mark, both in my attitudes and in who (or what) you think I am.
I grew up being called names of hatred; breed, yaller-Injun, mongrel, mutt, half-a-cracker...the list is too long, and I got them from black, white, red...practically everyone I could claim some small measure of kinship with despised me. Children couldn't play with me, their parents telling them "mixed blood is bad blood!" You assume I can't know the hurt you feel...I submit that it's the other way around. What my looks didn't reveal, the word that gets around in small towns always did.
Of late, no one knows or bothers to know what my ancestry is, so they call me "old man"...also words meant to hurt. This is the relevance of my remark; they're intended to hurt, but I won't let them mean hurt to me.
I outgrew going around looking for things to get my feelings hurt over a very long time ago. My mother and two of my aunts did, indeed, work as "the help" for years, and never felt ashamed of it, any more than I feel ashamed of the time I spent wrangling cattle or working as "oil field trash". I've never felt superior to anyone but the stupid...because stupidity is a choice. Ignorance is just "I don't know" but stupidity is "I don't know and I don't care to learn any better." Those people, I don't care to be around, regardless of race, creed or economic standing.
Lastly...the "Chicken Queen" reference does not warm my heart, the woman does. It does not offend me, either...and would not offend anyone who had left behind the need to go looking for things to be offended over.
That's where I am, and I really hope, someday, *you* can see that.
This ad is a disgrace. Btw, if she was from New Orleans, she would more likely be Creole and not Cajun. I hate people from Texas or Mississippi trying to decipher "Louisisana" accents. This actor is FAKING southern because no one in Louisiana sounds like that. Maybe down in Texas they talk with a country twang, but not around these parts!
I like the commercials and I like her. She looks like the gal who played Will Smith's finance on Fresh Prince back in the day. When I see her, and I am a southern white female BTW, I look at her as the OWNER of the franchise, because Lord knows a plain old worker most likely wouldn't be so good at what they do. It is sad when everyone can only see "Chicken George" and nothing more than a stereo-typed black woman in this advert. I a beautiful, strong, smart, educated, successful business woman of color.
Awesome reply kiddo! I have to admit it, initially I thought u were illiterate but reading ur reply proved me wrong#kuddoskiddo
I thought she was the owner too ...I had to look it up..
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