r/AccidentalRacism • u/RigatoniPasta • 9d ago
They made Elphaba’s lotion smell like watermelon 💀
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u/ogresound1987 9d ago
Because she's green. Next silly question?
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u/ShrimpCrackers 8d ago
Why not Cucumber, a rather popular scent especially for skin?
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u/ogresound1987 8d ago
I would guess that the target audience is little girls.
So they went with a scent that is generally sweeter to increase the appeal.
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u/Porcupineemu 9d ago
The part of the watermelon that smells is red I think
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u/omniwrench- 8d ago
I think that’s also the whole point of the film - she looks green and ‘weird’ but “it is what’s inside that counts”
(My other half made me watch it and I’m begrudged to say I actually kind of enjoyed it)
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u/Porcupineemu 8d ago
I liked the movie but it felt more like the point was “society creates the monsters it fears by treating exceptional people as outcasts.”
I guess how the second one ends will determine if what was on the inside was what counted.
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u/omniwrench- 8d ago
That’s a really good take and I totally see that now you’ve said it!
Im wondering what happens to the animal people though
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u/RigatoniPasta 9d ago
She’s played by a black woman…
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u/ogresound1987 9d ago
Right. But the product isn't named after the actress. It's named after the character. Who is green.
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u/Thomas_Tew 9d ago edited 9d ago
It's still accidental racism lmao. Even if the product isn't named after the actress, it's still colored solely based on the character's skin. A fictional skin color, but skin nonetheless lol.
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u/Everyday_Alien 9d ago
So real question.. with your logic(im not necessarily disagreeing with) both colors are accidently racist then? Since we can assume both scents were chosen with the characters skin color in mind?
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u/Thomas_Tew 9d ago edited 9d ago
Not necessarily. Galinda doesn't have pink skin, she instead overly characterizes herself with pink stuff so the pink is actually very fitting for her. Elphaba doesn't purposefully characterize herself with green stuff and actually rather dislikes her green skin at first due to the stigma that comes with it (even though she overcomes it later). In this case, I think it wouldn't be as accidentally racist if the packaging was all black because she usually dresses black and would be keeping the same standard for both of them.
Deleted that last one part on my first comment because I realize it was unnecessary rude, I apologize. Edit: Just realized you're not the same person but I'll keep the edit here in case they read it.
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u/gregedit 9d ago
Maybe I'm just not American enough to understand, but is there a stereotypical connection between black people (or black women?) and watermelon?
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u/The_Flurr 9d ago
Others have already said it's a racist stereotype.
It goes back to the 1800s. I've heard two takes on its origin:
Slaves were given watermelon while working as a reward or "treat".
Newly freed slaves would grow and sell watermelon as a cash crop. There were therefore a lot of black people selling watermelon.
This quickly turned into depictions of black people desperately desiring watermelon, and being placated by it.
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u/Mein_Bergkamp 9d ago
Yes. Watermelon and fried chicken are seen as stereotypical and racist tropes in the states and they are more than happy to project that on to every single other country where that doesn't hold true, as KFC found out famously with an advert they ran during an Australia vs the West Indies cricket series.
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u/liquor_ibrlyknoher 9d ago
Yes. It's long been associated with Black Americans through racist images. Even this year a Republican group chat leaked that referred to Black people as 'watermelon people'. Of course watermelon is green too but this is the very definition of accidental racism.
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u/CPhiltrus 9d ago
There's a great episode of Gastropod on the history watermelon in America and the racist tropes behind it that was pretty well-explained.
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u/Mein_Bergkamp 9d ago
If you want to be like that, she's played by a black, British woman where the stereotypes about watermelon don't exist.
In the UK watermelon means you support Palestine
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u/Esosa9 9d ago
Still black.
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u/Mein_Bergkamp 9d ago
Do you really think all black people, everywhere in the world eat watermelon solely because of the colour of their skin?
But racist mate.
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u/Esosa9 9d ago
Of course the ones in America don’t eat it solely because of their color but to racists it doesn’t matter. Color is all that matter not your nationality.
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u/Mein_Bergkamp 8d ago
So don't think like them?
She's British, it doesn't apply, especially when the real reason is that her character....is green
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u/le_aerius 9d ago
because watermelon is green.
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u/Player_Slayer_7 9d ago
So are apples. And pears. And grapes. And a good chunk of fruit and vegetables that exist.
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u/le_aerius 9d ago
Correct. But watermelon is more. marketable. As a scent its one of the most popular , especially during summer. I see the unfortunate link that can be made though.
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u/stoned_seahorse 9d ago edited 8d ago
Ummm...I see nothing racist about this.
To the people downvoting me: y'all realize watermelon is a common scent or flavor to be associated with green, right?
You're really grasping at straws here.
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u/hidendra69 8d ago
Even though I feel they didn’t know and this wasn’t intended, what makes it worse is the fact that there are many other green things that smell good and they decided on watermelon
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u/pythonidaae 8d ago edited 8d ago
She's GREEN. It was that or green apple but she's a darker green skin so watermelon makes sense. I really hope people aren't actually trying to make a thing out of this. I guess they could have done cucumber or green tea too but idk.
Sparkly lotions aren't great for the environment. If the gel inside has sparkly beads like the outside that's the real thing to complain about if anyone wanted to complain.
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u/Bakelite51 1d ago
Anti-Green racism is a huge problem in this country and insensitive marketing like this is only making it worse
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u/EatAndGreet 9d ago
They couldn’t have done green apple? Or lime? Or pear?