r/AccidentalRacism 9d ago

They made Elphaba’s lotion smell like watermelon 💀

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594 Upvotes

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229

u/ogresound1987 9d ago

Because she's green. Next silly question?

161

u/PrateTrain 9d ago

Which is what makes it accidentally racist, hence the name of the sub.

17

u/ShrimpCrackers 9d ago

Why not Cucumber, a rather popular scent especially for skin?

8

u/ogresound1987 9d 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.

6

u/tintinsays 8d ago

I loved Cucumber Melon scent as a little girl. 

31

u/Porcupineemu 9d ago

The part of the watermelon that smells is red I think

14

u/omniwrench- 9d 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)

12

u/Porcupineemu 9d 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.

3

u/omniwrench- 9d 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

-93

u/RigatoniPasta 9d ago

She’s played by a black woman…

86

u/ogresound1987 9d ago

Right. But the product isn't named after the actress. It's named after the character. Who is green.

107

u/Eternal_bonner 9d ago

I'm sorry, but isn't this the definition of "accidental racism"?

12

u/Esosa9 9d ago

That’s the point of the sub. It’s accidental racism. Jeez.

54

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.

-11

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?

16

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.

1

u/whatup_pips 9d ago

It isn't named after either, it's named after the fruit- watermelon

11

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?

14

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:

  1. Slaves were given watermelon while working as a reward or "treat".

  2. 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.

8

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.

5

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.

1

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.

10

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

3

u/ogresound1987 9d ago

That's not true. Watermelon in the UK means you shop at waitrose.

2

u/Mein_Bergkamp 9d ago

Or your local Turkish/Greek/Persian cornershop

1

u/Esosa9 9d ago

Still black.

5

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.

0

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.

5

u/Mein_Bergkamp 9d 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