Red Talk 003: Jollof! American Girl! A $450 Burger!
A Curate Red Digital Digest January 16 - January 22, 2023
Welcome to week 3 of Red Talk, your weekly digest of digital trends curated by me, a social media-obsessed millennial who helps your favorite brands conquer social algorithms.
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Last week, the gate that kept oxtail was fortified for Jollof. #AmericanGirlGang (I made this up) defended Addy, and one $450 Burger went viral! Let’s get into it!
Jollof rice is BAD FOR YOU (Potential Reach: 1.5B)
Naturally, after participating in the Jollof Festival at Afrotech 2022, my heart began racing when I discovered that, like oxtail, Jollof rice had some wild side effects I was unaware of. Fortunately, I’ll be okay. Last week, gatekeepers shifted their focus from oxtail to Jollof rice.
Warnings of the side effects of Jolloff consumption drove 55% negative sentiment following this video tweeted by The New York Times.
It’s bigger than Jollof rice (and rosemary mint oil and oxtail). Gatekeeping black culture is a regular a hot topic in my social feeds. There are always debates about the appropriation of black culture, cookout invitations, and why anyone not on the original guest list is even invited to the cookout.
Rapper, poet, and producer Noname shared her thoughts on gatekeeping last week, “One of the biggest mistakes I believe we’ve made in our struggle towards liberation in this country is allowing white America unfiltered access to our entire culture. White America has created an institution of violent policing and medical neglect that is killing us EVERY F**KING DAY.”
I take pride in how influential black culture is, and it’s one of the reasons I started Red Talk. The way we have a legacy of creating global trends in beauty, dance, music, art, food, fashion, and lifestyle that are widely adopted (appropriated, stolen, co-opted) is undeniable and quantifiable. Despite our apparent position as tastemakers and innovators, society thanks us by stealing credit, rewriting our history, and upholding oppressive and racist systems. Even efforts to restrict teaching Black history have been widely successful.
I think gatekeeping black culture is nearly impossible in the digital age and a globalized world. Because of that, I’ve been dedicated to empowering Black storytellers, celebrating Black culture, and giving back to my community via civic engagement and mutual aid. Drake about the Toronto Raptors is me when it comes to African American people and our impact:
In Defense of Addy, Our American Girl (Potential Reach: 670.3M)
Before I get too deep… for those unfamiliar with American Girl, it is an American line of 18-inch dolls initially released in 1986 by Pleasant Company and presently owned by Mattel. The dolls depict eight- to fourteen-year-olds from different ethnicities, faiths, social classes, and periods throughout American history. I can’t speak to anything that happened after the 90s, but all the historical dolls have an accompanying book series. Addy’s story begins during the American Civil War in 1864. Meet Addy!
Addy’s main doll fit (the pink dress) was what she wore when escaping slavery; her other outfits are from her new life as a free person living in the North, going to school, celebrating Christmas, and wearing cozy nightgowns. So imagine my dismay when I read a [now deleted] tweet featuring pictures of my girl Addy feigning shame over the fact that she was our representation. Fashion historian, Cora Harrington @lingerie_addict (97.3K Twitter Followers), provided more context in this brief thread, and she managed to screenshot the original tweet before it was deleted:
Many came to the defense of Addy, the black woman who authored the series, Connie Rose Porter, the board of experts who contributed to Addy’s character and story, and the legacy of enslaved people.
I’m quick to roll my eyes at anti-black imagery, from the mammy caricatures to the Magical Negro tropes, but Addy was nothing of the sort! Not required, but if you still are trying to geek out about this…here is a super interesting read about Addy: “The Making of an American Girl” by Aisha Harris.
The $450 Burger (Potential Reach: 468.3M)
Keith Lee is a Las Vegas-based food reviewer and MMA fighter on TikTok with 9.6M followers. Keith’s entire social presence has been dedicated to helping struggling restaurants. Every video he posts gets over one million views, and almost every video highlights a local business and gives an honest review of a meal. This is the food review of a $450.00 burger from Southern Taste Seafood that I stumbled upon last week:
What started as a $450.00 burger led to over $30,000 in donations to Southern Taste Seafood’s owner, Gary. What a fantastic way to use your platform, Keith Lee! If you’re ever in Vegas, please check out some of Keith Lee’s recommended restaurants on his TikTok!
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