Why the @Cheerios Commercial featuring an interracial Family is such a BIG deal

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It is funny that in a world where interracial families and couples are becoming “normal” and “common” that there is almost a complete lack of representation of this type of family in the media.   So much so that when Cheerios released the above commercial there was a huge backlash on Youtube against the Brand for featuring a interracial family in an advertisement. 

The horror.

I imagine that growing up in a bi-racial household would be just plain weird when you don’t see any other mixed households in the media.   Is General Mills trying to be bold or make a social statement?  I don’t think so.  They’re just ignoring the obvious stigma against putting people of different races in relationships on television. This is so important for families like mine because we are so under-represented in the media.

As the white mother of a bi-racial girl with a black man, seeing a commercial like this from such a huge brand like General Mills is BIG.  As my daughter grows up I believe it is important for her to see positive portrayals of normal families just like ours and especially of bi-racial people just like herself in the media.

You know what I appreciated the most about this commercial though?  It’s a normal family.  No stereotypical stuff thrown in – just normal people in a particularly cute commercial.

Thank you General Mills!

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11 Comments

  1. Thanks so much for writing about this! Having a blended interracial family myself, I totally resonate with your comments! I am a black woman engaged to a white man and we have a super cute bi-racial son! Love General Mills for doing this!!!! 🙂

  2. I think it is SO sad that in 2013 this is the FIRST commercial featuring a mixed race family. I hope that your daughter never has to question why everything she sees is either white OR black…I hope that she grows up feeling comfortable in her own skin (quite literally!) and loving herself! Hats off to General Mills!

  3. I say Kuddos to General Mills for taking the leap and showing people what is the norm. I think the commercial is super cute and I think those that are saying anything negative about this commercial should wake up already. I do not have a bi racial family, but to me it didn’t even phase me when I saw the commercial and I honestly cannot see what the big deal is. I love when companies use REAL families and people in their advertising!

  4. 1. This is youtube and the internet were talking about here
    2. Butthurt white males? I’m not the least bit surprised.

  5. I saw the commercial 3 times before I even noticed it was an interracial family!! And it was only because I saw this blog post that I paid closer attention. I just thought the little girl was so adorable!!

  6. Kuddos to General Mills! I don’t understand personally what the big deal is about this commercial! When I watch it, I see a normal family. Nothing out of the norm. It’s 2013 people! It’s sick how much racism is out there still. Makes me shake my head really. I’m glad that General Mills took this leap in showing REAL families and I hope to see more commercials featuring interracial families. This little girl is absolutely beautiful!

  7. Good for them! I can’t believe it’s taken this long for an interracial family to appear in a commercial. Quite honestly, I probably wouldn’t have really noticed because it’s just not something that I see as being unusual. That’s a good thing! It’s a shame that there was a back-lash surrounding it though. In this day and age, that is just so sad and wrong.

  8. Great post about a great commercial. As the mom of children from two different ethnicities it is so important to see this portrayed in the media. I find it strange that this commercial is creating so much stir. I dream of a day when a family is just a family no matter what it looks like.

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