"Got White Milk"

By Brittany Atwood

All of us have heard of the “Got Milk” ads and we know how influential they have been. These ads have brought an important issue to the forefront in American’s minds. The ads showcase known celebrities who have pledged to drink more milk for various health reasons. However, what if milk is not healthy for all races? According to Shanti Rangwani, almost 90 percent of African Americans and most Latinos, Asians, and Southern Europeans lack the genes necessary to digest lactose, the primary sugar in milk. In response to this finding, the milk industry has claimed that ethnic people can drink milk in moderation.

Another problem with the “Got Milk” ads is the emphasis on white. For example, in one “Got Milk” ad featuring country singer Clint Black the tagline says “My favorite color? White of course” The ads portray milk as the white drink. In reality, milk is just as diverse as people are. Milk can come in many varieties. Some ads have even been removed because of the emphasis on whiteness associated with milk. A Finnish ad featuring an attractive young white woman with a milk moustache with copy reading "the milk-white look" was removed because of protests.

Celebrities and well-known community investors have always been featured on the ads with milk moustaches, but what about minorities? The White Privilege Conference is a conference dedicated to raise attention to the issues of white supremacy in America. White people have more of a privilege than minorities to likely be in advertisements featuring pure or beauty products. To get word out about the conference, they designed t-shirts as a marketing tool. The t-shirts are similar to the "got milk" campaign.


The milk industry needs to do some research to find out how to target minorities. Their ads are seen by everybody everywhere; therefore, they need to make sure their ads appeal to everyone. Whether it is changing some of the wording on their ads to finding more diverse celebrities to endorse their ads, something needs to be done to please everyone.