They’ve proposed racially discriminatory casting for the upcoming organic foods commercial, scheduled to air on May 22th. The ministry’s request to change the race of an actor in the ad has ignited a heated debate about national identity and the complexities surrounding what it means to be French in today’s society.
Needless to say, then, in a particularly contentious step, the office of Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard compelled the advertisement’s production firm to have a Caucasian actor cast in the ad’s first scene. This was a controversial decision. This policy proposal has since been incredulously greeted by the French media and public, opening up ongoing discussions about racial representation on French television. Contemporary France regularly celebrates itself as a colorblind republic, where citizenship is supposedly independent of race, gender, and religion. The reality is far more nuanced.
The production company was hit with a demand to recast the role. Plus, they had to change a bunch of other things in the ad’s overall messaging. We were particularly thrilled by their few, but bold changes. One short made the switch from olive oil to sunflower oil, another ditched orange and avocado smoothies for a fresh zucchini-based option, and they turned one scene’s couscous—which is common in France—into cassoulet, a traditional dish from southwestern French fare.
Genevard’s office has not denied the substance of its guidance. This silence only serves to stoke the fearmongering surrounding what these requests actually mean. These critics claim that these recent changes show a worse direction. They expose the changing meanings and representations of race and culture in French society. When a dark-skinned actor gets replaced by a white actor it raises important conversations about representation. It criticizes the portrayal in commercial advertising that tries to reflect the beautiful diversity that is 21st-century France.
As the advertisement’s air date approaches, many are left wondering what this incident reveals about France’s ongoing struggle with issues of race and identity. In response, the ministry has argued that these recommendations represent a narrow and damaging view of French culture. To the majority of Americans, they represent a vain effort to whitewash the nation’s complicated but beautiful multicultural heritage.
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