“Dainty, Sparkling, Delicious”: Jell-O Constructions of White Femininity

Abby M. Dubisar Iowa State University

Abstract

Joining the growing scholarly conversation on food rhetorics and technical and professional communication (TPC), this rhetorical analysis addresses two themes that arise in a Jell-O booklet (circa 1913): 1) constructing white femininity through women’s frustration and technical failure related to cooking and 2) asserting the Black mammy stereotype as a mechanism of maintaining white supremacy. Such analysis illustrates how food-related artifacts construct ideologies as they simultaneously offer technical instruction.

Journal
Technical Communication Quarterly
Published
2024-04-02
DOI
10.1080/10572252.2023.2216248
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