Milk in Movies: Coincidence or Calculation? 🥛 Symbolism of Milk

[@TotallyForkable]

Remember to smash "like" 🤪👍🏻 I worked so hard on this video and it truly, truly helps it get out there!!

[@tamcon72]

No, multiple references to dairy products in a 90-minute film that isn't about dairy maids is deliberate. And insidious. You did an eff-ton of research for this one, I mean, investigating the history of Barbie kitchen props and the regional specificity of movie tie-ins, and counting the number of dairy-based scenes in kids' films of the past, and I really appreciate it. Keep going with this stuff, Marielle; you have an incisive mind for it! Thanks for posting 🙂

[@TotallyForkable]

Thank you Tamara; I did do a ton of research but enjoyed the process--someone's gotta rewatch Home Alone for the 38th time and trawl eBay for Dreamhouse toys! 🤪 And yes the dairy references in it really slap you in the face--it may have been made 34 years ago but it undoubtedly still has a huge impact on viewers today! *edit: trawl not troll lol

[@compassioncucumbersveganpod]

Yup, the dairy industry like the tobacco industry are investing in film projects to get product placement. Ever notice how many actors are smoking on screen now? Great video.💚🌱

[@TotallyForkable]

A few people have mentioned this! I can't say I've noticed about the smoking but I don't watch a ton of scripted content. So glad you enjoyed the video!

[@thebowandbullet]

Strange how on most if not all social media, you have to be clear and explicit when your content is an ad, but somehow movies are exempt from this rule/law?

[@TotallyForkable]

Exactly!! I was thinking the same thing. Everyone is scared of getting dinged by the FTC if they so much as forget to designate an item as #gifted, yet product placement in movies/TV is just rampantly allowed with zero disclosure (I suppose assuming the audience will be able to tell?). Even within dairy social media ads it's really confusing. Some of them are tagged as ads (like Emma Roberts' and Aubrey's IG posts) but others that are clearly ads (like Hailey's and EmRata's) are not tagged as such. I can't tell if there's different rules within the various dairy organizations, or if there's just breaking the rules and no one is catching it.

[@thebowandbullet]

@@TotallyForkable To be fair, a lot of people believe the propaganda in overt dairy ads. This said, it's incredibly underhanded to use movies this way without disclosure of intent. People are being manipulated and they have no idea it's happening.

[@Hyanus]

Films are a potent source of advertising, especially for children. “Home Alone” is overflowing. Engrossing and lively presentation. Congratulations!

[@TotallyForkable]

Yes, and kids don't even understand it! Thank you Claud xoxox 💖

[@kahsenyah]

ooh, this might be the video that blows your channel up! and you deserve it!

[@TotallyForkable]

💖🙏🏻

[@thebowandbullet]

In a commercial or ad, dairy can't legally claim that mac and cheese is healthy, but in a movie where the story and characters are fictional, they can pass that message to a wide, unsuspecting audience.

[@TotallyForkable]

Wow, I didn't realize they weren't allowed to claim m&c as healthy! I almost wonder if any production would dare get away with this kind of blatant integration today, when there's so much more media literacy around advertising and dairy marketing tactics.

[@thebowandbullet]

@@TotallyForkable I'm no expert, but I do know that ads/commercials are regulated and you can't 'technically' make false claims. Marketing gets around this in all kinds of ways, by using idyllic images, emotional soundtracks and nostalgic scenes, but from my understanding, they can't outright say that something is healthy when it's not. However, movies seem to be a hefty loophole because they're fiction, you can say whatever you want about the products, and you don't even have to disclose it's an ad. Anyway, it's really cathartic to see I'm not the only one griping about subtle animal ag product placement in movies. Thanks for this video!

[@TotallyForkable]

You are def not alone; it feels like I only scratched the surface too! I remember hearing a story about how the egg industry weren't allowed to call their product "nutritious" due to the saturated fat and cholesterol content, which is why they went with the "Incredible Edible Egg" slogan 😂

[@johnshinski2994]

very good point.

[@BrockSamsonite]

@@thebowandbullet I challenge this statement... How do you explain the weight loss ad epidemic we live in where they promise everything and deliver literally nothing and still get away with it. They advertise it like crazy too. They get away with it because they know what terminology to use to avoid being sued. Commercials aren't as regulated as you think they are... Lol every country has their own dept for commercial approval and they all approve different things based on what that's countries standards are. An American ad aired for Americans would not air the same way from the same company for say a Japanese audience

[@MusicJunkie37]

24:50 your boyfriend had to give up Pizza? Huh.. maybe I am lucky but getting vegan pizza is fairly easy here, or make your own Phenomenal video btw!

[@TotallyForkable]

So glad you enjoyed the video!! We of course eat vegan pizza but, as he grew up in NYC, unfortunately nothing quite compares to that style of cheese in terms of melt, flavor etc. There are definitely things that have gotten close and we really enjoy vegan pizza, but I think he will never be fully satisfied until we get a "NYC-esque" vegan dupe!

[@MrAmitdaswani]

If the dairy check off program is publicly funded, can we get them to disclose what money is spent in Hollywood to promote dairy consumption?

[@TotallyForkable]

It's super dicey territory. It's partially funded by our tax dollars but also by dairy producers. According to Dr. Barnard, legally they aren't required to disclose. But the public absolutely deserves to know when they are being advertised to!

[@v_zach]

Didn't know that the Turtles only got fanatically into pizza with the cartoon series. Nice find. 😎

[@TotallyForkable]

I thought that was interesting too-and also not surprising! All credit to the IGN boys for digging that up!

[@jet96]

You should check out this video “Home Alone - White Suburban Revenge Fantasy | Renegade Cut” really re-contextualizes home alone. I was glad they called it “Cow Milk” in Barbie but I felt it was really weird and offputting when they showed the milk. Really took me out of the movie

[@TotallyForkable]

That video sounds really interesting; I'll have to check it out! You mean the moment when they showed the "cow milk" carton took you out?

[@TotallyForkable]

This video feels like a "Forkable Classic." It just feels right 😊

[@Filmblanc]

100% agree!

[@johnharrison9954]

You did an absolutely 'knock it out of the park' job with this video. You put so much work into making it and It is much appreciated. I can relate to what your boyfriend is going through with the pizza withdrawal lol...that is what was hardest for me too...I was a 'cheese addict'. I'm a 65 year old that has been a fully whole foods plant based vegan for 5 years now after being a Pescetarian for the previous 8 years. I have never felt better. It's a long haul, but my hope is in the future generations that will have a better understanding of how their predecessors were brainwashed by the dairy industry..

[@TotallyForkable]

Thank you so much John!!! And wow, what a journey you've been on. It's amazing that you made the shift to vegan at age 60. So many people are so set in their ways that they seem to give up trying to improve at a certain point. And yes, I hope the same thing for the future!! 🙏🏻

[@BrockSamsonite]

It's definitely product placement... Did everyone forget about the milk mustache ad campaign??

[@TotallyForkable]

Yes! Although at least “got milk?” was transparently an ad. Product placement in film & TV? Zero disclosure.

[@BrockSamsonite]

Product placements are not allowed for products that cannot legally be advertised on television, including alcohol, baby milk, gambling, medication, or junk food. Placements are not allowed during children's programmes, news, public affairs and religious programmes.

[@TotallyForkable]

Interesting! But "junk food?" That gets advertised all the time! Also, in Home Alone, there is a seemingly clear placement for Frito Lay and Pepsi. I'm curious if there is a resource online that lays out the rules and guidelines for product placement?

[@thebowandbullet]

Interesting topic! After going vegan, you see so many things in a different light, movies included. One thing that also has me rolling my eyes is how whenever a character is vegan, they're always shown as SJWs, ridiculous, fringe, high-strung, or stupid people (or all of the above).

[@TotallyForkable]

Such a good point! It's either that or an angsty teenager causing all the adults to roll their eyes at their "vegan phase." I'm ready for the normalization of vegans in film and TV!

[@thebowandbullet]

@@TotallyForkable Here, here! Me too 💯

[@Filmblanc]

This is a very well done video about a fascinating topic that, even if you're a rabid dairy consumer, should make you wonder about all the ways in which hidden (and not so hidden) agendas get pushed onto us.

[@TotallyForkable]

Thank you! 😊💖

[@prieten49]

I definitely have the impression that the tobacco industry is paying film producers, and especially independent film producers, to include smoking in their movies. I still have the scene from the movie The Reader in my memory where the young protagonist has a a weird smoking scene which was not in the book at all. It therefore wouldn't surprise me if the meat & dairy industry has similarly approached film producers, or have been approached by the producers, offering or seeking some financial "assistance" for strategic inclusion of meat & dairy products. This is an important video exploring the insidious manipulation of our minds by, in my opinion, evil actors.

[@TotallyForkable]

Very interesting theory and you could definitely be right! Getting funding for a film is _so_ difficult so I'd imagine it's hard for producers to turn down that kind of money, morals be damned! I'd feel better about the whole thing if disclosures were required, but alas 🤷🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

[@behemoth5344]

Very, very interesting. Cinema is a powerful industry indeed. I remember craving ciggies when watching 1980s action movies. Well, at least Chip 'n' Dale made me eat a lot of apples when I was a kid. Speaking of films, you've got the looks of a Golden-Era Hollywood star. Keep them coming 💚

[@TotallyForkable]

Thank you; so glad you enjoyed this!! And yes, there are definitely examples of healthy things being promoted which is great to see! I specifically remember The Wiggles (beloved band and TV show aimed at children) having a song called "Fruit Salad, Yummy Yummy!"

[@thebowandbullet]

This video has a nice placement of eucalyptus in a glass milk bottle behind you 🤔😅

[@TotallyForkable]

...and I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling subscribers! 🤣💚

[@thebowandbullet]

@@TotallyForkable This Canadian is so very sorreh! lol 😄

[@TotallyForkable]

🇨🇦🍁

[@modest_meghan]

this might be my favorite video of yours

[@TotallyForkable]

💖 So glad you enjoyed it Meghan!!

[@Filmblanc]

Same!

[@benfromberlin]

hahaha that hand gesture at the end was very elegant

[@TotallyForkable]

Lol, do you mean my "goodbye" gesture?

[@benfromberlin]

@@TotallyForkable 👍👋😀

[@-.._.-_...-_.._-..__..._.-.-.-]

Thank you so much for this video and all the work you put into it. I kept noticing milk in movies. I searched the internet for answers, and wow: the propaganda is real. Every Google result on the first page is an article or Reddit post talking about the symbolism of milk in movies. I didn't see anything talking about the dairy industry. Thankfully, KZbin results have more variety. Do we really have a government program focused on promoting dairy products, and it does so through misleading subliminal messages targeted towards children? I'm angry now, but I'm thankful my eyes are a little more open.

[@TotallyForkable]

I am so glad you found my video! And yes we do have a government program that does exactly that. I talk about it in this video about Aubrey Plaza's Got Milk ad: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3-7g4yOp81opKM I also discuss it at length in this interview I did with Dr. Neal Barnard who is an expert on the topic: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZ6kipSNjMmmb7M

[@biancat.1873]

Great video! 💚🐾🌱💚🐾🌱💚🐾🌱

[@TotallyForkable]

Thank you Bianca!! 🫶🏻💖🤗

[@sudd3660]

i think many of the animals product promotions in movies are actually the opposite, a cautionary tale or the bad people do bad things kind of a thing.

[@TotallyForkable]

Interesting observation! Not sure it applies in the case of Barbie and Kevin, who are both very much the heroes/protagonists in their respective films.

[@thebowandbullet]

I've often noticed this too: evil characters are often shown killing, hurting and eating animals. I always find that surprising because IRL most people find eating animals completely normal and even think it's necessary for health.

[@choco1199]

@@thebowandbulletpeople don’t think of it like that though so i guess joke’s on them😕

[@tayt_]

The Barbie one I don’t think is product placement, the milk featuring prominently helped set up a joke that actually got one of the biggest laughs out of me. When Barbie wakes up on her “bad day”, one of the things that goes wrong is she goes to drink her milk, which has gone bad, and she looks at the carton and it says “Expired”. We have three options, labelling the milk as dairy, labelling it as plant-based or not labelling as a particular milk, choosing the “Cow” label does lean into the retro-pop aesthetic and adds to how visceral her reaction is when it had soured. It would have read more like dairy advertising if it was labelled soy or almond. I wish the inclusion of cow milk and it’s souring meant to say something other than be a goofy joke, but “The Barbie Movie” has a veneer of trying to say something, but much like the titular character, remains more about style than communicating much of substance.

[@TotallyForkable]

Hmm, interesting. I think the neutral option in keeping with the aesthetic would have just been it saying "Milk." Then the audience would have projected whatever "milk" means to them onto it. Any milk being expired is going to taste sour and bad, so I don't think it would have ruined the "bad day" sequence! And yes, I agree about the veneer of the film and it ultimately being more style than substance!

[@meatflake]

Great video! It's funny I actually have mixed feelings about the carton saying "cow milk" in Barbie. My initial gut reaction was that maybe a vegan thought to do that. Because the dairy industry wants us to think of cow's milk as the one and only "real" milk. So that if someone says milk, it's like of course they mean from a cow. That's why I always make a point of calling it cow milk or cow's milk. And carnies will give me a look like "it's just milk." Or "it's normal milk." It's still lame that they had her drinking milk. But I'm really curious about what the discussion was like when they decided to put "cow" on the carton. But yeah I totally agree with you, in general the amount of dairy promotion in the media is insane.

[@TotallyForkable]

That's an interesting theory! My first reaction was that on a dollhouse prop everything would have generic names like "Milk" "Soap" "Eggs" "Juice" etc. which is why it seemed super suspicious. It would certainly be interesting to hear the conversation that led to the decision. The biggest reason I think it was an intentional dairy promotion is the push to get "hot girls" to promote cow's milk. I've even heard it on some reality TV shows; there will be a really awkwardly inserted comment like: "I definitely want cow's milk in my latte." I think gorgeous Margot Robbie drinking cow's milk is an image the dairy industry would pay big bucks for. (Mattel's former partnership with "Got Milk?" is a close second reason for me.)

[@meatflake]

@@TotallyForkable Yeah I'm convinced you're right that it's an intentional promotion and I have no doubt there is a huge push to get "hot girls" to promote cow's milk. I have to laugh at them starting to call it cow's milk though. They might be unintentionally planting a seed that gets people to realize "hey maybe this isn't for humans."

[@TotallyForkable]

HA so true!! Like so much of their marketing; ends up backfiring 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@michalawolfova5564]

Great video!

[@TotallyForkable]

Thank you; glad you enjoyed! 🤗

[@Spock_Rogers]

Grody! 🤢

[@v_zach]

10:23 Never heard of Hailey Bieber, but I'm digging the comments and the thousands of likes on them.

[@TotallyForkable]

It NEVER goes well for the celebs when they post milk ads 😬

[@KM-by2oj]

I'm pretty a sure the mac n cheese comment by kevin is a joke because as you said, he's having food he wouldn't usually be allowed to have at those times of day? Also, Barbie was NOT a children's movie?? for teens maybe but it was riddled with references meant for older audiences and such. I'm not hating but it's hard to take your more opinionanted points seriously when many comments or themes fly over your head. Not all of course, this is very in depth and I liked your video, but it does make it harder to trust you as a source. Maybe discussing some of your points in a community post could help solidify these comments as accurate before completing videos?

[@carbrock.2854]

So I've been on a Pride & Prejudice kick lately, and I like to think of you as the Elizabeth Bennet of vegan activists.

[@TotallyForkable]

OMG this is the greatest compliment ever!! I love Elizabeth Bennet! 🥹🫶🏻 This is right up there with being called "the George Harrison of vegan KZbinrs" on my last livestream 🤣🙏🏻

[@fc214-q5w]

Sus rhymes with pus 🤔 you’re onto something

[@TotallyForkable]

LOL!

[@CDAActivism]

1st 🥗 🥗 🥗

[@TotallyForkable]

Yaaasss 🎉🥗