Grammy and Emmy award-winning and Oscar-nominated musician, actress, producer, label president, author, and entrepreneur Queen Latifah wants you to stop shaming milk lovers. Queen Latifah has partnered with Got Milk? on a parody campaign to highlight the real feeling of ‘Milk Shaming.’ But what is ‘Milk Shaming’? By definition, it’s the act of making real milk drinkers feel embarrassed, shameful, and disgraced simply for their love of an ice-cold glass of dairy milk (of course). In her latest campaign with Got Milk? Queen Latifah created a hilarious parody Public Service Announcement with the help of SNL writers and launched the fictitious OK2MILK hotline (1-800-OK2-MILK) to offer milk lovers support and guidance. In an Instagram Reel promoting the campaign, she says, “If you or someone you know has experienced milk shaming, resources are available to you at www.OK2Milk.org.”
And while this PSA is not real, bullying is, which is why 100% of all proceeds from OK2Milk merchandise (up to $10,000) will be dedicated to Stomp Out Bullying- an organization dedicated to preventing cyberbullying while educating against homophobia, LGBTQ+ discrimination, racism, and hatred.
The seasoned actress harnessed her comedic and satiric chops for the campaign to execute the PSA. “In case anyone doesn’t know, I have a big sense of humor. So when Got Milk? came to me with the idea of doing the spoof PSA around the concept of milk shaming, I thought it was funny,” she said to ESSENCE. “Milk shaming is apparently becoming a growing phenomenon on social media and in real life, even though 92% of American households consume dairy milk, so we wanted to create a campaign and show how a bit over the top the reactions are to drinking dairy.”
Aside from all the jokes, the campaign does support addressing the harmful effects of cyberbullying, which is vital to Queen Latifah, as it hits close to home as a noted and celebrated celebrity with decades in the entertainment game. She believes that a solution to cyberbullying is hearing everyone out to establish common ground and unity instead of tearing each other down for our differences (like enjoying milk or choosing not to). “We have to watch out for each other online, especially our kids. We have to listen to one to one another. From the inception of the Internet becoming what it is, it was a place for people who felt bullied, hurt, uncared for, and unseen, to jump on and become powerful. We’re making light of milk shaming because it’s something to make light of, but we don’t compare it to real and serious issues, like cyberbullying,” she states.
Although it’s a parody campaign, the core messaging is rooted in uniting others despite their preferences. “The reality is we all have the freedom to choose whatever we like, including whether to drink milk or not. It’s a funny way to bring everyone to one place,” she shares.
Queen Latifah hopes to bring some light and joy with this campaign and bring the compassion out of people, as she believes we currently have more significant issues to tackle in the world. “We need to band together, not push each other further apart. So, if something could bring some levity into our day, I think it’s helpful. I talk to my dad all the time, and we could be talking about the most serious thing, but then crack a joke, and then he’s like, ‘There it is. That’s that levity.’’
Her last words for the milk shamers out there (and people who tend to judge you critically, without grace)? “Chile…That’s spelled, C.H.I.L.E., exclamation point, exclamation point, exclamation point. Dot. Dot. Dot. And keep it movin’. You’ll always have to push away what people think of you because you’ll never reach where you want to be in life.”