Addio, Mia

"Land O'Lakes has updated its packaging to no longer include an image of a Native American Indian woman on its signature products.

"The "butter maiden," as the image was called, has been on packages of Land O'Lakes butter and other products since 1928, CBS News reports. The image has been modified over the years; in the mid-1950s Ojibwe artist Patrick DesJarlait updated the image, called Mia.

"'[Land O Lakes CEO Beth Ford said] “As Land O’Lakes looks toward our 100th anniversary, we’ve recognized we need packaging that reflects the foundation and heart of our company culture — and nothing does that better than our farmer-owners whose milk is used to produce Land O’Lakes’ dairy products.'”  (Minneapolis-St Paul Business Journal)

You remember Mia. She was a pretty girl. Slender, serene, perfectly coiffed, and oh boy, that incredible queenly posture. Admit it, ladies: at some point in your life, you all wanted to look like the beautiful Indian maiden on the butter and sour cream packages. I know I did. 

I mean, come on, the girl is an American institution.  Nancy Pelosi's $30,000 refrigerator probably has a at least a couple of picture of Mia in it.

But now in our age of political correctness, the Land O Lakes compay has decided something about the girl is insensitive.  So Mia, the face of the butter your family bought for generations, has been given the heave-ho.

“I have mixed feelings about it,” said Robert DesJarlait, [artist and creator Patrick’s son] and an artist and writer, from his home in Onamia, Minn. “I’m sad to see it go, but I can understand why it’s gone. We live in a politically correct time, so maybe it was time to get rid of it. It certainly devolved into a stereotype.

“But in our family, my dad’s work is a source of pride for us. He broke barriers as an Ojibwe artist from Red Lake. Back then, you didn’t find native people in those kinds of jobs, and this gave him the opportunity to put his spin on a well-known native image.” (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

Yeah, you're right. Land O Lakes. Screw the DesJarlait kids and grandkids and great-grandkids.  Family pride, schmamily pride.  PC comes first, amiright?

Land O Lakes reports that it plans to replace the pictures of the lovely Mia with pictures of the farmers who produce their butter.  Let's hope they find some photogenic ones.  Maybe they could do one of those photoshoots like the shirtless firefighters holding the puppies.  You know, buff young farmers cuddling calves, or something.

In the meantime Mia is simply removed from the picture.The butter box still features a lake, and land surrounding it, though. So they got rid of the Native American but kept the land--

Uh-oh,  Ms. Ford. Maybe you should call your office.