“Only real milk is real”: Aubrey Plaza slammed for weird pro-dairy commercial (VIDEO)
The war on milk alternatives has recruited an unlikely ambassador — Aubrey Plaza. And her fans are not having it.
Plaza teamed up with dairy industry-funded marketing firm MilkPep to be part of a satirical ad introducing “wood milk.”
“Wood milk” is a fake product designed to make dairy alternatives like oat, soy, and almond milk look unappetizing and nonnutritive.
“Have you ever looked at a tree and thought, can I drink this?” Plaza asks in the bizarre video.
Remember when Ron Swanson asked to try vegan bacon and put it straight in the bin? That’s what Parks and Recreation‘s Plaza seems to be channelling.
NBC
Plaza introduced her followers to the fake milk product on Friday on Instagram. Following the backlash, she disabled comments on her post.
View this post on Instagram
Fans of Plaza have taken to social media to express their disappointment about her involvement in the campaign.
the fact that this is actually a weirdly covert ad for the dairy industry is bonkers, aubrey plaza dairy propagandist https://t.co/MKKaMPc617
— frankie! (@from_frankie) April 20, 2023
I’m so heartbroken y’all. Aubrey Plaza out here doing ads for the dairy industry trying to make fun of plant milks by shilling “wood milk”. The desperation 😭 Aubrey how could you! pic.twitter.com/8lPfdDBdsL
— tobias 🌱 (@tobiasly) April 20, 2023
Animal protection non-profit PETA also showed its disapproval by reposting a TikTok of reactions to the ad.
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves 😤
So disappointing to see you promoting an abusive and destructive industry, #AubreyPlaza! pic.twitter.com/HVsrGt833m
— PETA (@peta) April 20, 2023
US milk consumption is at an all-time low, so it’s no surprise dairy producers are getting desperate. Some people don’t want to support an industry that kills many male calves at birth and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. Others just prefer the taste of alternative milk products, and that’s okay.
As if the high-budget commercial was not enough, MilkPep also launched a campaign website.
If you felt so inclined, you could even buy a T-shirt sporting the slogan “Got Wood” or “It Does The Body Wood.”
The website states, “Wood Milk has zero nutritional value.” Of course, that is true because “wood milk” doesn’t actually exist. But it is also meant to imply that dairy alternatives have no nutritional value, which is false.
Almond milk, for example, like the almonds it is made from, is a great source of antioxidant vitamins and may reduce your risk of developing heart disease.
In addition, as TikToker @livekindly pointed out, it’s a bit ironic to be cutting down trees in a fake ad for “wood milk” when the dairy industry contributes to deforestation.
@livekindly 🪵 Aubrey Plaza’s new “Wood Milk” is the dairy industry’s latest attempt to stay relevant. Plant-based milk is the future! 🌱 What do you think of this campaign? #drinkwoodmilk #woodmilk #aubreyplaza #plantbased #plantmilk #nondairy #climateaction #oatmilk #sustainableliving #sustainability #CapCut ♬ Breaking News Background Music (Basic A)(1001538) – LEOPARD
It’s just all very cringe.
Where do you stand on the milk debate? Are you a dairy lover, or do you think plant-based alternatives are the future? Let us know in the comments.