Banana populism: Appeeling to the people

This study embarks on an exploration into the intricate dynamics of populism, emphasizing the subtle ways populists mobilize and solidify their support through visual cultural markers that often appear silly, whimsical, or cute, in a phenomenon that we term ‘banana populism’. Drawing inspiration from both Moffit's and Laclau's theories on populism, this research spotlights key visual instances from social media and media appearances across the areas of food, fashion, and animals. Despite their mundanity, these whimsical visual symbols, curated and displayed by populist leaders, provide affective charges of warmth and ‘being in on the joke’ that help to constitute populist movements and resonate powerfully with 'the people'. The visual examples shed light on the broader phenomenon of how ostensibly benign imagery can convey compelling political messages, even to the extent of mainstreaming extreme positions. The findings underscore the increasing importance of visual cultural literacy in contemporary political discourse and advocate for a sharper scrutiny of populist visual cues, even those that have thus far seemed too silly for serious consideration.