The happy couple: rocker Melissa Etheridge and her partner, actress Tammy Lynn Michaels, wear bracelets that “symbolize everlasting love and attachment,” according to this ad for Cartier.

Level: High School

Overview:

Through examination and discussion of ads and the website CommercialCloset.org, participants will explore positive LGBT images in advertising. Participants will also discuss the possible effects of positive LGBT images in advertising on individuals and society.

Objectives:

• Identify positive LGBT images in advertising
• Create awareness of possible effects of positive LGBT images in advertising on individuals and society

Time: 60 minutes

Preparation and Materials:
Access to the website CommercialCloset.org, at www.commercialcloset.org

Procedures:

1. Have participants go the website CommercialCloset.org at www.commercialcloset.org
   
   
   • Using the upper-left navigation bar, click on the “About” section (www2.commercialcloset.org) and have participants read the site’s mission statement. Ask participants for their opinions about the site’s purpose. What do they think about the site’s claim that, “The social impact of advertising is far greater than other media because it is not sought out like TV shows or films... it comes to you?”
   
   
   • Using the upper-left navigation bar, click on the “Portrayals” section (www2.commercialcloset.org) and have participants read the introduction to the site’s ad content. Ask participants for their opinions about how the site choosing which ads are “gay” (i.e., involve images of the LGBT community).
2. Under “Portrayals,” click on the “Positive” sub-section (www2.commercialcloset.org)to see a description and selection of ads that use positive LGBT images. Have participants read the short description of how the site defines a “positive” ad. What do participants think of this description? How often do they see ads that fit this description?
3. Examine some of the “positive” ads together. (You may want to pre-screen ads and choose a handful for examination. Some examples appear below.) Some ads are accompanied by a site commentary, as well as “viewer comments” about both the ad and the site’s interpretation of the ad. Where applicable, have participants examine both and discuss their opinions of the site’s commentary and viewer comments.
   
   
   • For example, the “Whitney & Beth Marriage” ad from Abercrombie (www2.commercialcloset.org) shows an image of two women getting married (to each other). What do participants think of this ad? How is this ad “positive?” Does it differ at all—in style, content, etc.—from a “straight” ad? What do participants think of the controversy surrounding the ad, as discussed in the site’s commentary?
   
   
   • Examine “Guitar Kiss” (www2.commercialcloset.org), an image of two men kissing. What do participants think of this ad? What do they think of the creator’s comments cited in the commentary, e.g., that “heterosexuals love the advertising as much as gays?”
   
   
   • Examine Skyy Vodka’s “The Proposal” (www2.commercialcloset.org). What is happening in this ad? Do participants agree that this is a “positive” LGBT ad? What do they think of the site’s comment about this as a “glamorous male ideal of lesbians in high heels and bright red lipstick?”
   
   
   • Examine Diesel’s “V-J Day” (www2.commercialcloset.org) ad and the site’s commentary. What do participants think of this ad? What do they think of the site’s comment that Diesel “meant to shock people into paying attention?” Can an ad intended to “shock” still be “positive?” Ask participants to explain their opinions.
4. Under “Portrayals,” on the upper-left navigation bar, click over to the “Neutral” sub-section (www2.commercialcloset.org). What do participants think of the site’s description of this group of ads? Does it seem just as positive as the “Positive” section?
5. Examine a few of the “neutral” ads. For example, the John Hancock Financial Services ad “Class of ‘76” (www2.commercialcloset.org). Do participants agree with the site’s commentary that this is an “inclusive” ad? Invite participants to discuss their opinion of the site’s comment that this ad is an example where “[g]ayness, bisexuality or being transgendered is treated as a non-issue.... Like people of color are now often shown, gays are included in vignettes and sometimes in the mix of a larger campaign. This may be what the future of gays in commercials will look like: part of a larger whole.”

Activity:

Choose one of the “positive” ads that has little or no commentary—such as the Benetton “Baby” ad (www2.commercialcloset.org)--and ask participants to create their own commentary for the ad. Their commentary should include a description of why they feel the ad is “positive.” Give participants a chance to share their commentaries with the class.

Or, ask participants to create their own “viewer comments” about ads viewed together as a group. Their “comments” should include specific ideas to support their feelings and opinions about the ads and site commentaries. Give participants a chance to share their “comments” in class.

Discussion:

Discuss the possible effects of positive and “neutral” LGBT images in advertising on individuals and society.

• How has viewing this website impacted participants’ feelings about advertising in general and images of LGBT people in advertising?


• Do participants think seeing more positive or “neutral” images of LGBT people in ads would affect how people think about the LGBT community in real life? In what way?

Extension Activity:

Have participants compare and contrast—and write critiques—of ads in the “Negative,” “Neutral” and “Positive” sections of the CommercialCloset.org’s website. Or, discuss the “Gay Vague” sections: What do participants think about these ads?