Ad cleared, but ‘stereotyped gays’
A Westpac advertisment featuring an effeminite male couple talking about slow payments to their business has been cleared by the Ad Standards Board of complaints that it stereotyped gay people.
One complaint to the ASB said: “The two characters were being portrayed as gay men with horrible stereotypes that inaccurately portray gay people and is both inaccurate and offensive to gay men.”
Westpac defended the ad, which you can view below, claiming it was popular with the gay community.
“Since launch, we have had some resounding positive feedback, with very high preliminary awareness and recognition figures especially from the gay community who have embraced the humour and its intent and congratulated Westpac on our depiction of these characters,” said Westpac in a statement.
The ASB agreed “that the men are represented in part in a stereotypically effeminate manner,” but ruled that “they are also represented as business owners. The Board considered that the men are presented in a manner which, although somewhat stereotypical, focuses on their frustration as business owners and is not negative.”
What do you think? Were Westpac out of line in using stereotypically camp men to sell their products, or do the complainants need to lighten up?
For example I can imagine it producing more of a “ha ha, those gays are so stupid” response than a “oh, gay men deal with banks like me? maybe they’re people too” one.
This ad makes me cringe. I think it is badly acted and way too over the top. The guy on the left looks like he’s just sucked on lemon the entire ad. It makes it look like they are laughing at gay men, rather than with them, so to speak.
Problem is the majority viewing this ad are straight, and the stereotype is reinforced yet again.
If we can’t laugh at ourself what hope have we got?
Good on Westpac for airing a gay themed ad … buit next time could you use a couple of sexier guys? ;)
It’s main problem is that it shows Westpac in a positive light.
i think they should do the commercial very much! as a gay man i think at times we need to laugh at ourselves and a stereotype in the media is better then no coverage at all, we aren’t bullied if we can laugh along, and stupid people who seem to think we are threatening become disarmed by this sort of add, therefore giving us the opportunity to input our OWN unstereotyped personalities into our identities as LGBT persons and therefore giving us a chance to influence people the RIGHT way which we would never have had a chance to do so before, re-humanising the gay man by portraying him in the media therefore is passive aggression to the biggots of the world and de-guards them to be shown that we are people too