Lesbianism is a ‘tragedy’, agrees adverts watchdog [video]
September 25th, 2008
Drinks company Jim Beam has faced criticism in Australia for airing an advert which suggests that lesbianism is a tragedy.
Watch the advert in question:
If you cannot view the video clip, it shows an attractive, feminine woman coyly revealing that she’s always preferred girls. She then greets her equally attractive girlfriend, and both women then use each other as props to flirt with the off-screen man who the first woman is presumably speaking to. A male voice-over then says “the tragedy.”
After complaints were made to the Advertising Standards Bureau, Jim Beam defended the advert in a statement:
“In ‘The Tragedy’ TVC a beautiful girl who is dreamily attractive to any man turns out not to be attracted to men at all, but instead prefers other women. To most men this is the ultimate tragedy, in the same way that Jim Beam is the ultimate bourbon.
“In each case, we liken Jim Beam to other ‘ultimate’ or incredible things, the kind of things which our audience could only imagine in their wildest dreams. This is common to most humorous advertising, we over-exaggerate and fantasize in order to illustrate our point.”
In a further insult to lesbians, Jim Beam implied that lesbianism was immoral or unsuitable for children:
“Although we are confident this commercial is acceptable to the majority we are mindful it is not our place to prompt unwelcome discussion of the subject between parents and their children.”
Incredibly, the Advertising Standards Bureau agreed that it was a tragedy that an attractive woman would not be interested in having sex with a man:
“The Board agreed that the advertisement was a parody not to be taken seriously and that the label at the end, “The Tragedy”, was not intended to mean that it was a tragedy generally for women to be lesbians, but that such an attractive woman was not available to heterosexual men. The Board agreed that this did not amount to discrimination against lesbians.”
The complaints against the advert were dismissed. Two other Jim Beam adverts in the same series have also faced complaints. One has been taken off air and the other allowed to continue being shown.
Read more about these two adverts on Hoyden About Town.
[via The F Word]
Related stories: Heinz advert of chaste gay man kiss is banned, while FCUK lesbian erotic fight advert permitted.
Meh…it’s a joke. I actually thought that it was funny. Clearly, for most heterosexual males this IS the ultimate tragedy, which is ridiculous, but b/c of that, I think that it’s making fun of them more than it is lesbians.
I think it’s a tragedy that KT Tunstall is straight. Should I be censured too?
My sentiments exactly Anastasia…not necessarily just KT, I am sure I could give a very long list of straight women I wish were gay… :-P