Fashion, Partying, and Sex: Out Ads Perpetuate Gay Stereotype

I came out to a friend about 10 years ago, who brusquely replied by saying, “Are you sure about this lifestyle?  Gay people only care about fashion, partying, and sex.”  As ignorant as that comment was, I sometimes find it hard to refute this assumption, and unfortunately, gay-targeted advertisements only tend to perpetuate the stereotype.

Last night I performed a highly unscientific study within the pages of the most recent edition of Out.  Out of curiosity I decided to categorize all the ads in the magazine by subject matter.  The results?  Not surprisingly, fashion/cologne ads occupied the most space with 10 total pages dedicated to these products, followed by travel-oriented ads with 8 1/3 pages.  Next were ads for HIV medication with a whopping 6 1/3 pages devoted to them.  HIV meds were followed closely by alcohol/cigarette ads with 5 total pages.  The only other subject with more than a single page of ad space were entertainment ads (movies, music, and television) with a total of 3 pages.

What do the results say about us?  They say that we like to travel the world drinking and smoking, listening to music, having unprotected sex, and all the while looking fabulous while doing it.

For the record, the full results of this impromptu study are below.  There wasn’t a single page of ad space devoted to automobiles, retirement planning, or household cleaners – the everyday types of products and services that are commonplace in straight-oriented publications.  To be fair it’s not Out’s fault, and I don’t blame the advertising community.  I’m sure it’s hard to rationalize targeting gays with an ad for Swiffer Sweepers, especially given the lack of market research that exists to justify the ad buy.  Rather, I think this mix of advertisements is more a reflection of what we, as a community will respond to.  Fashion, partying, and sex.  Maybe my friend was right.

Fashion/Cologne:  10 pages

Travel:  8 1/3 pages

HIV Medications:  6 1/3 pages

Alcohol/Cigarettes:  5 pages

Entertainment:  3 pages

Interior Design:  1 page

Insurance:  1 page

Bars/Clubs:  1 page

Lubrication:  1 page

Dating websites:  1 page

Business Conference:  1 page

Catering:  1 page

Deodorant:  1 page

Tires:  1 page

Cold Sore Medication:  1/3 page

Gay Advertisement #3: Fleet Launches Enema Targeted at Gay Men

C.B. Fleet, the makers of disposable colonics, has announced they will debut a new product this month – Fleet Naturals – targeted at gay and bisexual men who use at-home enemas for “elective rectal cleansing.”  To support the product launch, Fleet is buying out advertising space in Out as well as other regional publications (read: fag rags).  Additionally, Fleet will launch an online display ad campaign on websites of interest to gay readers including menshealth.com and prevention.com.  The print ad above is an example of the creative (produced by firm Euro RSCG) designed to cheekily market the product while keeping the messaging tasteful.

I applaud Fleet for expanding their target to include gay men (although I have to wonder why it took them so long to do so) and for commissioning a research study to explore our often misunderstood segment of the population.  The company hired polling firm Harris Interactive last year to research the market potential and found that 21% of gay and bisexual men had used a disposable enema in the last year and, 87 % reported they did so as a precursor to “anal intimacy.”

In case you’re wondering, Fleet Naturals differs from traditional at-home enemas in that it contains no laxative, but instead contains aloe to enhance a sought-after fresh sensation.  Traditional disposable colonics also use a petroleum-based lubricant on its tip, which can cause breakage when coming into contact with a latex condom.  Fleet Naturals uses a water-based lube instead.

Fleet’s new version hits shelves at CVS drug stores and Target this month, followed by Walgreens next month and Rite-Aid in June.  Wal-Mart is the only major retailer who has refused to carry it so far (another reason to avoid ever shopping at Wal-Mart).