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Lesbian/Bi Women in Commercials, Part 2

In our first installment in this series on the representation of lesbians and bisexual women in commercials, we looked at some of the best, worst, and weirdest commercials we could find.

As we delve further into the subject, we continue to see certain trends. One is that alcohol companies and clothiers have some of the most (and sometimes best) ads featuring queer women. Another is that as rare as representations of lesbian and bisexual women in commercials are, the representation of lesbian and bisexual women of color are even more rare. Ads typically feature young, thin, Caucasian lesbians and bisexual women (if they represent us at all). And it is still uncommon to find ads that feature bisexuality without falling into the trap of associating it with promiscuity.

That being said, in this second installment, we’ve found that these ads more favorably represent queer women than our first batch of ads. Sexy, smart and defiant, many of these ads were welcome additions to the small but growing number of commercials that attempt to include us and depict our lives.

We received many duplicate suggestions from a multitude of readers (thanks to all the readers who tipped us off to some great commercials!), which is proof that 1) there aren’t nearly enough commercials to choose from and 2) AfterEllen.com readers know pretty much everything there is to know about queer women in pop culture.

As in the first installment, we’re using a rating system based on the 2003 Miller Lite “Catfight” commercial (in it, the “perfect” beer commercial naturally devolves into a lesbian mud-wrestling and make-out extravaganza). We’ve scored the commercials below on a scale of zero to five mud-wrestling lesbians for their ability to positively represent us and our lives.

Commercial: “Fashion Versus Style” (UK)

Date:2005

Advertiser: FCUK (French Connection)

Description: Two women (one representing “Fashion” and the other “Style”) duke it out in an sexually-charged smackdown. End result? Everybody wins

Analysis: French designer Yves Saint Laurent once said, “Fashion fades, style is eternal,” and this 2005 commercial from the UK brought his quote to vivid life by using women to represent “Style” and “Fashion” and then having them square off in a fight to the death. Or, more accurately, a fight to the kiss.

The two opponents are gradually disrobed as they throw, punch, and kick one another across the room. Their choreographed fight is part <emXena: Warrior Princess, part Kill Bill, and part Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, complete with whip-like sound effects for every head turn and come-and-get-it gesture.

The fight gets progressively more violent, culminating in one woman shoving the other’s face into her breasts (how is that a form of punishment?) and the time-honored head-dunking in a toilet, before the women slam into a chain link fence (echoes of Gia) and kiss each other hungrily.

We get it: Style and Fashion are One! That is, until the next head-butt is delivered.

The ad caused a controversy when it originally aired, with some claiming that it promoted violence against women, and others crying foul over its exploitive use of lesbianism. But many queer women took delight in seeing the rare (in the land of commercials) sight of women doing martial arts and making out with each other.

It’s hard to believe that it caused such a fuss only five years ago. Today, it simply looks like an out take from Bitch Slap.

Score: For great choreography, a truly passionate kiss, and for the unironic use of motor boating, this ad gets four out of five mud-wrestling lesbians.

Commercial: “Tinkoff Beer” (Russia)

Date: 2005

Advertiser: Tinkoff Weissbier

Description: We’ll have what they’re having.

Analysis: This highly Russian commercial is, upon first viewing, a bit of a puzzle.

Two scantily-clad young women park their convertible and walk together into a clothing store. Along the way, they stretch, toss their hair and caress their flashy little sports car. Are they selling hair care products? Dresses? The convertible? They enter a dressing room and try on lingerie, but are soon swept into a passionate frenzy by all the nylon, lace and operatic music. The camera circles them as they kiss. And kiss. And keep kissing. No, seriously, they kiss for 20 seconds (we counted).

Are the selling lingerie? Lip gloss? At this point, does anyone really care about what they’re selling anymore?

The shot fades and we’re left with the image of an overflowing bottle of Tinkoff beer. Oh, that’s what they’re selling!

And yes, it is a cheap shot to use a phallic bottle bubbling over with a frothy liquid to signify male sexual gratification. But there’s no rule that we have see it that way. Sometimes a bottle of beer is just bottle of beer, and just because queer women might not be the target audience for this advertisement doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy it. A lot.

Score:Sensual, unflinching display of a prolonged and passionate lesbian kiss? Great. Heavy-handed bottle symbolism and the fact that this scene has absolutely nothing to do with the product being sold? Not so great. We give this ad three out of five mud-wrestling lesbians.

Commercial: “Adulterous Scratches” (Italy)

Date:1999

Advertiser: Campari

Description: Cheating on your lover with their lover (or anyone else’s) is never a good idea.

Analysis: The world of Campari is gorgeous, decadent and fraught with tempestuous bisexual affairs. At least that’s what you might think after watching this 1999 commercial.

In it, a smug yet gorgeously androgynous woman makes a red carpet entrance into in lushly decorated (Lempicka!) lobby full of paparazzi and smartly dressed patrons. She takes her seat and stares smugly at a man across the room while tapping her fingers against a class of Campari. From the other side of the room, a blonde woman (presumably his girlfriend) notices the stare and marches over to the man, exposing scratch marks on his throat. She throws a drink in his face and marches over to confront the adulteress. But once they’re face-to-face, she exposes her own set of scratch marks running down her back.

Is the smug woman her lover, and has she cheated on the blonde with a man? Did the smug woman have a fling with the man and his blonde girlfriend, who is jealous of both of them? We’re so confused!

Unfortunately, the association of bisexuals with confusion and sexual infidelity is one of the oldest and most persistent stereotypes facing the LGBT community. So for all its style and sexiness, the ad ultimately perpetuates a negative image of bisexual people as equal-opportunity offenders.

Score: For promoting bisexual visibility, and doing so by relying on tired old stereotypes, we give this ad two out five mud-wrestling lesbians.

Commercial: “Girlfriend” (Canada)

Date: 2005

Advertiser: Toyota

Description: A father unwittingly approves of his daughter’s new girlfriend.

Analysis: This 2005 Toyota commercial very artfully walks a thin line. You can’t get more wholesome than a father and daughter sitting together on the front porch talking about love. In fact, the father has even talked about his daughter’s new love interest with her mother, so it’s a family affair. For all of the sarcasm in his tone (“Mother tells me that you think you’re in love”) and inference that his daughter has lousy taste in men (“Is he like all the others?”), he seems genuinely impressed when the suitor in question screeches to a halt in front of the house.

It’s a brash, rebellious move and, for some reason, the father approves, telling her, “I like him.” When he goes into the house, and she gets into the car, we see that when his daughter said “Nope” to the “like all the others” question, she wasn’t kidding around. The sassy driver of the car is a woman, who greets her girlfriend with an enthusiastic kiss.

So what started out as a conventional family narrative ends up as a lesbian fairytale, in which the Corolla is the steed on which the woman’s female suitor arrives. The only problem is that the daughter never corrected her father’s misuse of the male pronoun.

Will she come out to her father? Will her father still like “him” when he learns that the reckless driver behind the wheel of that Corolla is a woman? Those nagging questions are left unanswered. Taking all of that into consideration, the commercial’s closing slogan, “One thing you can count on,” begins to make sense. Your father may never understand, but you can always count on Toyota as your reliable getaway car.

Score: For depicting an affectionate queer couple and an approving (at least for now) father, we give this ad four out of five mud-wrestling lesbians.

Commercial: “Ladies Room” (United States)

Date:1996

Advertiser: Clothestime

Description: No, that’s not an ice pick in her pocket. She’s just really happy to see that other woman’s dress.

Analysis: It’s interesting to note how few of the ads we’ve found are from the United States, and this Clothestime commercial is over ten years old. It actually seems older, as if it’s trapped in a parallel Basic Instinct (1992) universe. She’s no Sharon Stone, but the predatory blonde in the bathroom means business!

In this ad, a steamy public bathroom offers the chance for a private encounter between two women. When the blonde enters the room, we’re not sure if she’s going to mug the brunette who’s preening in the mirror or make a pass at her. She circles her a few times before getting close and telling the brunette, “I really like your dress.” When the brunette gives the obligatory “thank you,” the blonde makes the implication more obvious. “I mean, I really like your dress.” Her body language tells us that while she likes the woman’s dress, she’d really like to see her out of it.

Lesbians aren’t usually implicated in the gay stereotype of having anonymous sex in public bathrooms. So, for us, the depiction may be more exciting than infuriating. But the stereotype of “predatory” queers zeroing in on their heterosexual targets is one with which all of us is familiar.

So is Clothestime exploiting that stereotype? Or is it presumptuous to assume that the brunette is not also a lesbian? We don’t see her accepting the advance, but then we don’t see her rejecting it either. The argument could be made for either interpretation, but what may tip the scale in the favor of this being a gay-friendly ad is the tagline at the end: “Clothestime. Expect a perfectly natural reaction.”

Score: For it’s stylish depiction of a “perfectly natural” lesbian seduction scene, we give this ad four out of five mud-wrestling lesbians.

Commercial: “How To Double Your Collection” (Denmark)

Date: 2008

Advertiser: Bianco Footwear

Description: Lesbian coupling can save you money on shoes!

Analysis: Everyone knows there are a multitude of advantages to being in a lesbian relationship, like never running out of tampons and always taking the garbage out yourself! But a little discussed perk is that of combining wardrobes. This 15-second spot from Bianco footwear goes global with our little secret.

Using voiceover with shots of the narrator’s love interest and of the couple in question, the commercial teaches us that online dating can lead to a real (lesbian) relationship, and that real (lesbian) relationships can double one’s shoe collection. Presuming, of course, that you and your mate wear the same shoe size and have complimentary shoe styles, you’re set!

The only problem with this ad? The narrator’s unenthusiastic, and more importantly, uncertain description of their relationship (“I thought she was kind of cute and, uh, it looked like a good match…”) left us wanting to tell her not to throw out that second shoe rack just yet. Clearly, lesbian relationships can be great for one’s closet, but do they have to be so dull?

Score: For a positive, if somewhat colorless, depiction of an affectionate lesbian couple, we give this ad five out of five mud-wrestling lesbians.

Commercial: “Sperm Bank” (Austria)

Date: 2004

Advertiser: Humanic (Leder & Schuh)

Description: When shopping for sperm, this lesbian couple puts fashion first.

Analysis: If this commercial is any reflection of reality, sperm banks are way more interesting in Austria than they are in the U.S.

This lesbians in this 2004 commercial look like they stopped on their way home from clubbing to do some late-night impulse shopping for sperm instead of ice cream. Barely clothed and caressing each other nonstop, the two women scroll through the computer profiles of the sperm donors from which they are choosing. They find each candidate to be unsuitable, despite his accomplishments and wealth.

What exactly are these women holding out for? Apparently, any guy who can hook them up with some designer heels!

They settle on the profile of a dorky Humanic exec and celebrate by kissing, laughing, and, naturally, showing off their footwear by Humanic. The whole thing looks less like lesbian family-building than a lost episode of Sex & the City. You know, the one in which Carrie and Samantha pretend to be a couple so they can get a discount on shoes.

The “lesbians” in this commercial are thin, caucasian, nearly nude, and in hot pursuit of motherhood. Humanics clearly isn’t starting the revolution, but they wouldn’t mind dressing you for it.

Score: It’s silly and superficial, but it does portray a lesbian couple being affectionate and, pardon the pun, well-heeled. For those reasons, we give this ad two out of five mud-wrestling lesbians.

Commercial: “The Appointment” (UK)

Date: 1996

Advertiser: Boisvert Lingerie

Description: Lingerie that’s hot enough for a man, but made for a woman.

Analysis: This 1996 commercial requires multiple viewings, doesn’t it? Or maybe it just inspires multiple viewings (or multiple something).

In it, we see a woman carefully dressing herself in an array of beautiful lingerie before covering it all up with a power suit and heading out for a meeting at a restaurant. She walks the gauntlet of male diners, all of whom literally undress her with their eyes as she makes her way through the crowded tables. The music beats seductively as we see her approach the lucky fellow who awaits her. She gently places a manicured hand on his tailored shoulder, then sits down across from him. We see, from the shot of her wearing only lingerie as she sits down, that he is undressing her with his eyes too. The camera zooms in on them and we see that the “man” is actually a woman wearing a suit and short hair, and she is understandably pleased when the lingerie-clad siren plants a big juicy kiss on her lips.

From the way the woman ignores the male gaze to the way she invites the visual undressing from her female lover, we can see that this commercial is all about lesbian desire. Men (including the tv viewers) can look, but they can’t touch in this commercial for Boisvert lingerie, and that is rare indeed. The tagline, flashing onscreen as the women kiss, says it all: “Do men deserve it? No.”

Score: For flaunting a bold and unapologetic lesbian sexuality and for doing it with impeccable style, we give this ad five out of five mud-wrestling lesbians.

Check out the first installment in our series, stay tuned for upcoming ones, and if you have suggestions for additional commercials we should profile, please send your tips to us at AfterEllen Tips with the subject line “Commercial Suggestion.”

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