The Advertising Standards Board Australia, the country’s ad watchdog, has ultimately rejected a viewer’s complaint that a new cereal add featuring a same-sex kiss has caused permanent psychological damage to their 7-year-old son.
Titled “Own It,” the commercial for Kellogg’s Special K stars a diverse group of women and includes two ladies who are seen briefly kissing at a party.
Upon viewing this, one viewer became jolly cross indeed, writing the following inchoate complaint to The ASB:
The add [sic] was ruined where it showed two women kissing.
“Why it did one can only wonder perhaps it was trying to support a particular agenda (eg desensitizing the public) however regardless, that physical act doesn’t have anything to do with a breakfast cereal product that anyone in our society might choose to purchase and enjoy.
“The ad should consider the well being of the younger generations of children and families as well as everyone else.
“I object to the kiss. Must we have the lesbian message shoved in our faces all the time. My 7 year old boy doesn’t need that happening in his lounge room.
“The ad was shown during family viewing time and included two women kissing as a couple in an attempt to normalize this behavior.”
Here’s the company’s response:
How about we take this to the next level?
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Kellogg acknowledges that there may be some members of the public that will be offended by a scene depicting two women kissing.
“We respectfully submit that whilst some individuals may be offended, the advertisement does not depict the scene in a way that vilifies a person or section of the community, including on account of religion or sexual preference.
“A scene briefly portraying two women kissing, in the context of an advertisement that celebrates the reality of female diversity, cannot be regarded as discriminating against or vilifying consumers with religious or other beliefs in a manner contrary to the AANA Code.”
The ASB also dismissed the complaint:
The Board noted the complainants’ concerns over the depiction of two women kissing one another.
“The Board noted that this scene is very brief and considered that the overall tone of the advertisement is of women behaving confidently and there is no undue focus on this particular scene, which is very fleeting.”
Watch it for yourself below.
Jimmy McKenzie
Then don’t watch… Simple as thart. I strongly believe Love is Love. Love always win!
Douglas Schlitz
Get over it honey , this is the REAL WORLD. Take your bigotry and stuff it !
Kristopher Saim-Gentry
GTFOY…
Prinny
That poor little boy/s
Lee Morris
she just looking for the fame and DOLLARS.
Christiaan Anderson Bibby
How the heck… Looool. So what if they’re smooching? Grow up son.
Nathaniel McManus
It was a wonderful commercial.
Juanjo
If junior was repulsed by viewing two women kiss then mums may have a serious surprise in the future. Since lesbian pron is extremely popular among straight males of all age categories, if junior is repulsed then perhaps he plays for the other team. After all most kids that age are not particularly known to have sufficient maturity to understand sexuality as such, I doubt he has any idea that this is anything other than two people who like each other kissing each other. It is not like they were ripping each other’s clothing off and doing some carpet work on the advert.
Omar Ramos
If by traumatized they mean he got a boner, then yes, he got traumatized. And tonight in his room he’s gonna traumatize himself all over again.
Eddie Hernandez
How dumb can you be?
John Kuehnle
Wonder how much they hope to get. Seriously?
Victor Barry
LOL, it’s funny when stupid people say stupid stuff and we get to laugh at them.
John Kuehnle
Where did this air? In the US in the daytime. Logo?
DCguy
If the kid WAS freaked out it was no doubt because of the hysterical fit that his bigoted mother threw.
Roee Moshe
Boohoo
Justin S. Bishop
Only likely because said parent made a BIG DEAL about it.
My son (now 15) isn’t phased by any of it, because we never made a big deal about anything of the sort.
Benjo Doughty
Her son is obviously gay hahaha
David Wickham
FFS
GG
For every same-sex kiss I see, I see about 10,000 opposite-sex kisses. Must we have the heterosexual message shoved in our faces all the time? I have been traumatized.
Steve Russell
And Doris Day kissing Rock Hudson traumatize me! How dare she kiss my childhood man crush!!
Creamsicle
I loved that commercial and hope that they start airing it in the US. It’s definitely a message that a lot of people would welcome, plus it’s a much needed makeover for Kellogg’s historical origin of a guy who thought that bland breakfast food would keep people from being oversexed.
justgeo
Hey it all goes by so quickly if the child wasn’t attuned to the fact it almost looks as though the girl is kissing an Arab teen.
Scott Mitchell
My guess is that the trauma to the young son was more the reaction of the parent then the commercial itself.
paul dorian lord fredine
so sad. a brief kiss between two women scarred the poor boy for life. maybe he can be cured by watching her and her husband fuck? oh god!!! talk about scarring. actually having a repressed and repressive mother like that i’m afraid the scarring is probably well under way.
AtticusBennett
“parent claims son is gay”
*cough cough*
don’t worry, kiddo. with any luck you’ll see plenty of guns on TV and you’ll learn to direct your trauma into a shooting rampage. #murrica
Jeff Baltes
What an absolute crock….!
onthemark
Well come on, Special K is an adult cereal. It’s not like it was a commercial for Cocoa Krispies, or even Rice Krispies. Of course that commercial where Snap, Crackle and Pop had a three-way, now THAT was disgusting!
Mack
She must be the Aussie’s version of the 1 Million Moms. Geeze get a life.
Kevin J Desmond
I guess I can sue all those companies that have straight couples doing the same thing then, I find them offensive.
Kamal Patel
Nahald
@Omar Ramos: LMAO !
1EqualityUSA
I suppose it’s too late for an abortion if he’s seven. Snap out of it!
1EqualityUSA
Omar Ramos, so, so funny.
NSB2244
He probably is traumatized because he has psycho for a mother!
Dakotahgeo
If little 7 year old Wee Wee is traumatized NOW, just imagine what kind of grown up he’ll be later… unless, of course, the weak-minded parents plan on keeping him in the basement all his life! Geeezzz, Louise!!!
GayEGO
In this day and age it is not unusual to see various gender kissing, (except in countries that have Dumkopf governments). The parent is responsible for not teaching her son about public reality.
joebatch
Somehow I have the feeling that this young boy will be much more traumatized by his parents in his future and for many more years to come.
dholdereames
Traumatized by two women kissing OH my God..Wat happens if he see two men shooting one another and one or both is killed.
dinard38
This woman is so full of shit. I watched the video and if I blinked I would have missed that kiss. It only flashed onscreen for a nanosecond. And this child picks up on this very brief kiss? PULEEZE!!!!
She just wanted to complain about that yucky same sex kiss and thought that it would make a more profound statement if she said that her son was traumatized over it.
Too bad it didn’t work, dumb bitch. LOL!!!!