It’s becoming increasingly common for major retail companies to give a nod to marriage equality. Some, like Macy’s and JCPenney, do it overtly with ads spotlighting same-sex couples. Others try to have it both ways—producing ads that will read “gay” to LGBT viewers, but go over the heads of bigots who might be offended. Such ads often only appear online—the assumption being right-wing homophobes haven’t figured how to move past the AOL home page.
We’re not quite sure where on the spectrum to put this ad for Nordstrom wedding boutique It’s got hip-hop allies Macklemore and Ryan Lewis singing “And We Danced.” There also appear to be some same-sex couples spliced into the mix—but we had to watch the video twice to catch it (at about the :40 mark).
Does an ad like this make you feel appreciated as part of the fabric of our society, or does it feel like a token nod manufactured to slip under the radar without putting anyone’s nose out of joint. Let us know in the comment section
yaoming
It’s a little confusing since it looks like one wedding reception that’s actually 6 or 7 weddings, two of which may be gay… or maybe they’re just wedding guests.
hyhybt
I like that there’s a mix: blatant-but-treated-as-ordinary reference in some ads, such as the “my husband’s getting me a drink” one, and thrown in almost unnoticed in others.
hephaestion
The ad is definitely designed to leave people unsure whether or not there are any gay couples featured in it. Straight people of the same sex always dance at wedding parties.
Allen D.
@hephaestion: I’ve never seen 2 straight men dance while holding hands.
heydavis
A cheerful and enjoyable soundtrack. Doesn’t seem to be anything but a celebration sequence aimed at everyone. Stop reading between the lines.