LGB NewsSnickers Spain pulls advertisement after accusations of homophobia - The Guardian

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[–]reluctant_commenter[S] 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

archive link: https://archive.ph/B9Pcw

LGB Alliance Twitter thread about it: https://twitter.com/ALLIANCELGB?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Quick summary of the ad, in case you're curious: An effeminate, presumably gay man at a restaurant is given a Snickers bar and after eating the Snickers bar, he suddenly changes into a more masculine-looking man with a beard. His companion asks, "Better?" (than his formerly effeminate self) and the now-masculine-looking man answers, "Better." The tagline at the end of the ad is, "You're not yourself when you're hungry"-- implying that the man's effeminate manner earlier in the video was a problem caused by hunger which the Snickers bar eradicated.

From the article, for additional context:

The incident comes weeks after Spain was rocked by the fatal beating of a young gay man in an alleged homophobic attack. The killing of 24-year-old Samuel Luiz – described by Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, as a “savage and merciless act” – sparked nationwide protests. Six people, including two minors, have so far been arrested in connection with the incident.

The killing was part of a series of homophobic attacks across Spain that have made headlines in recent months, pointed out the far-left party Podemos. “In the face of a wave of LGBTI-phobia, including attacks and even murders, Snickers can’t think of a better idea than to create a trashy commercial that tells you that you are not yourself if you are effeminate,” it said on Twitter.

On Thursday, Snickers Spain said it would immediately pull the advert and apologised “for any misunderstanding” that may have been caused by the campaign.

[–]xanditAGAB (Assigned Gay at Birth) 10 insightful - 1 fun10 insightful - 0 fun11 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

When I first saw it, I thought it was a trans woman that becomes a man, thought the issue was going to be transphobia

[–]ArthnoldManacatsaman🇬🇧🌳🟦 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I don't usually have a great deal of time for the perpetually offended of this world, but in this instance I can kind of see their point.

The most charitable interpretation I can think of would be that Señor Masc is 'not himself' — which is to say, he's not the archetype of masculinity that he usually is — when he's hungry. This isn't immediately obvious in the context of the advert, however, so it's understandable that this has ruffled some feathers, especially since the :Señor Masc' is 'better' than the alternative.

Snickers have made several similar adverts in the UK (among other places I'm sure) including, if I remember correctly, some kind of animal (wolf? bear?) who turns back into a man after being given a Snickers, and (though I may have dreamt this) a diva / rugby player.

It's an odd, confusing concept, and given the recent homophobic attacks that have been rocking Spain I think Snickers did the right thing in pulling the advert.

Currently on mobile so can't do the research required to back up any of my claims, so I ask for your indulgence for the time being.

[–]NeedMoreCoffee~=[,,_,,]=^_^= 6 insightful - 2 fun6 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Wtf?

[–]Elvira95Viva la figa 5 insightful - 4 fun5 insightful - 3 fun6 insightful - 4 fun -  (0 children)

Oh God, the spanish language is so hot. Sorry I was distracted by it, as usual, so can't really hate the ad lol

But seriously, just dumb a bit sexist stuff.

[–]immersang 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I was ready to dismiss this, because usually these days people crying about something being [something]-phobic are exaggerating more often than not. But then I watched the ad. Holy crap. Who green lit this? It should have been bloody obvious that people would read it as homophobic.

[–]reluctant_commenter[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Yeah I thought it wouldn't be that bad but then I watched the ad lol. WTF.