Durkin (2013)

The last seven years have marked many victories for LGBTQ people in regards to media visibility, presumably as a result of shifting public opinion and openness seen through changes in policy such as the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in 2011 and the passage of marriage equality in 2015. One case of this shifting public opinion is in Bud Light advertisements. In an early 2010’s Bud Light static advertisement, the company breaks traditional imagery of beer advertising that features women in revealing clothes, sports, and U.S. nationalism. Instead, two assumingly white men are featured in a half embrace holding a Bud Light beer. In the copy it states:

LET’S HEAD OUT.

Be who you are. Drink what you like. And turn any time into a great time with the just-right taste of Bud Light.

IT’S THE SURE SIGN OF A GOOD TIME.

HERE WE GO (Durkin).

     Despite efforts to reach a broader audience and capitalize on the buying power of LGBTQ people, Bud Light encodes a message that is decoded as the only way to have a “good time” as gay men is to drink perpetuating the social invisibility of LGBTQ people and justification of further discrimination.  

    Analyzing body language in conjunction with the text, one can discern that a “good time” is sexual in nature. The two men are positioned in the foreground in close proximity in a half embrace with soft smirks on their faces with only faint figures in the dark background. To further the sexual innuendo, Bud Light couples the image with phrases such as “Be who you are” and “Let’s head out” bringing clarity that this couple is, in fact, homosexual in nature. By telling the audience to live authentically they tackle a truth many queer people face in regards to not coming out, solidifying their intended audience; however, this advertisement goes beyond a sense of empowerment. The phrase, “Let’s head out” can be decoded as going out to the bar to meet people, but in relation to the prowling nature of the men it insinuates leaving to have sex; consequently, this acts to solidify the audience’s understanding of the sexual nature of this advertisement.

     Despite the visibility of two presumably gay men engaging in an insinuated sexual activity, it does more harm than good to LGBTQ community. As discussed in Sexual Identities and the Media by Wendy Hilton-Morrow and Kathleen Battles, “media representation is often a vital source of self-recognition and identity formation” (77). Placing queer representation through drinking and sexual conduct in this ad pushes the notion that LGBTQ people cannot enjoy themselves sexually without drinking as Bud Light can “turn any time into a great time”. This further eliminates queer visibility as the lack of representation signifies that the people who do engage with the advertisement may be presented with their first interaction with this minority group (Hilton-Marrow, 78-79). If this image was the only representation queer or straight people saw the message it teaches states that being gay is only fun when one is drinking. This present another set of complicated issues as alcohol consumption inhibits reasoning capabilities and often times means people cannot properly consent. These implications justify continued discrimination and internalized homophobia of LGBTQ people as their sexual life is seen as not pleasant, consensual, or is predatory in nature.

    Moreover, what might have been a progressive advertisement for beer companies and the United States at large, proper representation falls short. The “respectable” white gay men of an average build are depicted as masculine in regards to their gender identity, which eliminates the vast diversity of the LGBTQ community. These men are the quintessential image of “straight passing” and largely could avoid active discrimination in the public sphere if they choose to not be out. Additionally, queer people exist across all racial and ethnic backgrounds, yet the ones presented are understood to be white and assumingly middle class as they can afford to be at a bar. In retrospect, this ad’s intended audience at first seems to target the LGBTQ community at large, but through a closer analysis, it shows the limited racial, gender, and class dynamics.  

     Overall, advertisements such as these generalize the experiences of queer folk shifting the heterosexual perception of the LGBTQ experiences and reinforcing internalized homophobia. While queer visibility promotes inclusion, the implied sexual dissatisfaction as a result of sobriety in the context of this ad contributes to already oppressive and self-loathing realities many queer youth face. Additionally, limited racial representation contributes to homophobia within communities of color along with the perception that queer folk has affluence in regards to class. Being who you are should not be commodified to who is presented consuming an alcoholic beverage regardless if it is two homosexual men or women wearing a limited amount of clothing.

(October, 2017)

 

 

Works Cited

Durkin, Daniel. “Durkin – Concepts Spring 2013.” Queer Imagery in Advertising, 13 Feb. 2013,

     durkinconcepts.blogspot.com/2013/02/queer-imagery-in-advertising.html.

Hilton-Morrow, Wendy, and Kathleen Battles. Sexual identities and the Media: An Introduction.

     Routledge, 2015.