At Outvertising, LGBT+ history month is a time to look back at inclusion in advertising throughout the years.
In doing so, a question that arises is what, exactly, we’re looking for.
Explicit examples exist, such as the much referenced Dining Table ad from Ikea as early as 1994 but these examples are few and far between. Far more common are adverts where the sexuality of those featured is a matter of how they are perceived by the viewer. Coined by Michael Wilke in 1997, ‘gay vague’ is the appearance of people who are seen by some viewers as gay, without it being explicitly stated or shown.
When done intentionally, this allows brands to court two audiences: those longing for representation alongside those who would be put off by it.
The lack of historical representation also means, however, that LGBTQ+ people don’t always need the representation to be intended by the creators.
We spoke to Alan Pafenbach, one of the creators behind ‘Sunday Afternoon.’ This ad for Volkswagen features two young men driving around LA, with an armchair collected along the way implying that they live together. It’s not much to go on, but in 1997, surrounded by images of heteronormativity, it was all that many people needed to view the two men as a couple. It gained attention at the time that surprised Alan and his team.
““There was a sense that it was coded to reach the gay community. It was not intentionally done. My creative partners and I were not that clever, but the dissection of the various details of the film was a wonder to observe.””
VW - Sunny Afternoon
And dissection is an accurate term. From the fastidiousness of the driver to the way that the pair communicate without words, evidence was found by those who were looking for it.
But as representation gradually improves, stereotypical readings are far less likely to be accepted and embraced in this way. It seems doubtful that the men in ‘Sunday Afternoon’ would be viewed as gay today, at a time when boyfriends can be, and are, shown intimately and physically in mainstream media.
Perhaps now, we’re looking to other identities to be represented in ways that we haven’t seen before.
How can a single relationship shown on screen explicitly and accurately represent bisexuality? What can advertisers do to represent asexual and aromantic people in a clear, positive way? One thing we know is that, until they figure it out, people will find their representation where they can.