Advertisements myth: commercialization of queer identity

Abstract

The ever more frequent appearance of queer folk in advertisements may suggest a social recognition for queerness. Especially during the Pride months – international celebrations of queer life including protest, parades, and parties – queer ads fill western screens and billboards. This paper wants to explore the impact of queer visibility in advertising on the (re)construction of queer identities in consumer societies by bringing together Jean Baudrillard’s theory of consumption, Robert Goldman’s and Anne Cronin’s analysis of advertisements and Rosemary Hennessy’s findings about queerness in capitalisms. I will argue that the commodification of queers in western mainstream advertising, framed through the concept that consumption is closely tied to citizenship, is often mistaken as recognition. Furthermore, queerness is mystified in advertising through an attempt to maintain the fiction of a coherent queer identity that contributes to the construction of either an ‘abnormal’ queerness or aims to soothe derivations from the heterosexual norm. These findings will be put into perspective by a critical examination of an American advertising clip and reflection on the viewer’s position.

Keywords

• commercialization
• consumer society
• queer identity
• pink capitalism