Controversies In Contemporary Advertising Analysis

One main idea coming from Chapter 8 of Controversies In Contemporary Advertising, was how minorities are unrepresented in advertising. It appears the only times minorities are represented is when there is a special occasion, for example there are more advertisements during the month of February because it is Black History Month. This invisibility of minorities can hold them back from opportunities, and it may instill the feeling that they must hide their identity since they will never be a part of mainstream culture. This also causes them to be cultural outsiders when they are not the central focuses of messages, which in turn slows down assimilation into the host culture. Another issue is that value distribution becomes uneven since minorities

However, there seems to be minimal advertisements which feature LGBT+ individuals, despite the high number of people who read mainstream magazines who belong to the community. The answer to this is that if a company chooses to feature LGBT+ people in a positive way may lose heterosexual customers, while also being afraid of the potential backlash from radical or religious organizations. However, despite these risks, many companies, for example Ben and Jerry’s, Target, and Levi’s to name a few, have been supportive of the LGBT+ community in their advertising. Some companies use the method of “gay window advertising” which the text describes as ads which “speak to the LGBT consumer in a way that is not immediately noticeable to others, using imagery considered ‘gay vague’” (Sheehan 142). These ads allow for ambiguity, and are accepted by the gay community while being under the radar for heterosexuals. However, there are some stereotypes which present themselves when LGBT+ characters are in advertisements, for example the affluent, white gay professional. Recently, there have been more ads showing a diversity involving LGBT+ individuals, showing how this is becoming more