This intriguing Nabisco Breath Savers print ad ran in
TV Guide and features two men roped together, body-to-body and face-to-face -- one wearing a goofy smile and the other looking more pained and uncomfortable with their proximity.
Meanwhile, in the background, the thief who tied them up escapes out a window with a maniacal laugh and a set of upside-down golf clubs about to fall out of their bag. (How many cultured robbers are there who steal only golf clubs?)
The headline reads "Lucky you had a Breath Savers."
While it's clear why these men are tied together, it is less apparent why one man is smiling and the other is not. Neither appears intended to look stereotypically gay. The smiling man is the one with good breath, the other is most likely displeased with being so close to his buddy -- thereby utilizing homophobia for humor. On the other hand, if it is the frowning man with the good breath, the indication may be that his buddy is "a little too happy" about being tied together -- suggesting that he's gay. (Or, maybe it's just not his golf clubs.)
Neither man seems to be concerned with looking at the escaping robber, so their faces do not seem to relate to him. No matter which way this ad is read, it seems to be suggesting both homophobia as humor
and gay inclusion at the same time.
