Eaton department stores, Coming Out 'Straight'
A young man, sporting spiked blond hair and baggy clothes, addresses the camera:
"When I was growing up, everyone I knew was gay. My best friend turned out to be gay. He was in love with me. And my mom assumed I was gay. And so I had to come out of the closet and tell my mom, 'Hey, I'm straight.' "
The tagline is: "Diversity @ Eaton's. Whatever."
A twist on a "coming out" story, though some might not thoroughly believe the stated sexuality of this youth. It is also a bit questionable to include a straight, white guy in a campaign about diversity instead of someone truly gay.
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User Comments
Jeff
There are men who grew up with others' assumptions that they are gay. Sometimes a boy does have to say "I'm straight." (I'm not.) My best friend is one of them. Secondly, Eaton's main store clearly had a significant gay customer base as does the department store in that location. Saying "I'm straight" is sometimes to be different. I like the ad, though I don't see the kid as particularly gay. Maybe even those of us who are gay have some stereotypes that we need to address as much as straight people do.
Sean Martin
Why is it "a bit questionable to include a straight, white guy in a campaign about diversity instead of someone truly gay"? The fact that he isn't is the whole point of the ad, as lame as that may seem. Does everything have to be the prototypical pregnant, third world lesbian in a wheelchair in order to fully celebrate diversity?
Steven Baljkas
I don't see this as questionable either. It was my favourite from the whole "Diversity @ Eaton's" campaign. Maybe it is more clearly ironic and positive only in the light of the other ads; they all have a twist of some kind as I remember them.
Derek
I don't see it as questionable as well. I thought the ad is well done, good twist and a good message. I like the slogan, "Diversity, whatever."
Tim M.
I think this is a great ad! I love the twist in that a straight person has to "come out of the closet". It's almost a parody on the ridiculous act of having to "come out of the closet".
B. J. Mikel
I had to come out of the closet and tell my mom, Hey mom, I'm straight, says he. To which one can only remark that the guy must have had an awfully unobservant mother, not to mention friends. He speaks in a dull monotone and apparently can only move the lower half of his left arm, twisting his hand a wee bit as he drones on and on. Nothing works in the ad: not the copy, not the execution, not the idea. Too clever by half, I'm afraid.
Simon
This ad is completely silly. Yeah right "when I was growing up, everyone I knew was gay." Where did he grew up? In a gay bar? Even straight people live in The Castro.The ad is terrible, I don't even remember the name of the company, what they sell, etc. Even if the intent was "branding" instead of "advertising," it's still terrible.
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