WHERE SUCCESSFUL ADVERTISING MEETS LGBT EQUALITY

Converse, Grandmama: Aeroglide (Larry Johnson)

Members:

Basketball star Larry Johnson of the Charlotte Hornets (now the NY Knicks) appears in the spot as his Grandmama.

"These are my new shoes from Converse. They're so light and so fast, my grandmama can whip you in them."

The coincidentally gay/trans-friendly tagline is: "It's what's inside that counts."

This ad is a classic example of the old-fashioned joke of a straight-man-in-women's-clothes. In the American nomenclature, a man wears women's clothes usually for two reasons: as a joke or if he's gay. This commercial is "safe" because we know from real life that Johnson isn't gay and that he's dressing up for fun in the commercial.

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User Comments
Andrea James
This popular campaign of 5 ads was funny and fun.

BJorn
Why is it that when a guy puts on a girls outfit, he's thought of as being gay? But I will always believe that a woman, who wears men's suits, uniforms & plays men's sports, is lesbian.