Seat S.A., Lost Drag

Leaving a nightclub at dawn, a drag queen in a long blonde wig, red sparkly dress and long fur draped around the neck -- catches a set of tossed car keys from the valet and steps into the Seat Leon, as if for the first time (maybe the wrong keys?).

With long fingernails, she caresses the steering wheel and other interior items. The car takes off and nearly hits a van, whereupon the driver throws the wig out of the car, then the ear rings and wipes off the lipstick.

Aggressively driving down a winding seaside road, she becomes increasingly more masculine. Finally stopping alongside a beach and looking quite male, the driver steps out of the car and then falls to the ground on high heels.

The tagline: "There's a man in all of us." (Versions in other countries have said, in England, "Life doesn't have to be such a drag," and in Austria, "Unleashed masculinity," and in Greece, "Strength that liberates you.")

Some might take this ad as somewhat disrespectful of drag queens, including the various taglines, while others might see it as inclusive and supportive, leaving it as a wash.

German gay market consultant and ad columnist Michael Stuber, who publishes Rosa Brille wrote this about the ad: "Olè! Nobody would have guessed: The vivacious -- and allegedly Catholic -- Spaniards of Seat show completely new sides to nowadays men: Our Latin lover driving the Leon is dressed to the nines, with sequin, wig and high-heels. Maybe Pedro Almodòvar directed the spot. And another stereotype is challenged: The Señor(ina) knows how to drive! Sleek, fast, cool -- all masculine. Actually, moving with great relish is a Spanish tradition. But what does the phrase at the end of the commercial tell us: "There’s a man in all of us“ -- it does remind of ‘the man in(side) the man’ …"