Visa International, Dress Shop

Members:

2001 Television 73% Report A Problem

An overweight, middle-aged man dressed in a simple golf shirt stands in a store trying on bright red pumps as a woman looks on nervously. He looks at ear rings, then tries on a flowery pink dress -- mustache and all. A women looks over oddly at him, as she's holding the same dress, and a young boy who is watching is pulled away.

The narrator says, "No matter who you are, or what you're into, isn't it nice to know you'll be accepted?"

At this point, the man in full drag presents his credit card to the cashier to pay for his lady clothes.

Then, the man is shown putting on a pig's nose as he jumps into a convertible car full of other middle-aged men in drag with cigars and pig noses.

The announcer then says, "That's why the Redskins' favorite fans, the Hogettes, make sure to bring their Visa card."

Shown at the football game with a banner for the Washington Redskins (Visa is a sponsor of the National Football League), the men cheer the team and one asks the other, "Do I look fat in this dress?" and his friend doesn't miss a moment to tell him "Yes!"

The ad doesn't really deal with transsexuals, just cross-dressing apparently "straight" men. While the narrator seems to indicate acceptance, the imagery of stunned onlookers doesn't seem to support it, providing a mixed message for anyone different.

Company

Visa International

Brand

Visa

Industry

Financial Services

Media Outlet

Television

Country

United States

Region

North America

Agency

BBDO Worldwide

AdRespect Themes

Camp/Gay Drag

Dude Looks Like a Lady

User Comments

Kevin Ballie

The boy being pulled away does not promote the idea that crossdressing is shameful, but rather that animosity towards people are who crossdressers is very commonplace. The higher theme of the message is acceptance. Might I point out that the main theme of this ad was "No matter who you are, or what you're into, isn't it nice to know you'll be accepted?"

The end image is a bunch of crossdressers cheering at a sports event, in which no one views them as anything else just another component of the fan bleachers.

Russell

This ad is funny, with pleasant, self-mocking overtones for the credit card company. The sexist do-I-look-fat cliche, for which there is no safe answer for straight husbands, gets a pleasantly absurd treatment. Isn't its revelation of our absurdity what makes drag humor so good?

Andrea James

The ad starts mocking the language of tolerance, while the visuals show people pulling their children away from the shopper. Of course in the end, it’s all OK, because he’s doing it to cheer on a football team.

I don't think this ad was neutral. I thought it was negative. The mother pulls her child away in order shield him from the cross dressing man. The overall message wasn't supportive it was hurtful. The ad uses cross dressers as a source of humor.

Kevin Ballie

I tend to disagree with HH from Westchester's comment that this ad was negative. The boy being pulled away does not promote the idea that cross-dressing is shameful, but rather that animosity towards people are who cross-dressers is very commonplace. The higher theme of the message is acceptance. Might I point out that the main theme of this ad was "No matter who you are, or what you're into, isn't it nice to know you'll be accepted?" The end image is a bunch of cross-dressers cheering at a sports event, in which no one views them as anything else just another component of the fan bleachers.

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