Unilever, Chauncey

Members:

2002 Television 73% Report A Problem

In faux documentary interview style, "former hairstylist Chauncey FauntLeroy" addresses the camera as he sits in a cushy chair, surrounded by flowers and art, with a tiny Yorkie in his lap, complete with hair bands.

Bitterly, he says, "You know, I used to work for one of the top salons in the country. But since women can use Salon Selectives to make any hairstyle they want, well, I had to look for work elsewhere."

Chauncey is now shown working in an auto garage, pouring fluid into an engine that pours out the other side, as his Yorkie watches. Considering his work done, and dropping the bottle on the floor, he says to the pooch, "Well, let's get some sushi."

In another shot, he takes an air drill and blows his hair back a bit. His tool spot has a framed picture of his dog on it, his wrenches sit in a glass jar of alcohol as combs usually are at a salon. "This whole not being a hairstylist thing really sucks!"

Then he walks up behind a coworker with a lengthy mullet/mudflap hairstyle and says, "Good golly, this really could use some work." Before the man can reply, Chauncey recognizes a woman at the auto shop as a former client. "Hey, I know that hair!"

While Chauncey is clearly the picture of a stereotype, the ad also finds humor in other ways -- such as the irony of being in the wrong job -- and does not bring about negativity to his gayness.

Company

Unilever

Brand

Salon Selectives

Industry

Personal Products

Media Outlet

Television

Country

Canada

Region

North America

Agency

JWT

AdRespect Themes

GLBT Inclusion

Sissies

User Comments

Guy Bertrand

What annoyed me a little is this equation that hairdresser = gay = effeminate = outrageous. I would have found it funnier if they had included a very stereotypically masculine mecanic who would have been gay too. But hey, maybe some other time! Indeed, refusing to admit there are stereotypical people
within our community is just as bad as saying that all gays are effeminate and all lesbians are eighteen-wheelers. We are a diverse community which includes ordinary run-of-the-mill people, brilliant creators and also a few living caricatures. We also have idiots and criminals among us. In fact, the gay community is no different from the society at large. Therefore, we have to accept all sort of portrayals of gays in ads as well as in movies and television programmes. I think that tolerance on our part to a variety of positive and negative images is a step we have to make if we want to evolve as a community. And I believe we are getting there.

Doug Boyce

This ad is ill informed and offensive. It portrays a negative, untrue and outdated, stereotype of a gay man as a comical, effeminate, hairdresser who is able to function in a "real" masculine man's hard mechanical world of cars and tools.

Max

The ad makes its point about the products but does so at the expense of playing on WAY too many stereotypes. I'm a manager in the beauty products business and I can vouch for the fact that the vast majority of male hairdressers--gay or straight--bear no resemblance to this caricature. I hope Salon Selectives cleans up its act if it pursues this type of advertising.

Martin

Who said he was gay? He could be an effeminate straight. Male hairdressers can be straight or gay, can't they?

Irving Schlebotnik

If only everyone had Guy's enlightened point of view! We would have half the problems in the world today.

Simon

I like it very much. Everyone expects hair dressers to be gay and effeminate, and he is funny not so much for being femm but for what he says. It's neither gay positive or negative, but neutral is still pretty good.

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