A holiday ad with a little gay inclusion? We would like to see it. And luckily, we can!
Clothing store H&M has a new campaign to celebrate the 2019 holiday season. The fashion brand’s ad invites potential customers to “enjoy the moments in between” while displaying people dressed in their apparel and enjoying bus/car rides, time at home, intimate moments with loved ones, Christmas lights, and more. Truly, the video celebrates the festive yet homely moments of the holiday season.
But it’s one quick moment in the minute-and-a-half long video that got our attention. Within the video, we see a gay couple kissing while standing on a staircase. The moment is quick and among a large group of quick moments, but it got our attention all the same.
Unfortunately, the 3-second scene also got the attention of many homophobes who swarmed the advertisement. After being shared on YouTube, the H&M video received a high percentage of thumbs down and several anti-gay comments. In response to this, H&M’s social media team has been deleted hateful comments and wrote a pro-gay comment of their own.
Some complaints, however, focus on the fact that the gay couple’s make-out session seems out of touch with the rest of the video.
Why do ads always do this. I feel like that clip contradicts the whole ad. Why couldn't they make that couple look more warm and happy and not like a random hookup. Special my ass
— ｋｉｖｉ ⁷ (@nianiabia) December 5, 2019
Why we gotta watch people make out on a christmas ad idc that they were dudes the shits just weird like H&M's marketing team is complete shit https://t.co/dbBtuDPVgW
— Jarret De Villier (@jarretdevv) December 5, 2019
this h&m ad with gays kissing in a narrow place is telling me to get fucked on christmas
— ✮⊹vinny⊹✩ (@vincentghoul) December 5, 2019
This ad was perfectly fine until they threw in the couple passionately making out. That was really inappropriate in my opinion.
— Issac Magana 🦺 (@issaciams) December 5, 2019
H&M has yet to respond to this specific complaint.
No matter that latter note, this support by H&M has gained our attention. While we don’t know if it’ll make us want to rush to their store or website, we are thankful for their effort towards supportive inclusion. That effort was small in the ad itself, but the social media work was much larger.
And we weren’t the only ones to notice.
Gays in the H&M Xmas ad!
— Jalebi 🐸🍑🌛 (@Jalebi_drag) December 7, 2019
If y'all think homophobia is a thing of the past, check out the replies on H&M's ad, where two men kiss for approximately one second.
Yeah.
— Angie GamerCrafting (@AGamerCrafting) December 6, 2019
What a lovely inclusive ad from H&M. I still get giddy seeing gay things on TV, never got to see it often growing up.
— Joe with the flow ✨ (@JoeWritesThings) December 2, 2019
Stahpppppp. That gay stairwell kiss may make me shop at H&M. 🏳️🌈💖🤩🦄 https://t.co/h8Bk6i9Ebf
— Chase Anderson, MD, MS (K.C. Ardem) 🦸🏽♂️🏳️🌈 (@ChaseTMAnderson) December 8, 2019
Did not any miss the mistletoe. A man/women , women/women, or yes man /man kissing. Love is love. The 2 men kissing in your H&M Holiday commercial is just fine