3 min readNew DelhiJun 14, 2015 10:19 AM IST
First published on: Jun 11, 2015 at 05:37 PM IST
A screenshot from Myntra’s new ad of the Bold and Beautiful, The Visit. (Source: Youtube/Myntra)
The Supreme Court might have upheld the controversial Section 377 of the IPC, but that does not mean that LGBT activism has withered away in the country. An example for this would be Myntra’s ‘lesbian’ ad for the brand Anouk that has gone viral.
The plot shows two lesbian women with one of them getting ready to introduce her girlfriend to her parents. Many are hailing it as a beautiful attempt at showcasing homosexuality in India.
The ad is a part of the ‘Bold and Beautiful’ initiative by Myntra to promote the apparel brand Anouk. The ad called – The Visit, captures the anxiety that the girls feel as she is set to announce their relationship to one set of parents.
In recent times, India’s advertisement industry has shown that it can give up cliches and prejudices. The recent campaign by Vatika, which highlights the struggle for cancer survivors or Tanishq’s ad that embraced the concept of remarriage in India are good examples.
Or more recently, Titan’s ad starring Katrina Kaif which emphasises that marriage is not the most important thing in a woman’s life, have all received favourable responses from audiences.
However, this is definitely not the first ad that focuses on homosexuality in India. Earlier Hindustan Times and Fastrack too had made ads on this. The Fastrack ad, in fact, was more daring, as it had two girls getting out of the closet after presumably having a good time.
Anouk’s ad is, of course, more like a film given that it’s over three-minute long. While the concept must be lauded, you cannot help but feel disappointed by the two actors who play the role of the couple. They seem far too conscious of the roles they are playing. The chemistry of the two ‘lesbians’ does not feel very real; for instance the kiss one girl plants on the forehead of the other, seems very contrived. It seems gestures have overpowered emotions. Also, why stick with the typical lesbian stereotype of showing one girl with short hair?
Lack of chemistry aside, the ad is a must watch. Straight or gay, in India we all feel the same anxiety when introducing our parents to our better half.
Watch the ad here: (App users click here)
A screenshot from Myntra’s new ad of the Bold and Beautiful, The Visit. (Source: Youtube/Myntra)
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