Armani Exchange’s ‘Gay’ Valentine’s Day Ads Too Much For Some Moms

by Ruthie Friedlander | 9:40 am, February 8th, 2010

» 3 comments

Window displays and advertisers across the country have been gearing up for Valentine’s Day. In the shopping mecca that is Manhattan some storefronts fill their windows with an explosion of crimsons and pinks, while other companies adhere to the age-old advertising law (be it Valentine’s Day or otherwise): Sex sells.

Abercrombie & Fitch has been doing this sort of thing perfectly for years: put a half naked guy with killer abs playing football with his frat brothers, make sure the elastic band of their boxers noticeably read the company’s name, and call it an ad.

But Armani Exchange may take the cake for this year’s oversexed Valentine’s ads which picture three couples – a gay male couple, a heterosexual couple, and lesbian couple – oiled up and lustfully embracing. And while half naked couples in major advertising campaigns are nothing new, the homoerotic ads have been causing quite a stir. One online mothers support group (OneMillionMoms.com) is demanding the store take the ads down, claiming that the ads “poison children with 10-foot posters that are nothing but soft porn.”

Considering mostly naked heterosexual clothing ads have been around for years (hello Marky Mark!) one has to assume that the real concern is that children are being poisoned with soft gay porn. If not than groups like OneMillionMoms.com certainly have a big job on their hands!

Advertising, Armani, Armani Exchange, Gay Marriage

disgusted

Don’ ask – don’t Tell – whatever..!!.. It was the “progressives” – who started this!
http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Boyer/602168764 John Boyer

Why the hell should we have to look at any of this period?
TGB

I don’t think there can be any doubt that they’re crying over the gay posters, not the straight couple, and hiding behind “the children” like Mrs Lovejoy (seriously, they’re a freaking cliché) is just pathetic.

I used the OneMillion(Wailing)Moms site to send an email of support for A|X. I think the posters are gorgeous, and I applaud the company for recognising that couples come in different combinations. it wouldn’t have been so long ago that mixing races rather than genders would have resulted in gnashing of teeth and the supposed downfall of society. And yet, look where we are today.

Posters like the A|X ones are needed, to help us remember that people are not made of society – society is made of people. And people, in all their combinations, must come first.