Tide's new "Hoodies & Cargo Shorts" commercial is all about a prissy mom's squeamishness with her daughter's tomboyish tendencies. But in case you missed the subtext: Pssst! The mom is worried her daughter is a L-E-S-B-I-A-N! The gay blog Queerty thinks Tide might be "lampooning" the Stepford mom's behavior — and that's probably a little of it — but this doesn't read as satire to me. Advertising, as you know, is meant to connect with people by tapping into their deep-seated beliefs and/or fears. Nothing just "happens" in a commercial, including fanning the flames of homophobia.
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