If K-Y Brand ads have sought to communicate anything to us over the years, it's that a good bottle of lube is the key to a successful relationship. And in a few days, the company will explicitly extend that message to a particular demographic.
On September 5th, K-Y -- which promises to make that "big moment even bigger" -- will air its first ever ad campaign to feature a lesbian couple on national television.
In the ad, partners Alex and Emma explain that what's kept them together through the years has been good communication ... and K-Y INTENSE, Emma interjects. (Because a couple in possession of good lube must be in relationship bliss.) Cue the fireworks (literally) followed by a shot of Alex and Emma collapsed in a bed.
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As blogger Pam Spaulding wrote, it's "fundies, bigots and closet cases that will need a fainting couch" after the ad airs, but that hasn't stopped K-Y from in the past.
The brand won a 2010 GLAAD Media Award for Advertising for its print campaign: "America's Top Couple" (featuring the ever-lovable Geoffrey and Rusty), is a regular presence sponsor pride events and sponsored the 2010 and 2011 Dinah Shore Weekend, which claims to be the "largest lesbian event in the world." (K-Y even provided the product used in Dinah Shore's 2008 lube wrestling event).
But when it comes to commercials, lesbians had been left out of the mix. According to a K-Y INTENSE press release, however, the times are changing:
Gay male couples have been featured in print advertising since 2008 and now the brand is continuing its tradition of support and visibility with advertising that is inclusive of lesbian couples.
While television ads featuring any gay couple are few and far between -- the LGBT-themed cable channel Logo aired the first featuring a gay male couple -- a Levi's spot -- in 2008. McDonald's made waves in 2010 when its first ad featuring a gay male couple aired in France -- commercials featuring lesbians are rarer (although we've featured some successful ones in the slideshow below).
What I love about the K-Y ad is that it highlights lesbian sexuality in a completely normalized setting. These are women in jammies, not busty models gyrating for the benefit of guys drinking Miller Lite in a beer commercial.
Now I call that a "big moment."
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