JCPenney getting flack for portraying gay/lesbian normalcy.

[journeymom]

JCPenney's latest advert features a real-life gay couple playing with their kids.  And One Million Moms is in a lather about it, just like they were for JCPenney's Mother's Day ad featuring a real-life lesbian couple playing with their kids. 

http://mommyish.com/childrearing/jcpenney-gay-fathers-day-ad-303/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jenny-block/one-million-moms-jcpenney-lesbian-ad_b_1469669.html

I'm not 100% happy about supporting JCPenney; their sexist marketing is desperate and repugnant.   But I'm guessing some people put these latest ads in the 'desperate' category, too.  Penney's has been struggling financially for several years now.

No doubt about it, Penney's is in business to make money, not make social statements!  And these two ads are really pretty subtle.  They're not shouting anything.  But subtle is good, too.

I stopped shopping at JCPenney about 25 years ago, after it dawned on me that the buttons on the clothes I bought there ALWAYS fell off.  I could count on at least one button falling off of a shirt or pants.  The fashions were pretty conservative, and the kids clothes were always garish.  But we're poor these days and I can't afford the exclusive, high quality stuff anymore. In my head they're a step above Target and a step below Macy's.

What do you think?  Should Penney's be lauded for these ads?

Edited for grammar.

Edited by journeymom - 6/1/12 at 10:48am

[anjsmama]

I'm going to say this from the perspective of a 22 year old: WHO CARES.  (Not to your post, but to the ads and the articles)

In the same way that it blows my mind that racism was ever as bad as it was, and that it still exists at all, it blows my mind that people really care what "type" of family is being depicted in an advert. 

WHY, why, why, why are groups like OMM trying to INSIST that these families are evil and JCP is awful for taking a picture of them? Who is this helping? No one. Who is it hurting? The next generation of children who are going to grow up with tons of friends that have non-traditional families (or are part of a non-traditional family themselves!). 

I feel like this whole "promotion of the gay family" debate is a thing that's happening with the "current" generation (maybe 30-50 y/o?) because I don't have a single friend or acquaintance under 30 who cares about a person's sexuality. And if they DID care, they certainly wouldn't say anything about it. Live and let live.

We've always been poor (well, we're only 5 years in!), so we moved up from thrift store to Walmart to now we like Target and JCP outlet. I am a fan of JCP's recent changes to their pricing, their merchandise, and their advertising. 

[journeymom]

Well put!

[purplerose]

in my area, it is still very common for even young people to be very anti-gay. the churches preach against it, families teach against it. heck, interracial relationships are still considered a sin here. we have a LONG way to go.

[purplerose]

i think it's great for them to have ads portraying gay couples and families. all sorts of families should be shown as normal.

[dgraham0617]

I think it's great the JCPenny is now getting up to reach everyone.  People will look back in 40 years and realize how embarassing it is that same sex couples were looked at as second class citizens.  We shop, eat, raise children, have careers, love, etc.  Thank you JCPenny for including all!!

[laraine]

Yes, they should be lauded.

[TiredX2]

I do not know if JC Penney should be "lauded" simply because I do not know if this is a moral stand they are taking or a financial one.  With the "backlash" against their hiring of Ellen Degeneres as a spokesperson they obviously learned the lesson that the pro-equality crowd is bigger (numbers), has more expendable income (tend to be more educated *on average*) AND brings them more young customers which they desperately need. [I hate to have to say this, but I am NOT saying that only poor people are anti-gay or anything of the like, just statistically the assertions I just made are accurate).  Anyway, I assume this current ad campaign is actually based mostly on numbers: their percieved support of equality is good for their bottom line.  Do I like it?  Yes.  Do I think they should continue?  Yes.  I don't think they necessarily deserve acclimation for it simply because it is both the morally *and* financially correct thing to do in this situation.  I hope to see more and more stores making this realization (lots of big corps have stood up for marriage equality: Microsoft, Apple, Google, etc.., Target is making the pride shirts & Starbucks is also getting a lot of flack right now for their equality stance).

Originally Posted by anjsmama 

I'm going to say this from the perspective of a 22 year old: WHO CARES.  (Not to your post, but to the ads and the articles)

In the same way that it blows my mind that racism was ever as bad as it was, and that it still exists at all, it blows my mind that people really care what "type" of family is being depicted in an advert. 

WHY, why, why, why are groups like OMM trying to INSIST that these families are evil and JCP is awful for taking a picture of them? Who is this helping? No one. Who is it hurting? The next generation of children who are going to grow up with tons of friends that have non-traditional families (or are part of a non-traditional family themselves!). 

I feel like this whole "promotion of the gay family" debate is a thing that's happening with the "current" generation (maybe 30-50 y/o?) because I don't have a single friend or acquaintance under 30 who cares about a person's sexuality. And if they DID care, they certainly wouldn't say anything about it. Live and let live.

We've always been poor (well, we're only 5 years in!), so we moved up from thrift store to Walmart to now we like Target and JCP outlet. I am a fan of JCP's recent changes to their pricing, their merchandise, and their advertising. 

I have a teen and most of her friends (that I know of) are certainlly pro-equality.  That said, I know they are not all (specifically the LDS ones) AND I know that I have cousins *and* at least one nephew (all under 30, some still in their teens) who are definately anti-marriage equality/ pro "Traditional" marriage/ anti gay-rights.  Sad, but true.  It simply is still an issue for most of America and until the current generation "grows up" (literally, until the generation that is now teens are in their 30s) and the numbers are simply overwhelming it will remain an issue.  Making your stance clear is important!

[purplerose]

i thought target donated to gay-unfriendly companies? my gay bil won't shop there or chic-fil-a and that's what i was told.

[Stanley James]

Good for you.  Our gay friends and neighbors deserve equal rights, not the religious freedom that lets these haters poison our society

One of my self appointed jobs as a 70 yr old str8 married retired guy is to spend time at gay bars.  Making sure that the gay younger generation isnt going to commit suicide.

Craziest story - I asked an emo type gay kid -   are you suicidal?    His answer - I wouldnt give my catholic parents the pleasure of seeing me dead.

BTW his Dad is a doctor, hates the idea of gay marriage.   the Dad btw is on his 4ths wife , and has cheated on all of them

Christians?  anything but

[journeymom]

What the heck? Did this thread get linked to the front page or something??

[Super~Single~Mama]

Originally Posted by anjsmama 

I feel like this whole "promotion of the gay family" debate is a thing that's happening with the "current" generation (maybe 30-50 y/o?) because I don't have a single friend or acquaintance under 30 who cares about a person's sexuality. And if they DID care, they certainly wouldn't say anything about it. Live and let live.

I personally agree with your whole post - I don't care what sexuality people are, and don't much care about who they have sex with. Doesn't matter to me.

However, the above may be true in your experience, but I went to college in an extremely conservative town, and many of the people I went to school with were very religious and did NOT believe homosexuality was acceptable, the religious groups boycotted and picketed the annual Drag Show (which raised money for HIV/AIDS awareness).

And I'm under 30, and many of those people (at least the ones I've kept in touch with) still think that way if I go by their facebook postings.

[beautifulnm]

I appreciate it. Maybe there's no underlying motive. Maybe they are just accepting the way things are and that's okay. Not necessarily every moment that challenged racism in America was driven by hopes of gain. Not necessarily every moment that is happening today that accepts being gay and being a gay family is meant as a way to earn more money or whatever the case may be.

[AdinaL]

First off - journeymom, that avatar is just lovely. :)

I think JCPenney is doing something that is groundbreaking, and should be utterly obvious at this point.

Gay folks have families. They have money to spend. And it is smart marketing to target a demographic that is getting NO marketing time in the mainstream at all.  Very smart.

Do I think they have lofty and noble intentions? meh, dunno.  Someone might have, in the beginning, and then maybe not.  We'll never know.

But this stopped being about who has sex with who a long time ago and is now about the fact that these families exist and deserve equal recognition and rights. So in that sense, yes, I do think they should be lauded for showing this as another variation of normal.

I think that the tide is turning, but I also think that a lot of people still think that being gay is wrong/immoral/dirty/whatever.  There is a long way to go, and if an ad from JCPenney helps us get there, then I am all for it.

[journeymom]

Adina, you were referring to Captain Stunningly Gorgeous Body?  Lovely, indeed!  I switched it out, though, would have been irritated with dh if his forum avatar was...Claire Sinclair or whomever is his current favorite.
 

Do I think they have lofty and noble intentions? meh, dunno.  Someone might have, in the beginning, and then maybe not.  We'll never know.

My take, the bottom line is they want to cause a stir, they hope it will make them lots of money.  But they had a choice to use this particular campaign theme, or some other.  Their choice reflects well on them. 

[AdinaL]

Yep, I meant him.  Pretty! But I understand why you switched him out. :)

I totally agree, in the end they made the choice to go with a campaign that could have also ruined them, rather than make them a lot of money.  So that is something, and does speak well of them.

[sarafi]

I blew coffee out my nose when reading the the "One Million Moms" group had around 40,000 members. Anyone want to be they really mean 4,000?

Good for JCP, but really it's not THAT gutsy a move. It's fairly normal these days to portray gay couples/families/celebrities in the media so it's not like they are blazing any trails. Still good on them for showing a normal lesbian family.