A new commercial by Apple mocks transgender people and attempts to make trans people seem less than and a "work in progress"
"The ad features model Gisele Bundchen, who is supposed to be the embodiment of a home movie made using iMovie. After the Mac presents Gisele, the PC presents a person wearing a dress identical to Gisele’s, in a wig, with no breasts, a five o’clock shadow and an abundance of exposed chest hair" (GLAAD).
GLAAD has reached out to Apple and urged them to pull the ad, please follow suit:
http://www.apple.com/contact/
Friday, September 25, 2009
Tell Apple Computers to Pull Transphobic Ad
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
14 comments:
I fail to see any transphobia here. It's another cheeky comercial with the geek and the hunk.
Oh, you have to be kidding me. Really? This is transphobic? For Christ's sake, people need to lighten up.
I don't think that Mac is "mocking" transgender people. (I am a FtM) I think that it is just humorous. If the ad mocks any group it would be the crossdressers. What transgender do you know that wears a dress and doesn't shave their face and/or chest.
This is not a new commercial. It was released a year or more ago.
Glaad need to get their crap together,, there is nothing wrong with that ad.. Glaad is just bitching as usual
The commercial plays on the stereotype that trans women are somehow misleading, ugly, and the last comment "a work in progress" is offensive.
I'm an FtM and crossdresser, with several close MtF friends. The ad reinforces negative stereotypes about those outside the gender binary. If nothing else, it seems to me it's making it okay to laugh at MtFs in transition, viewing them as ugly or somehow less than a "real" woman. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what really bothers me about the ad, other than that it does play on a stereotype that we should be trying to get rid of.
Really, people, this is no different from the "sissy" characters that used to be thrown into old films for comic effect. A flamboyantly gay man trying to butch it up was all it took for a good hearty laugh from the audience. And, of course, that's still all it takes -- except now they need to follow it up with a variation of "Not that there's anything wrong with that."
Same thing is going on here with gender identity. Except they don't need to cover their asses by pretending they're "OK with it" because it's still perfectly fine and acceptable to make fun of transgender people in our society today. And most of you commenters seem to be doing your best to make sure it stays that way.
I think people are far too interested in being offended. Its an amusing little commercial, one which is exceptionally tongue-in-cheek.
As a transgender woman I am offended by this ad. It's cheapens the wonderful journey on our path less taken.
What sort of ad with trans folk would I not be offended by?
A ad that portrays transgender people as brave sensitive people who a mother would be comfortable in the presence of her children with.
THATS what transgender people have been fighting for in the GLBT equality march.
Like Gay people we do not wish to be laughed at.
Unfortunately misogyny and transphobia can be found equally in the straight and GLB community.
Apple itself is misleading, all of their ads are filled with some lie or another about Windows computers, or their own capabilities. Pitty that so many fall for it.
Apple hardware is nothing but novelty junk, they are poor programmers ;/
Wow... I can't believe some people are saying "lighten up."
This kind of ad is classic transphobia...
And to the person who said that people are "interested in being offended"--I find it shameful that someone in my community--a community that wouldn't EXIST if people didn't speak out--would say something like that.
It is constantly being made clear to me just how many cisgender ppl in the queer community are unable to deal with transphobia.
As you sew, so shall you reap! Get a life! The add is harmless fun. Besides, ignoring whether the computer content is accurate or not, this is what transgender looks like. See Jasper Gregory
I disagree. I'm a mtf, and I guess by most of the others here's word I should be offended right? I guess it's not really that positive, but I wouldn't say it's outrageously offensive or anything. It's just a stupid joke- granted, it's stupid, but it's a joke anyways. I agree it's no good to encourage this kind of humour, but there's no need to condemn it either.
Besides most of the Apple ads are complete bs anyways, you really need to be silly not to realize how ridiculous they are.
I guess I agree that Apple did a mistake on the ad. But force them to pull it? I wouldn't go that far. Haven't we go more important issues to be dealing with!?
Post a Comment