In 1989 the show thirtysomething caused a scandal for ABC. A gay couple were shown lying in bed together having a conversation. The men did not touch but the implication was enough to upset corporate America. Sponsors pulled their commercials and ABC lost $1.5 million in advertising. Television has come a long way, with independent networks leading the charge for openly queer content. 

Last March I featured commercials advertising to gay audiences. Today I’m looking specifically at homoerotic ads. Calvin Klein is credited with the introduction of male beauty in advertising in 1982. His Times Square billboard of Tom Hintnaus ushered in a new era. In truth J.C. Leyendecker was drawing homoerotic clothing ads as far back as 1907. The following commercials are for a variety of products. I’ll embed the ads but include warnings for which may be NSFW.

Coca-Cola: Sibling Rivalry

Lucky Vanous caused a stir in 1994 when he drank a Diet Coke with his shirt off. Women from a nearby office stared lustfully at him. Here a handsome pool cleaner draws the attention of a brother and sister. Each wants to offer him a Coke. But a third party beats them to the punch.

SFW? Yes. The pool man has an open shirt.

NBO Mensware: Affordable Suits

NBO sells affordable suits. Their competitor does not. A gentleman can’t afford his suit so a smiling tailor methodically tears it off him. Piece by piece. The camera cuts away as the tailor tears off his underwear. Why his underwear? Was he seriously trying on underwear in the store? The customer is “humiliated.” But to gay audiences the ad is quite sexy.

SFW? Yes. We see the man in his boxers. Everything else happens off screen.

Kingis Ice Cream: Special Delivery

A delivery man loses his clothes while bringing a box of Kingis Ice Cream across town. The recipients appreciate the gift and are happy to share. Given a choice of companion, he chooses the man.

SFW? Mostly. It’s a guy in his briefs.

Sony Discman: No Distractions

A young man listens to music on the subway. He’s so distracted that a thief is able to steal all of his clothing. It’s only when the thief tries to take his Sony Discman that he fights back. This one burned itself into my memory when it aired.

SFW? Probably not. The implied nudity is blurred. And the man seems to be wearing a thong or modesty pouch. But it’s pretty revealing.

Underdaks: Caught at the Wedding

One day you’re going to get caught with your pants down. So you’d better be wearing Underdaks briefs. Most of their ads feature men getting caught in their underwear in front of women. This features a best man stripping in search of a wedding ring. He finds it in the pouch of his Underdaks. He and the groom “celebrate” with a suggestive “embrace.” The bride assumes they’re having an affair. Homophobic? Vaguely. Sexy? Definitely. Aired in 2000.

SFW? No. The men are unintentionally(?) grinding on each other.

Irn Bru: Locker Room Bonding

Irn Bru soda gives you superpowers. It makes one woman invisible. She sneaks into a men’s locker room and tears off a man’s towel. In the background one man is giving another a suggestive sports massage. A subtle acknowledgement that the men are for the queer gaze as well as the straight. I’m just realizing most of the ads I found are for sodas.

SFW? No. There’s a glimpse of bare butt.

Dr. Pepper: Emergency

Jesse Eisenberg decides to purchase a Dr. Pepper. “What’s the worst that could happen?” The stack of soda cans falls on him. A rescue crew has to dig him out of the pile. The hunky firemen decide they must cut Jesse out of his clothes to free him. “The underwear’s gonna have to come off too!” A crowd watches as Jesse is carried naked through the streets. Why? Why not. There’s no implication that the firemen are gay. The subject is “humiliation.” But Jesse was at his twinkiest in 2001.

SFW? No. We get two glimpses of bare butt.

None of these commercials makes me want to buy the product. But I remember them. And advertisers want their ads memorable. What do you think motivated these ad decisions? What does a straight audience get from them? What other examples can you think of? Post them below and mark whether you think they are work safe. For more commercial analysis check out Raven Wilder’s AdSpace column.