It is officially Pride season, and we're all ready to show off our summer bodies but, if you're a gay male shopping for your next swimsuit you may want to consider your options as the leading gay apparel line, Andrew Christian, is once again facing online backlash for insensitive advertising. Specializing in underwear, swimwear, and sportswear, Andrew Christian has remained one of the best-known brands for gay men across the globe since the company was founded in 1997. As a company within the LGBTQ community, there is an expected level of diversity for the brand, so when its newest campaign was launched with a contradictory photo, many took issue with the lack of diversity among the models.
Featuring six men, the ad was intended to promote the business' recognition and inclusion of larger-than-average-bodied men. While the brand should be applauded for a step towards inclusiveness and body positivity, based on the models featured, many were quick to call out the brand for numerous issues in the ad issues. One Twitter user surmised, "Where do we start? The lack of any actual diversity? The four gym-fit guys on this ad of all ads? No, actually, let's start with the fact they put the one big guy in a jock that doesn't even fit. Flop."
Aside from this, there are also multiple racial issues. First, the only nude models featured are men of color. This subliminal messaging plays into fetishism, a significant problem for men of color. Fetishism uses a person's race to fulfill sexual fantasies and implies sexual stereotypes. For example, the media has perpetuated the stereotype of Black men as hypersexualized and aggressive through the mandingo reference. Secondly is the issue of colorism, with many believing the campaign's use of AAVE could have been complemented by the inclusion of darker-skinned models from the African-American community.
Despite featuring three men of color, they all fall onto the lighter side of their respective races, prompting many to question the choice of models. Thanks to colonialism, colorism has impacted all communities of color with the belief that individuals of darker complexions are less desirable. Colorism perpetuates harmful stereotypes and can lead to discrimination and self-esteem issues among individuals with darker skin tones. The only way to combat colorism is for companies and businesses to begin and continue to feature people of darker shades from all races and ethnicities.
Previously the company was first accused of racism in 2020 after it received criticism for an ad featuring an African American model wearing a harness with the word "slave" on it. Based on the outcry, the company quickly removed the ad. However, in this instance, confounder Jeff White issued an apology through The Advocate stating "Our 'Master' and 'Slave' harnesses and underwear only reference the "Master' and 'Slave' terminology of the BDSM culture...we sincerely apologize if anyone finds the image of the model offensive and will replace it immediately."
Unlike its newest campaign, all the harness images were removed from the company's website. In the case of the "THICK' campaign, the company has seemingly doubled down on its stance. Only responding to the accusation of colorism, White went on the defensive stating, “Ben Reznik, one of the models in the THICK photo is African American. I am sure he loves hearing that he isn’t ‘black enough.’ AndrewChristian.com has always had a huge range of all types of models.” His response however misses the concerns of many as no one was calling out the model's race, but only pointing out other more appropriate options. Since the online backlash, many Twitter users of color have continued to call out the company while also providing links to alternative Black and Gay-owned businesses. Will you still be shopping with the company or will you take your business elsewhere?