Cottonelle’s pro-gay ad gets a shitty response from conservatives
Cottonelle touted its toilet paper's effectiveness by showing a gay man with a sparkling peach
Toilet paper manufacturer Cottonelle is being threatened with boycotts over an advert featuring a gay couple.
The “Down There Care” commercial, released last month, features a man nervously waiting to meet his boyfriend’s parents.
Touting Cottonelle’s cleaning ripples that help “give your booty a confidence boost,” the tongue-in-cheek ad even features a sparkling peach to show just how clean our prospective son-in-law feels “down there.” (We see you with the peach emoji reference, Cottonelle… 🍑)
The 15-second spot finishes with the two men smiling and happy, safe in the knowledge that our nervous protagonist has a sparkling clean backside (we presume).
However, Cottonelle’s assertion that its toilet paper can make you “feel like the kind of guy he can take home to mother” has drawn the ire of social conservatives.
The company has spent the last couple of weeks responding to those on Twitter who’ve branded the commercial “disgusting,” “sick,” “nasty,” and “tone deaf,” and threatened to stop using Cottonelle’s products.
Not that Cottonelle has been phased by the criticism, with the brand instead reiterating its commitment to diversity.
“No matter a person’s orientation, gender, or anything else, being clean impacts everyone,” the company wrote in a tweet. “Here at Cottonelle Brand, diversity is embraced in all aspects and we are proud to share a commercial that is representative of that. Thank you.”
It was a theme carried through many of their responses on Twitter, which have been something of a masterclass in polite takedowns of bigots.
One user asked why the brand felt the need to “inject homosexuals into your commercials.”
@cottonelle, you’re selling toilet paper why do you have to inject homosexuals into your commercials. It’s disgusting. Sell your products to homosexuals but I’m not buying them. #BoycottCottonelle
— Russ Larrivee (@rjlarrivee) March 1, 2019
Another said the commercial “Make [sic] me sick. Nasty.”
Recorded a movie. Watching.
Cottonelle has a commercial with 2 guys in it, talking about cleaning “down there”.
Make me sick. Nasty. @cottonelle …just became an un-customer.
— 💎🦋 S'More 🦋💎 (@silkride) February 22, 2019
And Kenny Cook tweeted that he was “breaking up with [Cottonelle]” after “20+ years.” He added that the brand should “beware what you embrace.”
After 20+ years I'm breaking up with @cottonelle. Too bad. Beware what you embrace. Be more aware what you promote.
— 🇺🇸 Kenny Cook (@MSGLiberty) February 19, 2019
Cottonelle, as ever, offered a polite response:
Hi Kenny, thanks for reaching out. No matter a person’s orientation, gender, or anything else, being clean impacts everyone. Here at Cottonelle Brand, diversity is embraced in all aspects and we are proud to share a commercial that is representative of that.
— Cottonelle (@cottonelle) February 19, 2019
Which, unfortunately, seemed to go over Kenny’s head:
What does that have to do with my tweet?
— 🇺🇸 Kenny Cook (@MSGLiberty) February 19, 2019
The outcry over Cottonelle’s commercial comes after anti-LGBTQ religious organization the American Family Association decried a Walmart social media campaign that featured a same-sex couple.
The “pro-homosexual” commercial featured two gay men going on a blind date at a Walmart and shopping for skillets — enough to convince the AFA to send an apoplectic letter to its followers warning of a “cultural revolution” to “[elevate] homosexual relationships to the same level as the male-female model of marriage.”
Watch Walmart’s commercial here.
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