The Commercial Closet

In today’s consumer culture, you can be invisible, or you can have market share. The Commercial Closet acts as an archive and media watchdog for the most blatant example of this phenomenon by offering a large collection and critique of advertisements using gay content to shill products. Hundreds of entries provide an examination of the changing cultural climate as normalized through commercials and print ads. It’s funny, absurd, asinine and vapid: lipstick lesbians kissing, gay celebrities, pro and con public-service announcements and a singing penis. Not surprisingly, the most daring and positive imagery comes from Europe and from alcohol companies. Ads can be searched according to product, target audience and gender themes. A grading system critiques the positive, negative or ambiguous nature of the portrayals.