All 866 Gap retail stores in the US, the online store and even the company's Facebook page are all showing of the new ad with the Indian-American designer and actor, Waris Ahluwalia posing with artist and filmmaker Quentin Jones. The holiday 2013 campaign started a couple weeks and has received nothing but compliments for bringing diversity into the ads.
The Response: People have been raving on the company's Facebook page about how much people are accepting and taking in the ad.
One person said, "Thanks for honoring Sikh Culture in your new ad campaign, Gap. #Respect."Another said, "It felt awesome walking past this poster wearing turban…! #sikhi #proud." The Ad also had some good feedback on Twitter.
My Response: I love seeing cultures being excited that their being celebrated in the media. It's a nice change from the horrible pictures that our society as a whole can paint of a specific group.Take a minute to think about how Middle Eastern people were/are seen since 9/11 and look at these comments from people and try not to smile at the happiness these people are that their culture, their heritage is being recognized as something good.
Yes, there is still racism and hate that we as a country need to work on but this story shows that while there is still work to be done some are making the effort to push for a better tomorrow.
I can't help but smile at how much this ad made a different in some people's days. I realize our past as a country is sensitive to some subjects, but I agree with you that Gap is making an effort to push for a better tomorrow. I have respect for the clothing store. I'm also glad I read this blog because I was unaware of Gap's ad. Thank you for the post!
ReplyDeleteNo problem. I agree that it was nice to see something uplifting. The sad part about it is I saw over break that in a subway station where the ad was had some racial comments on it. One had love crossed out in the statement "Make Love" and replaced it with bombs. The second said, "Stop driving our Taxis," which was sad to hear. But the plus side is someone tweeted about it and Gap saw it and replied by saying to follow them and message them the location of the issue
DeleteThis definitely seems like an admirable campaign to me. There's a shocking amount of prejudice against anyone who looks Middle Eastern, and anything that can be done to counteract that should be applauded. Whether or not this will actually reduce that prejudice is debatable, but at least it challenges it.
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