Hautetalk: Did The Pride Month Lose Its Meaning Somewhere Along The Way?
June, known as Pride Month, is the time of the year when we celebrate LGBTQIA+ rights, wave the rainbow flag high, and fight for a section of the community that still doesn’t have human rights. But, has the meaning of Pride been hijacked? Has it turned into a month that is used by companies and businesses to jump on the advertising bandwagon, by changing their logos? Or is it just a month where people want to party in the name of pride by ignoring its greater implications?
A Revolution Turned into A Month-Long Party
The pride month is for the LGBTQIA+ community to be what they are and be proud of it. One essential part of LGBTQIA+ history is the legalisation of gay marriage in countries. Marriage is a bond that goes beyond sex, it’s becoming a family, sharing your love, and expressing your love for one another freely apart from just their physical body. Although now looking at the celebrations around the globe gives off a one-sided impression of people eating genital-shaped candy, almost naked dances on the streets, etc. It gives off the vibe that homosexuality is simply about sex, and that they are “sexual beasts” which is nothing wrong even if people are but it can easily manifest the greater meaning behind the celebration.
Also Read: This Pride Month, A New Glossary Is Teaching Us All We Need To Know
‘Rainbow-Logos’ and The Marketing Angle
The main reason for brands to use the rainbow colours of Pride on their logo was about supporting the cause. Showcasing their support for the LGBTQ+ community. The significance behind that argument has been lost in more recent years as more and more brands have jumped on the bandwagon. The main reason why companies might change their logo might be to embark on some code play, refresh a well-known asset and add distinctiveness to it and get effective results in terms of sales with this tested method.
“The bar for approval from LGBTQ+ communities has risen,” were the words written by Lily Zheng in the Harvard Business Review a year ago. “Rainbow marketing just doesn’t cut it anymore. Let your actions between now and Pride 2022 demonstrate your commitment to the LGBTQ+ community instead.”
Unfortunately, nobody seems to have learned their lessons, the moment the month is over, brands just change their logos, wrap up the campaigns and wash their hands off with the community as a whole.
Also Read: Remembering Pride Movements’ Past: Important LGBTQ+ Uprisings Before The Stonewall
A Lost Sense Of Deep History
The most painful part of the LGBTQIA+ community is the beautiful history that has set up the base for the community’s very existence. We are able to exist and celebrate pride only because of the sacrifices of everyone that was a part of these marches and protests and, dared to bare their identities at a time when they could be threatened just for doing that. However, it sometimes feels like there’s a disconnect from that past, with a move towards creating identities that devalue the very presence of the community as a whole.
The Influencer Influence
Influencers around the globe tend to end up using pride month as a campaign starter. They promote content and hashtags based on things like ‘rainbow fashion looks’ and ‘rainbow makeup’ purely for the sake of likes, comments, shares and views. Painfully enough, it seems like the whole essence of the pride movement has been reduced to popularity on social media.
We really must work hard to conserve the true essence of pride month and never forget its roots.
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