A Spanish Snickers Commercial Was Pulled Off the Air For Being Homophobic: WATCH

A Snickers TV advertisement that aired in Spain was pulled last week after backlash from LGBT groups for being homophobic.

According to Business Insider: The advert shows two friends at a restaurant, where Spanish influencer Aless Gibaja orders a “sexy orange juice,” clearly flirting with the male waiter. Puzzled and concerned glances are exchanged over this interaction, at which point Gibaja is handed a Snickers bar.  Upon eating the Snickers, Gibaja transforms from an effeminate, flirty man to a bearded man with a deep voice.

“Better?” the friend asks. “Better,” replies the man as the company’s tagline reads: “You’re not yourself when you’re hungry.”

El REPUGNANTE anuncio PLUMÓFOBO de Snickers. pic.twitter.com/bxtgMHh44e

— Gato (@gamomena) August 4, 2021

The ad was widely regarded as depicting homosexual flirtation and presentation of one’s sexual identity as a joke all corrected by a Snickers, which led to the backlash.

Spain’s Minister for Equality, Irene Montero, also commented on the advert. She tweeted: “Our society is diverse and tolerant. Hopefully, those who have the power to make decisions about what we see and hear in commercials and TV shows will learn to be too.”

The Spanish LGBT State Federation said it was “shameful and regrettable that at this point there are companies that continue to perpetuate stereotypes and promote #homofobia and the #plumofobia . If you need some training for next time, here we are,#Snickers.”

Es vergonzoso y lamentable que a estas alturas haya empresas que sigan perpetuando estereotipos y promoviendo la #homofobia y la #plumofobia. Si necesitáis algo de formación para la próxima vez, aquí estamos, #Snickers.

— Federación Estatal LGTB (@FELGTB) August 5, 2021

The Guardian: “The incident comes weeks after Spain was rocked by the fatal beating of a young gay man in an alleged homophobic attack. The killing of 24-year-old Samuel Luiz – described by Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, as a “savage and merciless act” – sparked nationwide protests. Six people, including two minors, have so far been arrested in connection with the incident.”

The killing was part of a series of homophobic attacks across Spain that have made headlines in recent months, pointed out the far-left party Podemos. “In the face of a wave of LGBTI-phobia, including attacks and even murders, Snickers can’t think of a better idea than to create a trashy commercial that tells you that you are not yourself if you are effeminate,” it said on Twitter.

A spokesperson for Mars Wrigley, which owns the Snickers brand, said: “We would like to whole heartedly apologize for any harm caused by a recent advert for Snickers Ice Cream in Spain. We recognize that we got it wrong and have removed the online content immediately. We take equal rights and inclusion seriously, we want a world where everybody is free to be themselves and we believe that as an employer and advertiser we have a role and a responsibility to play our part in creating that world. We will take the opportunity to listen and learn from this mistake and do better in the future.”