What's the Underlying Message?

Cover Girl Ad

Ellen's Poker Buddies

Ellen's wedding picture. ( Notice the Pants)

Lesbian celebrities can be seen advertising products ads; however, there is no lesbian content other than what is implied by their presence, an example of such ads, American Express ads, featuring Ellen DeGeneres. With one simple television commercial Ellen DeGeneres was able to break the lesbian stereotype about femininity and beauty. One stereotype is the words lesbians are called or referred to as "bull dykes" or "butch", these names are very masculine. The femme dyke" is practically indistinguishable from a straight woman, feminine clothes, hairstyles; dress, etc may be a little more conservative with make-up or at least less concerned with superficial appearance. A recently new term or "category" of "soft butch" or "hard femme" where the two former stereotypes converge into the type of person that is truly ambiguous about their sexuality unless you ask explicitly. Let's not forget the term 'lip stick "lesbian, these are women who put on make-up and were dresses, these women usually have more feminine attributes.

After carefully looking at the print ad of Ellen DeGeneres Simply ageless defining makeup, there is a man holding a pipe on the side. The first picture on the left there is what looks like a pipe. In the set of pictures on the website site for cover girl, the each picture is having some association with a male or masculinity. The first picture is a man’s hand, second picture has a man in the shot and the third picture in the group has Ellen doing pushups, Ellen is doing something masculine, and is also doing the male version of the push up. Ellen is not shy when it comes to her sexual preferences, she had a very public wedding about 2 years ago. I believe cover girl is trying to make Ellen fit more into a traditional society, a man and women. Having a man present in the photo and the male activity, it is also giving Ellen the presence that she is with a man. I think the push up shot is more about Ellen, it actually reminds me of the commercial many years ago, for secret deodorant, “strong enough for a man , but made for a women. As in the picture the audience can see Ellen is strong like a man, however she is a women and she is wearing makeup to prove that point. I think Ellen is easily draws both straight women because she's not threatening, and lesbians because they can identify whether they are butch or femme.