Has Pride become another opportunity to cash in?

Source: hellomagazine.com

Last month, rainbows took over the globe. Whether that be flags in shop windows, or the rainbow packaging of your favourite cereal, the presence was undeniable.

Welcome to Pride month.

This is the month where LGBT+ communities across the world join together and celebrate the anniversary of the Stonewall Inn riots members of the LGBT+ community stood up for their right to attend the bars and clubs open to them.

Since, the parade has gained more and more support, popularity and momentum. And now not only are members of the public enjoying the festivities alongside charities, representatives, diplomats and advocacy groups, they’ve also been joined by corporations.

This year companies like Boohoo, Primark and Apple advertised their brands as full supporters of the LGBT+ community. M&S created the LGBT+ BLT and Ralph Lauren even managed to bag themselves their own filter on Snapchat. But isn’t Pride supposed to mean more than slapping a bit of avocado in a sandwich?

Essentially, we are now in an era where corporations are practically jumping at the opportunity to rebrand themselves according to every movement we arrive at in the calendar, whether that be Black History Month, International Women’s Day, or even National Wine Day in order to appear as woke as possible. What bigger opportunity do they have to do this than Pride month?

The way this works is each sponsoring and partnering company pours their money into the Pride movement in the agreement that they will get their place in the parade.

Source: vox.com

In recent years especially, the Pride movement has become far more political in the UK. The Conservative party have remained working closely with the Democratic Unionist Party, known for their homophobia, disregard for women and opposition towards abortion. Yet the Tories do not hold back from praising themselves for legalising same sex marriage.

Evidently the politics are there.

That brings together two key elements that are unquestionably marketable: LGBT+ rights and political criticism. Each brand that slaps a rainbow on their logo or introduces a new flavoured product to vouch for the LGBT+ community is automatically entered into the game of protesting, therefore boosting the number of consumers who are likely to respond to them and then go on to buy from them. Its simply a case of increase the market, increase the profits.

Sure, raising awareness is cool, but these brands need to be letting the public know what exactly it is that they do for the LGBT+ community. Are they working with any companies that don’t favour the LGBT+ people? How many people at the top of the company identify as LGBT+?

Before Pride becomes entirely bureaucratic and commercialised, perhaps these big brands should re-evaluate what they’re really giving back in return for that place in the parade.

Thank you for reading!

Aman