Trans-forming ads

From L’Oreal and Brooke Bond Red Label to Absolut Vodka and Lotus Sarees, the transgender community seems to be a new favourite in the ad world

For an era of acceptance to be possible, initiative needs to be taken from both ends of the bargain — those who seek to be accepted and those who need to accept. As the LGBTQ movement continues to create ripples across the globe, the advertising industry seems to be taking baby steps towards making the transgender community a little more visible in the mainstream. From L’Oreal celebrating the feminine pride of a transgender woman to Lotus Sarees featuring transgender models in their recent print campaign, the Third gender is making its way into more living rooms, one ad at a time. And with the Brooke Bond Red Label ad campaign with the 6 Pack Band having won the Grand Prix Glass Lion at the Cannes Lion advertising awards this year, there might be more to look forward to.

“The 6 Pack has always been more than a band. It’s a movement — a call for action, acceptance and love not just for the transgender community but really for anyone who has ever been discriminated against,” says Ashish Patil of Y-Films, Brand Partnerships and Talent Management, in collaboration with whom the Brooke Bond Red Label ad campaign had been created. “From an idea that started at a traffic signal to now picking up the most prestigious creative award in the world — we are honoured and humbled to bring home India’s first Cannes Lion. And I genuinely feel such campaigns can go a very long way in getting the much-needed conversation around transgenders out there, globally. When we were creating this ad campaign, we thought that this was something to be done not by being preachy but through something that is intrinsic to this community and comes naturally to us as Indian storytellers — song and dance. The support from the industry including the likes of Sonu Nigam, Asha Bhosle, Hrithik Roshan, Arjun Kapoor, Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka Sharma and more has been unconditional and incredible. All of this has just reinforced our belief that there is hope to make this world a more welcoming place,” he affirms.

Ad man Rahul Da Cunha agrees and adds that the decision to cast transgenders, though a much-needed one, is nevertheless a brave one on the part of advertisers. “Especially in India, I think it’s very brave of those who’re creating these ads. Now if we could use the rest of the LGBT community properly too, that would really be something. We could find ways to break down every wall of prejudice, that’s the kind of power ad films and campaigns can wield. Let’s see where we go from here,” he muses.

From the point of view of the transgender community, Kalki Subramaniam, a transgender rights activist, actor, writer and entrepreneur from Tamil Nadu, feels that while the movement is decidedly heartening, there are still some matters of concern. She opines, “On the one hand, I am very happy that such opportunities are coming our way. And I am especially happy about the fact that we are being shown in a very dignified way. On the other hand, I also have concerns because many times, members of the transgender community are simply used as eye-catching factors once and then forgotten by the company, the advertising agency and consequently the viewers too. I don’t see too many transgender models getting real, sustained chances with fashion designers or ad agencies in India. They might be used once in a while in a wise way by a company through ads like these, with very positive and strong messages, but then given no more opportunities. As far as I know, Niki Chawla — a transgender model who came into the limelight not too long ago and found a fair bit of support at the time — is still struggling. Lots of transgender people in this country want to be models and feature in ads but there are still no real opportunities. I do hope the increasing number of individual ads helps, though. The Cannes Lion is a big push too. More people are picking up transgenders for creative purposes with a positive message but I hope the trend sustains itself and doesn’t die a natural death on account of a lack of action despite a show of support. That will signal real progress for me.”

Rudrani Chhetri, the Delhi-based transgender activist who launched India’s first transgender modelling agency, has a slightly different point of view. “I personally feel that if there’s even a bit of good that comes out of ads like these, it’s a great thing for the community. It can generate a lot of advocacy and increased awareness,” she says and adds, “See, no company will do anything unless they make money out of it. I don’t know what the actual intention behind these ads is, but any good done to the community is worth it. I come from a very humble socio-economic background and know the kinds of ideas people have about transgenders — they are only aware of transgenders as the hijras they have always been warned against and either afraid of or disgusted by. There is a certain image that abounds, of us being people from a different culture, a different world with weird make-up and so on. The way these ads are portraying us, however, is definitely a sign of shifting perceptions. Ten years ago, the way transgenders were talked about, if at all, was very different from the way they are talked about now. So, this is definitely a step forward, whatever the agenda might or might not be. If companies are willing to do something with the community even for a day, it is good. It tells people like me that there is still hope.”