What would someone expect to see in a Christmas commercial? Family dinners, lavish gifts, warm smiles, hugs, and kisses with loved ones. And if the ad is about your favorite whiskey, then surely it should involve elegant men playing poker or roulette to start off the year right? J&B Rare, a renowned whisky company in Spain, took a different approach in advertising their Diageo Scotch whisky, moving away from the ‘macho’ stereotypes that whiskey commercials often embody. J&B Rare is original in presenting a Christmas story called “She”, about a trans woman who reveals her gender identity in front of her family during a Christmas family dinner with the support of her grandfather. The story succinctly addresses the reality of many LGBTQ+ individuals who choose to be absent from family dinners due to the discrimination and repudiation they face from their families. In the words of J&B’s marketing director Ursula Mejia Melgar, “it’s a story about the search for a place of comfort and acceptance, like family, for a love that overcomes any prejudice or social barrier.”
The protagonist is an old man in a rural village in the mountains of Spain, who is preparing to welcome his family for Christmas dinner. When his wife leaves her bag and her lipstick falls out, it becomes his secret desire. As the ad progresses, we watch him lock himself in the bathroom to try on lipstick, buy make-up and cosmetics under the suspicious and disapproving gaze of the saleswoman, and read female beauty magazines, all in an effort to become better at this craft. He has become so passionate about it that even at the bus stop he rashly brushes the eyelashes of the woman on the poster before anybody sees him. The lyrics of Elvis Costello’s song “She” echo in the background during this covert transformation. They speak of the figure of an enigmatic woman – in this case a trans woman – who embodies contradictory emotions and moods. That woman, “she”, may be “a trace of please or regret”, “the beauty or the beast”, “the famine or the feast” and most importantly “she is not what she seems in her shell”. All these words are meant to describe the duality and diversity of a person whose gender identity doesn’t necessarily overlap with their sex. A woman who can be “a hundred different things within the measure of a day” and who is “not what she seems un her shell”.
Following the flow of the story, on Christmas eve, before going to bed, the old man looks at a family photo depicting him, his wife, and his grandson Alvaro. The following day when his relatives arrive for the Christmas family dinner, the grandfather discreetly takes Alvaro in a separate room and starts putting make-up on him– well, her. Alvaro is welcomed to his new identity, Ana, in the affectionate and loving hands of her grandfather who helps her in expressing herself freely. Ana then presents herself to the family, flanked by her supportive grandfather. At first, there is silence at the table. Then Ana’s father starts to tear up, her mother embraces her, and conjunction is achieved. The ad closes with the family happily celebrating and enjoying their drinks with the following quote on the foreground: “The magic is not only in Christmas. It is also in us.” This quote is the bread and butter of J&B’s ad as it neatly summarizes the key message that the directors try to evoke. Christmas and other family holidays are times to be spent with our loved ones and are often interlinked with the sense of inclusion, affection and acceptance found in a festive family setting.
The Christmas story presented by J&B Rare is a heartwarming story between a grandfather and his granddaughter, that are united by love that is powerful enough to overcome any prejudice or barrier that may separate them. The ad gives visibility to the reality of thousands of people including the LGBTQ+ collective who seek a safe space to be and show themselves openly. It should be emphasized that it is very important that the main character supporting Ana is her grandfather, which is no small endorsement in a Latin family. The generational divergence is not a hurdle in the grandpa- granddaughter relationship showing that progressiveness and acceptance are values immune to time and stereotypes. Perhaps, the grandfather himself had a different gender identity but because of the stereotypes and norms of society at his time he was unable to express it leading to internalized suppression. Therefore, his unwavering support for his granddaughter could reflect an inner promise to himself, an unrealized need to show his true identity. In any case, the ad allows the viewer to perceive the meaning of the grandfather’s actions in their own personal way.
The ad masterfully embraces the diversity of one’s identity, indirectly breaking the stereotypical linkage between gender, sex, and appearance. The lyrical gold of the song “She” coupled with the image of the old man wearing make up in secrecy, elegantly foreshadow the progression of the ad and evoke a clear message right from the start. It should be noted that this ad by J&B is a great example of “non-aggressive” idea promotion, in the sense that it subtly introduces transness and in a “socially respectful” manner that doesn’t give a lot of room for provocation. In latter decades, trans individuals were often misrepresented according to false stereotypes and often not represented at all since these ads would be deemed provocative or socially unacceptable. The ad shows great progress in the way trans individuals are represented on TV, which vastly improves their recognition, perception, and inclusion in society. It moves away from the typical overly masculine essence that whisky ads have, paving the way for more inclusive advertising from other firms with predominantly male audiences.
