What Happens When We Apply Queer Critical Lenses To Mass Culture's Everyday Ephemera?
Mass culture is saturated with ephemera that can be analyzed through queer critical lenses. Ads, memes, and social media posts often contain coded messages about sex, sexuality, eroticism, intimacy, and gender that are hidden from view when we look at them without an awareness of queer theory. In this article, we will explore some examples of mass culture's everyday ephemera and examine what they reveal when viewed through queer critical lenses.
We will begin with ads for food products like Doritos and Coca Cola. These companies have been criticized for using homoerotic imagery to sell their products, but there may be more going on beneath the surface.
The iconic "Doritos Mountain" ad features two men sitting beside each other on a couch, one holding a bag of chips while the other reaches out to grab it. This image suggests a potential romantic connection between the two men, even though the commercial never explicitly states so. Similarly, the recent "Coke Diner" commercial depicts two women meeting at a diner and sharing a moment of passionate kissing before realizing they both work together. While these commercials could simply be seen as playful or funny, applying a queer lens could suggest that they may also be tapping into deeper desires and fantasies around same-sex attraction.
We will turn our attention to online memes and social media posts. Many popular memes feature characters engaging in behavior that is considered taboo or outside of normative expectations for gender roles.
The infamous "Bud Light Gay Lumberjack" meme shows a man dancing seductively while wearing lingerie and heels, challenging traditional ideas about masculinity and femininity. Another popular meme depicts a man and woman hugging, but with the caption "I don't think she knows I'm gay." These types of memes highlight how cultural norms around sexuality can be subverted through humor and satire.
We will examine Instagram influencers who use their platforms to promote products while also exploring their own identities. Some influencers have used their platform to come out as transgender or nonbinary, while others have shared stories about relationships and dating experiences. By analyzing these posts using queer critical lenses, we can see how mass culture's everyday ephemera can reveal hidden aspects of identity and desire.
By looking at mass culture's everyday ephemera through a queer critical lens, we can uncover hidden meanings and messages that challenge traditional notions of sex, sexuality, eroticism, intimacy, and gender. Whether it's an ad campaign for Doritos or a viral meme on TikTok, there is always more going on beneath the surface when we apply this lens.
What happens when we apply queer critical lenses to mass culture's everyday ephemera—ads, memes, social media—and what might we find lurking beneath the surface?
Queer theory is an approach within cultural studies that examines how power structures influence identities, relationships, and experiences. It focuses on marginalized groups such as LGBTQ+ people and their lived realities beyond heteronormativity. Applying this framework to mass culture's everyday ephemera can reveal underlying subcultures and hidden narratives that challenge dominant ideologies.