# Has anyone else noticed that almost every single couple/family in commercials now is interracial? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** commercials-ads\ **Created:** [April 5, 2022, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285 "2022-04-05T03:46:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/81 "2022-04-06T00:07:34Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I’m old enough to remember when they started using black people in commercials. The first time I heard someone use the N-word as a slur was watching TV at my friends house in the mid-1970s, and his older sister had a boyfriend who was complaining about the fact that there were too many (any?) black people in the commercials. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/82 "2022-04-06T00:18:22Z")
I can’t honestly say I really noticed it – I’m sure it’s true (and the above statistics show it’s true), but in my circle of friends it’s not an unusual pairing, so it’s not something I would tweak to. A two-male household I would notice. Two female, less so, but I’d definitely note it. Mixed-race falls under the radar due to my reality. I probably would have noted it in the 80s. This is not an attempt to say “I’m so progressive that I don’t notice race.” Not at all. It’s just that mixed-race pairing is not so unusual for me to note. Of course, now when I watch TV, I’ll notice every instance of this. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/83 "2022-04-06T00:45:23Z")
> [@Turble](#): > > . I don’t need progressive moral lessons in my TV commercials to accept people for just being different from me. Is it solely a question of what _you_ (think you) need? How about people who need to see themselves and their own social connections represented, because for decades all the examples and models use to represent people in mass media have excluded them? ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/84 "2022-04-06T01:20:55Z")
There sure are a lot of commercials with amputees lately, always with artificial legs. And not in a honor the vets, or overcome aversity way. Just a person with an artificial limb. A Jeep commercial where a woman ends up pushing the Jeep for some reason, a bunch of large women wearing workout clothes, and a lone woman on a standup paddleboard, all feature amputees. I guess they’ve been an under represented subset of society. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/85 "2022-04-06T01:25:57Z")
I seem to recall another Eggo commercial with an all-white heterosexual (IIRC) family except for one Asian kid at the table, presented without comment or even a whiff of explanation. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/86 "2022-04-06T01:34:24Z")
Now that I’m mining the depths of my memory, I remember toy commercials in the 1970s (because I was in their targeted audience) being multi-racial, but larger numbers of nonwhites in adult-oriented ads (i.e. ads for things that aren’t usually purchased specifically by or for children) was indeed in the mid 1980s, approximately coinciding with “The Cosby Show” and several other TV series with prominent black actors. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/87 "2022-04-06T04:21:14Z")
Yes. In Canada this seems to have become more commonplace over the last six months or more. I think it is a good thing even though some of the efforts seem quite forced. (The worst sometimes come across as “trying to educate” in a self-congratulatory way, or “woker than thou”. But it is still a worthwhile effort.) Canadians have some sense of humour and ads here often depict people acting eccentrically (for the humour value or just to stand out or be less boring) or making gentle fun of other people (kind of a Canadian sport). Both of these situations now involve a fuller spectrum of individuals. At first this could sometimes be odd, but now I see this as a good thing too. It is good to portray everyone in a human light for obvious reasons. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/88 "2022-04-06T12:58:13Z")
Something else I’ve noticed is that I see redheads in commercials to a seemingly far disproportional degree than the percentage of gingers in the general population. I used to think it was just a form of confirmation bias since I married a redhead, the way you notice a certain model of car everywhere after you buy that model. But if I google “redheads overrepresented in commercials” a number of articles support this observation: - [Primetime TV Ads Feature an Unusually High Number of Redheads - Hollywood Reporter](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/primetime-tv-ads-feature-an-724162/) - [Redheads Are More Common in Commercials Than in Real Life - The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/08/redheads-are-more-common-in-commercials-than-in-real-life/375868/) - [What’s up with all the redheads in TV ads? - Today.com](https://www.today.com/health/whats-all-redheads-tv-ads-1d80040484) Does that go against the grain of the OP’s observation, since redheads are typically the whitest of the white in skin color? Well, not necessarily-- there’s this recent Walgreen’s commercial, which prominently features a redhead…whose Black boyfriend / husband fixes her boo-boo after she falls off a scooter: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/oooW0ms8Cuo/maxresdefault.jpg "Introducing myWalgreens - A personalized Walgreens experience") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oooW0ms8Cuo) Again, I think it’s just the advertiser trying to be as inclusive and multi-ethnic as possible while only having a couple to work with, and being a bit ham-handed about it. I can imagine the pitch meeting: “ok, we casted a Black man for one half of the couple…why not go with a pale redhead as his significant other? Can’t get much more Ebony & Ivory than that!” ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/89 "2022-04-06T13:08:48Z")
Whitest of the white? A 2014 UK study found that approximately 61% of males and 47% of females with red hair had been subject to discrimination. PS no less than Malcolm X was known as “Detroit Red”, talking about famous redheads… ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/90 "2022-04-06T13:10:58Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > … in my circle of friends it’s not an unusual pairing, so it’s not something I would tweak to. A two-male household I would notice. … At least a couple of our regular posters are from Oak Park, IL. It is BY FAR the most diverse community I have encountered in the Chicago area. I play music in a coffee shop on Sat mornings (and at a farmers’ market in summer). One Sat I just happened to notice the diversity of family groups that came into the shop. There was every conceivable permutation - 2 women, 2 men, every combination of ethnicities… It was some time before I saw a “monocultural/heterosexual” family group. Really refreshing - and really points out what is missing in most other areas. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/91 "2022-04-06T13:26:23Z")
I’ll bet a lot of wingnuts are constantly looking for a way to express their dismay at this trend without looking like complete assholes. Their talking heads aren’t addressing the problem like they should. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/92 "2022-04-06T13:39:46Z")
Most people watching might notice this, then hypothesize that the Asian kid was adopted. This might make the ad a little more memorable, which is the whole idea. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/93 "2022-04-06T13:46:53Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Whitest of the white? A 2014 UK study found that approximately 61% of males and 47% of females with red hair had been subject to discrimination. > > PS no less than Malcolm X was known as “Detroit Red”, talking about famous redheads… _ **Typically** _ the whitest of the white, is what I actually said about redheads. If my statement is inaccurate or offensive in any way, I take it back with apologies. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/94 "2022-04-06T14:06:05Z")
I love that one. The little girl is cute and hilarious! ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/95 "2022-04-06T14:10:25Z")
No offense or inaccuracies. My point was (merely) that redheads are a minority (not super frequent anywhere) and experience a lot of discrimination (usually it’s not the whitest of the white that are stereotypical victims of discrimination); maybe it’s good they too are getting some air time. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/96 "2022-04-06T14:49:36Z")
Most of the redheads you’d see in commercials aren’t any more natural than the blondes, so the % occurrence IRL doesn’t signify. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/97 "2022-04-06T15:14:23Z")
And there’s the latest Vrbo commercial with many families as well as a stealth gay couple: [- YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oqt6ggQ1BsY) ---
**Author:** ![thdudescar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thdudescar/32/4638_2.png) [@thdudescar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thdudescar)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/98 "2022-04-06T15:15:00Z")
I can believe this. But that’s kind of my point, there’s nothing in the commercial to identify them as Hispanic, Hell, my oldest daughter is 1/4 Mexican and she’s blond haired with blue eyes. She wouldn’t represent the Hispanic community too well. Maybe add the accent or something. If the end game is diversity, do it appropriately. Seems like we’re still catering to the George Floyd murder. Just an observation. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/99 "2022-04-06T15:31:48Z")
[https://img.ifunny.co/images/f05f8a0a70b814987af66b46fe279c32aad61b9af07a983584c51819b7dc0b35\_1.webp](https://img.ifunny.co/images/f05f8a0a70b814987af66b46fe279c32aad61b9af07a983584c51819b7dc0b35_1.webp) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/100 "2022-04-06T15:38:53Z")
> [@thdudescar](#): > > But that’s kind of my point, there’s nothing in the commercial to identify them as Hispanic, Hell, my oldest daughter is 1/4 Mexican and she’s blond haired with blue eyes. She wouldn’t represent the Hispanic community too well. Maybe add the accent or something. They could all wear sombreros. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285.md?page=6)