# 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:** 7
**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, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/121 "2022-04-06T19:57:17Z")
Well good on you for not noticing race. But again, this is the subject of the thread, so it isn’t something that has gone unnoticed. And I don’t appreciate the backhanded disparaging 90,s comment. I’ve lived in the New Orleans area my entire life and have gone to school, friended, worked with the those from the African-American community for all my life. So I think I have a frame of reference. Again, if you’re not willing to admit that you haven’t seen a shift, you’re being naïve. ---
**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, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/122 "2022-04-06T19:59:04Z")
I didn’t say I don’t notice race in your example—just not a sudden uptick in representation of Blacks in the media due to George Floyd or whatever trend you think you see. The uptick seems to have been steadily occurring from my observation. I mean, I can only report what I see and experience. If that’s naive, well, I’m comfortable with you thinking I’m naive. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/123 "2022-04-06T19:59:51Z")
> [@thdudescar](#): > > What started Black Lives Matter? Never heard of it until George Floyd. Really? Did you miss the whole controversy over kneeling for the national anthem? ---
**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, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/124 "2022-04-06T20:05:27Z")
Good point. Colin Kaepernick may have begun the movement, but the George Floyd murder set it off. ---
**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, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/125 "2022-04-06T20:06:33Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > > [@thdudescar](#): > > > > Seems like we’re still catering to the George Floyd murder. Just an observation. > > I’m not sure what this means. I had the same reaction. ---
**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, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/126 "2022-04-06T20:16:55Z")
The “just an observation” is kind of a joke to me. Somehow that’s discredits you from what you’re saying. George Floyd is a representation of African-American community’s injustices. Ignoring the fact that they are over represented in the media doesn’t do the guy on the street anything. ---
**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, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/127 "2022-04-06T20:22:07Z")
You are correct. They are slightly over-represented in the media. 18% instead of 14% (of the US population, though under-represented for my area). > **[More Evidence TV Doesn't Reflect Real Life Diversity](https://www.npr.org/2020/12/04/942574850/more-evidence-tv-doesnt-reflect-real-life-diversity)** > > A new study from the Nielsen company shows women, Latinos, Native Americans and older Americans are under-represented on TV. ---
**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, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/128 "2022-04-06T20:23:33Z")
Representation of black people and other minorities in advertising has been an issue for at least 50 years now. It has paralleled the ongoing response to racial (and other) injustices and isn’t tied either to George Floyd or Black Lives Matter. “Black Lives Matter” definitely goes back at least to Trayvon Martin. It became a major street movement a year later in Ferguson, Missouri. ---
**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, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/129 "2022-04-06T20:25:58Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > “Black Lives Matter” definitely goes back at least to Trayvon Martin. It became a major street movement a year later in Ferguson, Missouri. There was also Laquon MacDonald, who was shot and killed about a half-mile or so from my house back at the end of 2014. We wouldn’t even had known about it had that journalist not started asking questions. Not a shooting that was known or talked about in the neighborhood until the story broke. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/130 "2022-04-06T20:29:00Z")
# Tweeet! OK, this has just gone pretty far afield from the commercials. It stops now. @thdudescar if you want to continue this BLM sidebar, do it in another thread and IMHO, GD or The Pit. ---
**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, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/131 "2022-04-06T20:37:24Z")
I thought I was staying on the subject, but I’ll gladly cease. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/132 "2022-04-06T20:39:43Z")
**thedudescar** abides. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2022, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/133 "2022-04-06T21:32:53Z")
it goes back further than you think. [Here’s a 2005 story from NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna6975669) that talks about interracial casting in commercials. It specifically notes a 2004 Verizon ad with a white-Hispanic husband and wife. When the Cheerios ad ran in 2013, Huffington Post ran a story about other interracial ads, [including a 2012 McDonalds TV ad with a Black/white couple.](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mixed-race-couples-in-ads-cheerios-ad_n_3384297) Here’s a [2005 story](https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2005/02/22/racial-melting-pot-on-television-diversity-in-ads-not-reflected-in-real-life/) that points out that TV commercials are far more integrated than most American neighborhoods. Not to mention a [1991 commercial for Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPSIEYcfTHk) with a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shot of the black male and white female leads kissing. ---
**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, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/134 "2022-04-06T22:13:14Z")
I understand. Sure you can cherry pick, but it wasn’t quite so obvious until the last few years. ---
**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, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/135 "2022-04-06T23:55:34Z")
> [@thdudescar](#): > > but it wasn’t quite so obvious until the last few years. From my observations, the increase in minority actors in TV commercials has steadily,(yet slowly) increased from the 1970s. I haven’t seen any significant change on that front in the last few years. The uptick that I _have_ noticed (and related to the OP) is interracial couples on TV (and more gay couples). I think it’s a good thing overall. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/136 "2022-04-07T00:38:21Z")
Speaking of representation I just saw two completely different ads by different companies with a child with (what appears to be) down syndrome. It might have been the same actress in fact, it was a little white girl wearing glasses and had frizzy hair in both ads. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/137 "2022-04-07T01:00:25Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > The uptick that I _have_ noticed (and related to the OP) is interracial couples on TV (and more gay couples). I think it’s a good thing overall. The downside: mixed race couples and families, more often white man and Black woman than the converse, is the new advertising Wonder bread. Generic default. Having that while lacking representation of completely Black couples/families … and other ethnicities too … may be loads better than white as the generic default, with exceptions only for “ethnic” products, but IMHO is still problematic in its own way. I’d also be cautious about how this may play into intra-race colorism. The tendency within some segments of Black culture to elevate lighter skin Blackness over darker hues. Which happens some in Asian and other communities too. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/138 "2022-04-07T01:02:19Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > Speaking of representation I just saw two completely different ads by different companies with a child with (what appears to be) down syndrome. > **[Sofía Jirau, 24, Becomes Victoria's Secret's First Model with Down Syndrome:...](https://people.com/human-interest/sofia-jirau-becomes-victorias-secrets-first-model-with-down-syndrome/)** > > The Puerto Rican model celebrated the historic milestone on social media, raving that 'there are no limits' ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/139 "2022-04-07T01:37:08Z")
> [@thdudescar](#): > > Maybe all the men are mariachis and the women are abuelas in the kitchen. I just watched _The Night of the Iguana_ for the first time, and there’s a pair of young Mexican men working in this rundown hotel. They spend 99% of their screen time shaking both maracas and their booties while shirtless. It was rather bizarre. Otherwise, good movie, a little dated, but the maraca-playing dudes were like something out of Salvador Dali. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-else-noticed-that-almost-every-single-couple-family-in-commercials-now-is-interracial/962285/140 "2022-04-07T03:18:52Z")
Possibly, although my first impression (I can’t recall having seen this commercial) is that he’s a friend of one of the family’s children, and it’s OK to have friends of different races. [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=6) [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=8)