Balancing on the edge of generations X and Y, there aren’t many advertisements that catch my eye. Today at the mall, though, I saw this poster featuring a male Sikh model, turban and beard and all. Given the general cultural climate in post 9/11 America, it was surprising enough to make me stop dead in my tracks and say “huh”.
Good for Gap. I think this is a little braver and more original than the biracial Cheerios family (much as I like that ad, too).
And before someone says it, yes I know Sikhs are completely different from Arabs.
Definitely good for Gap. We have a fairly good sized Sikh population here in our area, so I’m not sure it how much it would have stood out to me if I had seen it here. I would have assumed they were directing their advertising toward that population.
I’m still stunned that the biracial Cheerios family caused any kind of stir. Biracial families are so common in my world it never even occurred to me to notice it wasn’t what some would consider a “normal” family.
Pretty cool. Handsome guy, too, or he would be without that damned beard. (Yes, I know it’s a Sikh thing, I just don’t like beards.) He’s got some great eyes and cheeks, though.
I just like that there’s some guy out there trying to make it as a Sikh model. Its gotta be an uphill climb pursing that career when so much of your “look” is religiously mandated.
Nowheresville, Illinois. Pictures of this poster in other locations are popping up on Google so I imagine it will be a nationwide ad campaign. It is definitely not there to cater to a local demographic.
Somewhere or other, I ran across a fashion blog for Sikh men’s street style. Well, it’s a Tumblr, really. I was surprised because for some reason I’d never really connected Sikhs and Fashion in my mind before. But those are some seriously stylish gentlemen. The author’s grandfather recently passed away. He looked like he was a righteous dude.
There’s a lot of Sikhs in our area (in fact, they hold a Sikh Games event at our city park every year), but we don’t have a GAP! How’s that for progress?
Nah, there’s no doubt about it. Check out those eyes and those cheekbones. He’s a handsome devil, no doubt about it. I don’t dig the beard either, but he’s definitely model-hot.
