To prep or not to prep: the Pride ad that actually got it right

Every June we are subject to so many Pride campaigns it's hard to find one that actually cuts through the noise. As I was scrolling through Instagram (the gay one filled with all the hunky pictures of half naked men, not my boring public profile) a flash of green and white compelled me to stop. White text on a green background? Where were the men? There's usually not much space for text on that particular feed.

"We know eating isn't always a top priority this month. We respect that. But for those of you who are... prepping... we have an extensive lineup of high-fiber recipes available. Happy Pride." 

I chuckled as one does when they feel seen and then had to do a double take to fully register it had indeed been posted by the HelloFresh official account. 

Corporations have taken over the discourse over Pride (this article is somewhat symptomatic of this) while squeezing and reshaping it to fit the neat little box the public at large would find palatable. What does this look like? Heteronormative queerness that tries to sell the idea that maybe “they are not so different from us after all.” Tearjerkers showing the horrors and pain of life on the other side of normalcy. Who does not love the catharsis of vicarious pain they would never have to suffer in their day-to-day life? All these things are part of Pride as well. But there is more to it. All those things queer people were hated for? Gone. All the jibes and insults and pretend-throw-ups? Gone as well. And yet many still partake in all the promiscuous and deviant acts we were shunned for. Including anal sex. There should be a place at Pride for them as well. 

So when the post showed up I just showed it to my husband who chuckled knowingly and we went on with our day. 

Fast forward to today when I see a screenshot of the post on my LinkedIn feed and I stop to read it, looking forward to hearing other people praising it or feeling seen. Instead it was a long-winded rant about how disgusting it was and harmful to the LGBT community. Because nothing says allyship like clutching your pearls on behalf of a community you don't belong to. 

Had they stopped for a single moment and stepped off their high horse they would have realised that the HelloFresh post was targeting a specific community, one that does not often see themselves in any sort of pride-related campaign. Some gays out there, believe it or not, do not spend their whole life in self-pity and self-flagellation. No matter how much society at large would like that to be the case. There are gays out there that enjoy seeing same sex love on television, happy families, rainbows, and all that. I am one of them. But they also enjoy those aspects of gay life that are less glamorous. Shit happens. Literally. So what? Get over it. Calling the HelloFresh post disgusting only serves to stigmatise people that already may feel uncomfortable with anal sex. 

The idea that HelloFresh winking at bowel prep is somehow harmful requires a level of squeamishness that frankly has no place in a conversation about sexual liberation. Surely grown adults know how the digestive system works. Or at least they should. 

And as for other queer people outraged by the post, if you truly celebrate diversity you should be fine with supporting people having anal sex. Even if it's not for you. Not everyone can be represented equally in every pride campaign so instead of making people feel bad for getting a bit of visibility, just keep scrolling. There will be a tasteful rainbow logo on a yoghurt pot with your name on it somewhere, I promise. 

Pride started as a riot. It was loud and messy and unapologetic. A fibre joke gets closer to that spirit than any number of slow-motion coming out videos set to a piano ballad. And, frankly, those of you that are clutching your pearls are doing the same thing homophobes have always done: deciding which parts of queer life are acceptable and which should be repressed.

The HelloFresh post made two gay men laugh and feel seen on a Sunday morning. That's it. That's the whole story. 

PS: Apparently some people are concerned with eating disorders and the cost of living crisis. Again, the HelloFresh campaign is probably not for you. Some people may not read into it the same thing you do. Others affected by these issues may have just chuckled and scrolled by.