A Pantene ad has shown what an LGBTQ family could like with two lesbian moms taking care of a transgender child.
The ad for Pantene hair shampoo features the lesbian moms named Ashley and Ellie, who are raising a transgender girl, Sawyer.
Pantene ad shows what an LGBTQ family can be
In the two-minute ad, the transgender girl, Sawyer, says that their family motto is, “Everybody loves everybody, no matter what path you follow.”
“It means I can be who I am, no matter what,” Sawyer adds.
Meanwhile, her mother, Ashley says: “She has always been super gender creative, and hair has been a big part of her transition.”
“Once she told us that she identified as a girl, she immediately wanted to grow her hair out,” Ashley said. “I remember the first time she was out in the community wearing the clothing she wanted and her hair.”
“And she kind of was herself. That was the first day where I saw her,” she added.
Sawyer later said, “It made me feel good and confident and it made my insides match my outsides.”
“Just be yourself and don’t let anybody tell you who you are,” she declared.
Check out the ad here:
Pantene shows support for LGBTQ community
This ad is part of a series done by Pantene in partnership with Family Equality to celebrate #BeautifuLGBTQ families.
The company first released the ad on their Twitter account. The officials said in a tweet about their ad: “Hair is a large part of our identity.”
“And for LGBTQ+ youth like Sawyer, who choose to express themselves, their style and their creativity through their hairstyle, it can help them feel seen,” they said.
While the Twitter post on the ad and Pantene’s declaration garnered a lot of support, there were also a lot of anti-trans comments against both.
The company later posted a follow-up tweet to address the hate, stating that transphobia has no place on their page. Further, they said that they stand with those in the ad.
Previously, Pantene had worked with LGBTQ people and themes in their ads before. In 2018, they had an ad in the Philippines telling the story of a transgender woman.
Then in 2019, they partnered with GLAAD in 2019 to create the ad series, “Going Home for the Holidays” that featured the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles.
In 2020, the drag queen Nina West appeared in an ad of Pantene as a model.