Rainbow Laces

[Rival]

Apparently it's rainbow lace day. Yet another gay pride thing.

This is just my opinion, of course, but as a girl who mostly fancies other girls I find this a little silly. If you live in an area where your rights are threatened or diminished, I can maybe understand, but at least where I am in the U.K. I feel mostly safe and really don't feel the need to wear multicolour laces or fly rainbow flags or eat gay pride cereals or however else they do it.

All I see are companies trying to make money by using a minority group to sell products that are basically just laces and cereal and whatever else they decided to stick a rainbow on. It's disgusting, in my opinion, to trivialise it like this and use a targeted group of people to make a profit.

I'm mostly gay, and I don't need your rainbow laces. Please just leave me alone.

 

[Eddi]

It's known as "the pink pound"

Pink money - Wikipedia

 

[A Vestigial Mote]

I actually agree with your sentiment, and I get flak for it from others I talk to who fancy themselves "friends of the LGBT community" when I express the same sorts of things, or ask similar questions. Keep in mind - I give not one flying crap what anyone wants to call themselves or pretend that they are, or actually become as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else, but I will call hypocrisy where I see it - I don't care what you are.

For instance, one of the things I have always found odd is that a lot of people will advocate for gender being a more fluid thing, and they'll chastise people for holding particular colors or clothing as "girl specific" or "boy specific." And yet some of those same people say they don't feel comfortable in their skin and feel they have to dress more like a "girl" or a "boy" to feel right with themselves. Well hold on... isn't it supposed to NOT MATTER who wears what colors or clothing? Aren't you only furthering gender stereotypes like that by being a male biologically and saying "I feel like a girl" and because of that, you wear a dress? Or vice versa, obviously. I just wish people could get to the point where they understood it doesn't matter what you are... that's what you are.

 

[sun rise]

• Take a "thing", whatever it may be.
• Create products around that thing.
• Market it to supporters (or opponents).
• Add a dash of guilt that if you don't buy buy buy, you're really a crypto-pretend supporter and not a real one.
• Laugh all the way to the bank.

 

[columbus]

It's known as "the pink pound"

Pink money - Wikipedia

I can't help but wonder how many of these laces are purchased by actual queers and how many by the "straight, but not narrow" community.
I see it as a easy, inexpensive, way to be supportive. It's clear, but inobtrusive.

Like a tiny little present to all the gay folks you run across every day, even if you don't even talk to them. Just pass them on the street or sit in class or whatever. I like it, although not enough to get any.
Tom

 

[Father Heathen]

It's kinda like "WWJD" merch.

 

[ChristineM]

If a reasonable percentage of the profit from rainbow anything's that are sold go to gay charities/caused etc, i don't see a problem. Or if the products meet a specific need. For example. There was a cobblers shop near where i used to live, he specialised in m2f footwear. He made the most exquisite ladies shoes (and i have a shoe fetish so i know) in larger (male) sizes.

Unfortunately the owners health declined, he died, the shop is gone (now a sex shop), there is now (probably) nowhere similar outside London to cater for that need.

 

[sun rise]

If a reasonable percentage of the profit from rainbow anything's that are sold go to gay charities/caused etc, i don't see a problem. Or if the products meet a specific need. For example. There was a cobblers shop near where i used to live, he specialised in m2f footwear. He made the most exquisite ladies shoes (and i have a shoe fetish so i know) in larger (male) sizes.

Unfortunately the owners health declined, he died, the shop is gone (now a sex shop), there is now (probably) nowhere similar outside London to cater for that need.

Great points.

I'd add that there are times when having a symbol to rally under helps support the mission of a group. That's a different thing than exploiting a group for profit.

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

More rainbow laces for me.

 

[ChristineM]

Great points.

I'd add that there are times when having a symbol to rally under helps support the mission of a group. That's a different thing than exploiting a group for profit.

Support good, exploitation baaaad

 

[Rival]

Rainbow laces sounds like sweets, which I would buy,

 

[columbus]

If a reasonable percentage of the profit from rainbow anything's that are sold go to gay charities/caused etc, i don't see a problem.

I don't even think that is necessary. It's a nice marketing flourish. But I wouldn't care if it was some straight dude making them to help finance a car. It's a nice thing.
Tom

 

[BSM1]

Apparently it's rainbow lace day. Yet another gay pride thing.

This is just my opinion, of course, but as a girl who mostly fancies other girls I find this a little silly. If you live in an area where your rights are threatened or diminished, I can maybe understand, but at least where I am in the U.K. I feel mostly safe and really don't feel the need to wear multicolour laces or fly rainbow flags or eat gay pride cereals or however else they do it.

All I see are companies trying to make money by using a minority group to sell products that are basically just laces and cereal and whatever else they decided to stick a rainbow on. It's disgusting, in my opinion, to trivialise it like this and use a targeted group of people to make a profit.

I'm mostly gay, and I don't need your rainbow laces. Please just leave me alone.

The words to that anthem from the '60's ring true even today:

What a field day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly saying, "hooray for our side"

 

[columbus]

Great points.

I'd add that there are times when having a symbol to rally under helps support the mission of a group. That's a different thing than exploiting a group for profit.

But where do you draw the line?

I've made lots of paintings I call(collectively) Rainbow Flag. They're all different, but the basic design is a USA flag, with rainbow colored stripes instead of red ones. I've done other variations, like Flesh Flag and Earth Flag. But more people have wanted a Rainbow Flag than all the rest put together. I define "want" as "willing to pay my asking price". Does that make me exploitative?

I never tell people what meaning they're supposed to get from them. I don't care. When I'm in sales mode, I try to figure out what the potential customer sees and talk that up.
Tom

P.s. ~My avatar is a pic of one of them, in case that wasn't obvious.~

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Apparently it's rainbow lace day. Yet another gay pride thing.

This is just my opinion, of course, but as a girl who mostly fancies other girls I find this a little silly. If you live in an area where your rights are threatened or diminished, I can maybe understand, but at least where I am in the U.K. I feel mostly safe and really don't feel the need to wear multicolour laces or fly rainbow flags or eat gay pride cereals or however else they do it.

All I see are companies trying to make money by using a minority group to sell products that are basically just laces and cereal and whatever else they decided to stick a rainbow on. It's disgusting, in my opinion, to trivialise it like this and use a targeted group of people to make a profit.

I'm mostly gay, and I don't need your rainbow laces. Please just leave me alone.

Thats basically how I feel. Kind of like those wanna be Revolutionaries who think uying something with Che Guevara's image. But not quite that bad, or not for those as delusional and misguided as those who hold up someone who encouraged global nuclear war, but still very much "give me your money so we can laugh at you doing more trivial lip service non-support."

 

[Terry Sampson]

"Rainbow Laces"

What will the profiteers think of next? rainbow suspenders/braces?

 

[Rival]

"Rainbow Laces"

What will the profiteers think of next? rainbow suspenders/braces?

Rainbow coat. Thanks 6th Doctor,

Spoiler

​

 

[Terry Sampson]

Rainbow coat.

Egads! Too late ...

Rainbow coat - Google Search

 

[Rival]

Egads! Too late ...

Rainbow coat - Google Search

Mine's nicer

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

I can't help but wonder how many of these laces are purchased by actual queers and how many by the "straight, but not narrow" community.
I see it as a easy, inexpensive, way to be supportive. It's clear, but inobtrusive.

Like a tiny little present to all the gay folks you run across every day, even if you don't even talk to them. Just pass them on the street or sit in class or whatever. I like it, although not enough to get any.
Tom

I'm gay -- I never buy any of this stuff. Nor do I attend pride parades or much else, really. Used to, but it got to be overmuch.