Tuesday, December 12, 2006

please, lets fill the gap

I hate the Gap.
I hate their bland clothing.
I hate their use of child labor.
But most of all, I hate their ads, specifically this new "Peace, Love and Gap" one.

You've seen it, probably way too many times. Common sprouts some generic rap about "hip-hop in the hood" while strutting around on top of a giant gold peace sign.
For one thing, they've taken the whole hippie phrase "Peace, Love and Music" or sometimes "Peace, Love and Nonviolence" and commercialized it. The Gap is not content with having a store on the corner of the Haight-fucking-Ashbury. I'm convinced they're trying to either commercialize hippies even more than they've already become (it's become a fucking Halloween costume!) or they're trying to run them into the ground.


But let's talk about the print ads.
They're obviously trying to commercialize the hip-hop community too.
"Holiday in your hood"??
Um, I don't live in a hood. I went to a hood once when I was in the South and was offered marijuana, I'm not even kidding, by some scary-looking thugs, one of which was named Jerrell, I'm not even kidding, but that's a different story for a different time.
If you look at the other print ads (and I'm not going to post them because I feel crappy enough for doing this free advertising) you'll notice they put the black guy (Seal) in the holiday in your hood shirt. Is this racism??
Okay, I'm not going to make accusations that I'm going to regret later when the Gap execs hunt me down to sew my typing fingers together.

While we're on the subject of holiday commercials, am I the only one going crazy from those modernized Christmassy songs? I'm talking about the Telus ads, specifically, (do you have those in the States?) Where some chicks chant-rap "Tis the season to be jolly/Do you see what I see?/Boughs of holly".

Almost as lame as a Gap on the corner of Haight-Ashbury.

Yeah, yeah, I can't get over that.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

holy moly, get out of my head! i have been kvetching about those common ads since i first saw them

mary said...

ahhh, did you smoke with jerrell?? i totally would've

and i guess i'm fortunate in a way because i don't get cable at my house, so i haven't seen a single holiday commercial this season

joanna said...

gap is really disapointing. i admit i used to love gap, but nowadays the ads have gone all old navy on us. that rap was horrible, and i bet common and all his rapper friends REALLY shop at the gap. bitch, please. it seems like they're trying to appeal to the black people too much. i mean, holiday in your hood? NO. it's not going to work. gap, you're not street, which is okay. i mean, i go to an innercity school and it's a wonder i haven't gotten jumped already (i go around saying stuff like "good gravy" and "motherfornicator"...i'm about as white as they come) and i'm perfectly fine with being the uncool white girl. i like being me, but gap, wake up, you know you'll never be "down". whatever. maybe it is racism. i hadn't noticed the seal picture always with the holiday in your hood slogan, but now that i think about, maybe it's just another way to attract more black people...who knows...

okay. yeah, i won't say anything more, but good point, molly.

maya said...

i've never seen one of these adverts but they sound very distressing and embarrasment to man, or woman (i'm a feminist aswell) kind

Anonymous said...

it always gets stuck in my head the "peace love and gap" thing. it's cute. annoying, but cute.

Anonymous said...

oh my poor, poor Common. one of the only rappers I actually respect (BESIDES thats dopest group around, The Roots). It chills my heart to see these sad advertisements everywhere. But truthfully, it doesn't really anger me, because all in all....

isn't everyone else advertising the same exact thing? Why yes, yes they are. Apparently everyone wants to be playing in "the hood". But then again, the whole idea about "the hood" was constructed by hypocrits.

I grew up in Atlanta. Therefore, I feel it is necessary for me to share my knowledge with the rest of the community about how no one gives a damn about what's "hood" and what isnt.

On to the racism bit. Oh tsk tsk tsk. Have we not already learned from Morgan Freeman's frickn unbelievable quotes? "Black people suck, white people suck, everybody sucks, so let's just move on with our lives and live in peace"

Now that, in itself, is the most genius thing ever said.

AND lastly, the Halloween Hippie thing: Haha, what a load of rubbish there is deep within that controversay! Saying people shouldn't dress up as Hippies is like saying people can't dress up like Marie Antoinette, Ghosts, George W., Witches, Housewives, etc! Almost every costume is a part of History, and therefore, should be equally usable. PLus, don't you WANT people to know about (and maybe even accept) these different decades beliefs?

Educating rocks ya'll. Don't be against it.

alluretone said...

ghetto/ganster/rappers don't shop at GAP! and never will!! to me, gap is for people who like clean cut, simple style. whoever thought this would actually attract any new customers is a dumbo. the ads are sooo boring and "peace, love and gap" is not clever or catching at all. stupid people...

Anonymous said...

haha thanks && no one comment me about it that provoked it, i just read her post
i hate gap's ads...the only thing i like from there is their tees because the fit great and are soft, but they are so blahh

Anonymous said...

are you watching "america's next top model: british invasion" right now? i hope you aren't missing this

Anonymous said...

Gap is the epitome of commercialization. Hip hop is also uber commercial, and hippies have been distorted past recognization. Eck.
And Christmas songs make me vomit! I feel your pain.

Anonymous said...

I HATE those ads. HATE. The oceans deepest trench is too close to them. They are the most ANNOYING things ever.