Sunglass manufacturer and style icon Ray-Ban five years ago began their “Never Hide” campaign, but now it’s become gay inclusive — a gorgeous development. Begun in 2007, Never Hide was created to make the now-75-year old company more enticing and appealing to a younger market. One of their newest ads features two men dressed in 1940’s-era business suits, walking down a cosmopolitan street, holding hands, with the headline “Never Hide,” at the top of one version, and on the bottom of another. The image is part of a campaign by the advertising agency Marcel, in Paris, France.
“Never pretend. Never be afraid. Never give up. Never Hide,” a 2007 press release reads:
The campaign, comprised of a film and a series of situations for print media, outdoor and the Internet, was created and is developed around the concept “NEVER HIDE.” Having the courage to express your true self, your thoughts and your personality genuinely, to stay faithful to the values of authenticity and uniqueness have, in fact, made up the DNA of the Ray-Ban brand since its beginning in 1937 to today. And it is these qualities that characterize true leaders.
There’s also a Ray-Ban Facebook page with lots of photos and videos, as well as a Never Hide website loaded with photos and videos.
This is the first obviously gay Ray-Ban ad we could find, and we’re hoping they do a great many more, including more diverse ones, because the more we see ourselves, and the more the non-LGBT community sees us, the more equality and acceptance we are capable of achieving.
And just in case you’re wondering, we aren’t associated with Ray-Ban in any way, and are not compensated for this piece at all — we just really love the campaign and the gay-inclusivity and really hope to see more!