Truth be told, I was all set to wax euphoric on today’s Diary Day of Beauty about the many benefits of Social Gal Secret (admittedly not so secret lol): Touche Eclat (to be continued another time), but after experiencing last night’s powerful Super Bowl ads from the likes of corporate behemoths AirBnB (the voice behind a stunning visual statement celebrating the beauty of diversity and loving acceptance of each other), Audi (exquisitely supportive of equal pay for women), Budweiser (celebrating the very impact and importance of America’s spirit of welcome with an homage to the history of founder Adolphus Busch), and other equally enlightening offerings from team Coca Cola (who reaired a song of unity) and 84 Lumber (daring but incredibly effective in its portrayal of challenging immigration journeys and the danger of figurative and literal walls), I couldn’t help but press pause on the beauty product, and talk a little instead about some deeper stuff.
Forgive me this indulgence but the sentiments seem to be on automatic spew this morning thanks to the aforementioned ads’ potent messaging …
First off, given the transfer of leadership in November that still has many of us in a state of shock and disbelief, we’re fast reverting (read deteriorating) to a place of well-forgotten yesteryears where it’s become largely ok, ‘cool’ to countless, to discriminate against each other based on our differences, instead of accepting and loving each other FOR them (a point so elegantly illustrated by AirBnB). Heck, if the leader of the free world can denigrate fellow human beings (stress on human beings who are all as relevant and equal as he), on the basis of gender, race, physicality, and more, why can’t we?
Secondly, with this new shift in power, we also seem to be in serious danger of forgetting the very spirit upon which the Americas were founded (facts majestically highlighted by Budweiser and 84 Lumber). Indeed, we can never forget that it was immigrants who built our countries with love and sweat and pride (like my ancestors including an uncle who fought against hate speech before there were even any laws to oppose it in the twenties). And while history surely had dark moments where this spirit of inclusion was challenged, and at times threatened, the general welcoming trend is inevitably what took its place as a guiding principle moving forward in modern times, enabling such amazing, fruitful gems of civilization to be created.
Thank you AirBnB, Audi, Budweiser, Coca Cola, 84 Lumber and others for reminding us, via imaginative and visually powerful statements, of what is most beautiful in our worlds: Love, acceptance, equality, inclusion, respect. You reinstate faith in humanity and underscore why it is so important to fight for what matters most.