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Russian supermarket chain VkusVill has withdrawn an advertising campaign featuring a lesbian couple after a storm of protest in Russia, and the couple even had to flee the country. This raises the question: how progressive is the chain really?
Apologies
The advertisement for rice balls with hummus was released at the end of June, showing a mother with her two daughters and the lesbian girlfriend of one of them. The campaign led to hate messages on social media, with these actresses even receiving death threats. The food retailer was also criticised for homosexual propaganda.
VkusVill subsequently apologised and withdrew the campaign. The company stated that it had made a mistake and “hurt the feelings of a large number of our customers and employees”. Later, a new version of the ad appeared, but this time, featuring heterosexual families.
Conflicting ideals
The family of the original ad had to flee Russia and found shelter in Barcelona. “We do not have to hide our happiness to be a family. Thank you to those who supported us, to those who risked speaking out for us, and to those who helped us personally”, the mother said.
The incident puts VkusVill in a difficult position: the fresh food retailer wants to present itself as a trendy and progressive chain ripe for conquering the West. The chain has opened a store in Amsterdam, famous for its welcoming atmosphere towards gays, and the formula has its sights set on other Western cities like Paris. However, the question has now risen how these excuses, and the fact that the retailer is so quickly conforming to Russian conservatism, will be received. Will the chain at some point have to choose between Western success or loyalty to its homeland?
