WE'RE AT CAMP! Read all about it
The World's Most Popular Independently-Owned Website for Lesbian, Bisexual and Queer Women
Leave a Comment

//

65 Comments

16 Vintage "Gay" Advertisements That Are Funny Now That "Gay" Means "GAY"

tinkerbell

Posted by

"Gay" is a great word. Here's why: it rhymes with everything. Also, it's brief. Therefore it should be no surprise that even before it meant "inverted sinner pervert homosexual" and still meant "happy." What happened next was that gayness and happiness split up, but they've been getting back together ever since and are going strong. Look at our ancestors in gayness!

 

16 Vintage "Gay" Ads That Weren't Actually About Gay People But Should Be Now

+

16.

which makes 4th of july a gay holiday

+

15.

the captain is actually waving goodbye to these girls who he hasn't got a chance with anymore

+

14.

before R Family, there were these guys

+

13.

as we know it from watching 'the real l word'!

+

12.

we go way back with beer

+

11.

if you know what haviland & riese vlog this line is from, you win a pony

+

10.

this teapot inspired the romi klinger hit track, "gay in LA"

+

9.

it's a white tank top

+

8.

there are a lot of ways to look at this situation, i haven't picked just one yet

+

7.

not as sweet as lesbian sex, but sweet

+

6.

but lately we've been really into these color-coded bandana things?

+

5.

it's every straight girl's favorite fantasy

+

4.

+

3.

this paint roller is detachable, p.s.

+

2.

every little girl's dream, every parent's nightmare

+

1.

but what does it mean?

 

65 responses to “16 Vintage "Gay" Advertisements That Are Funny Now That "Gay" Means "GAY"”

  1. E

    This is one of the best things in all of human history. #8 is definitely my favorite.

    I also read #3 as “Clitone”.

    Wow! Thumb up 29
    1. Ellie

      I still thought it said that til I read your comment.

      Thumb up 4
    2. Brianna

      I just had to scroll back up to see what it actually says.

      One track mind…

      Thumb up 2
  2. Morgan

    pretty fabulous list of gaiety!
    if only all I needed was gay ribbon to keep me brave in a war troubled world.

    Thumb up 5
  3. Rachael

    Oddly enough both 12 and 13 had a contributing factor in my adolescent gay experiences.

    Thumb up 6
  4. bra

    “Menstrual distress” is now my new favorite phrase instead of “FUCK I’m cramping, I want to go back to bed”

    Thumb up 7
    1. Hilary

      I just like telling people that it feels like my uterine lining is being forcibly removed from my body. They get the picture.

      Thumb up 1
      1. Marika

        mostly I just flail around screaming BLOOD BLOOD EVERYWHERE

        (but really I have endometriosis and puddles happen)

        Thumb up 2
  5. Susi

    I’m so amused. The first one is perfect.

    Thumb up 1
  6. Hannah K

    Where do I buy these as posters. WHERE.

    Thumb up 4
    1. Kelsey

      Go to allposters.com, search for advertisements and what they are advertising, I know they have the Go Gay hairspray ones.

      Thumb up 1
  7. Carolina

    This is so GAY!

    Thumb up 4
  8. ladyrainicorn

    As someone who collapsed in a laughing fit in front of over a hundred people while singing the ‘Don we now our gay apparel’ line in Deck the Halls just this Christmas, this appeals to my sensibilities.

    Thumb up 10
  9. Squid

    Dead.

    Thumb up 0
  10. Erin

    So who else is gonna start stocking up on Ovaltine and Midol?

    Thumb up 7
  11. Pretty Butterfly

    Love it! Have you got any links to bigger versions? I want the Ovaltine one as a poster by my bed.

    Thumb up 2
    1. Naya

      “To wake up gay in the morning…just try this at bedtime tonight!”

      Thumb up 1
  12. trillion

    gay PRB! gay PBR! – me at pride confirms this

    Thumb up 4
  13. Julie

    Oh my god this is so incredibly high. Holy shit guys.

    Thumb up 1
    1. Julie

      so incredibly *funny* high

      Thumb up 1
      1. Carmen SanDiego

        I bet its even funnier that way

        Thumb up 2
  14. Sarah

    Jell-o totally IS the gay dessert. Have you ladies seen how many rainbow jello shot recipes are out there? At least 37 bajillion. I want to eat ALL THE RAINBOW JELLO.

    Thumb up 3
  15. Danika

    Re:#2
    I fucking love Ovaltine!!!

    Thumb up 2
  16. cynthia

    Go Gay..in a spray can – fucking GENIUS.

    Thumb up 3
  17. B'alam

    At first, I didn’t know what Jester was selling, but I do indeed feel a bit gayer after seeing it…so mission accomplished!

    Thumb up 6
  18. Diana

    Yes! #1! Knitting is already pretty gay, imo.

    Thumb up 1
  19. cynthia

    Looks like Jester used some Ciltone paint for his leggings.

    Thumb up 2
  20. SL,UT

    Now I know why Salt Lake City was voted gayest city…Jello! We love our Jello! If only all those Mormons knew that Jello salads at church events makes you gay, going to church would be A LOT more fun!

    Thumb up 2
    1. Hilary

      With their Jello at every event and their intense love of musical theater, Mormons really are the gayest of the homophobic religions.

      Thumb up 0
  21. DB

    I am going to put on my Kotex and Modess pads, take some Midol, make sure I have on my Gaytees footwear and gay Jester Wools, put some GoGay hairspray on my hair and Gay Diversion perfume on myself while my Gay-LA singing kettle heats up water for my Ovaltine. Then I will go on an American Export Lines gay cruise and drink lots of Cook’s Imperial Champagne and Pabst Blue Ribbon while eating Jello, and Murray Regent and Spangles candies. When I get home I will repaint with all 168 stylist colors of “Clitone” paint!

    Thumb up 5
  22. kd15

    I know I definitely wake up gay every morning

    Thumb up 9
  23. mkr

    The cruise, the rainbow and the ribbon–apparently destined to become supergay.

    Thumb up 4
  24. giles

    JUST IN TIME FOR HANUKKAH

    Thumb up 1
  25. Lister

    “Go, gay girls!” or “Go gay, girls!”? Either way, we are discovered first. I love this, so hilarious! “Wake up gay in the morning.” Pretty accurate.

    Thumb up 2
  26. Crystal

    Did anyone else look at number one and think it was a new/old pickup line for “missionary work”?

    Thumb up 4
  27. Charlotte

    This explains so much about my childhood. If ma hadn’t been so stingy with the Ovaltine, I’d have ended up lesbian instead of bisexual.

    Thumb up 7
    1. Claire

      I drank (or ate spoonfuls of) Ovaltine like it was going out of style and still ended up bisexual…

      Thumb up 0
  28. Stevey

    on the kotex one.. “most trying hygenic handicap” …. wtf is that referring to a period?

    Thumb up 2
  29. Claire

    I dunno if it’s ovaltine before bed that folks need to wake up gay in the morning… I think it’s me. A little me before bed will definitely wake you up gay in the morning.

    Thumb up 8
  30. Wanda

    This is fantastic!

    Thumb up 1
  31. nelson

    Anyone notice the freaking blackface in #8?

    Thumb up 4
    1. k brown

      thought i was the only one!!

      Thumb up 1
    2. riese

      OH MY G-D

      Thumb up 1
  32. Rose

    My favorite is when they called the 1890s the “Gay Nineties.” Considering this is the era when Oscar Wilde was making London ten times more fabulous, I highly approve.

    Thumb up 5
    1. Emily

      There’s a giant gay club in Minneapolis called the Gay 90s. It took me a couple years of college between by first and later visits to get the reference.

      Thumb up 1
      1. Marika

        …I was in the TC for five years (school + shitty employment) and I did not make that connection, ever.

        Damn science majors, we don’t know shit.

        Thumb up 0
  33. Ashley

    I dunno about anyone else here, but the idea of ensconcing animal crackers in Jello is really freaking me out. Like just…no, that is not okay.
    That will just ruin your animal crackers AND your Jello, and then where will you be?

    Thumb up 1
    1. Kelly

      If the Jello were pudding, I would never eat another thing again. D:

      Thumb up 1
  34. Kelly

    Can we start the hair ribbon movement as a super cute method of signaling?
    Ribbons > Bandanas

    Thumb up 1
    1. Marika
  35. Sarina

    Oh my Gay. My last name is Murray. And I love chocolate. And I am very fucking gay. Yess.

    Thumb up 1
  36. Erin

    Hilarious. #15 killed me!

    Thumb up 0
  37. sarah

    I think I will try that jell-o later it looks like a cute idea :)

    Thumb up 0
  38. Metz Ronan

    And then there’s this modern day OZ advertisement for an ice cream;

    Thumb up 0
    1. Metz Ronan

      Wahhh lack of image.

      http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/interactive/2010/2/gaytime.jpg

      “It’s hard to have a gaytime on your own!”

      Thumb up 1
      1. Kelly

        Gaytimes are awesome :D

        Thumb up 0
      2. Ellen

        My girlfriend couldn’t believe that I’d never had a Gaytime. So she bought me one.

        Thumb up 1
      3. Dina

        Incidentally they are freaking delicious.

        Thumb up 0
  39. Nina

    Someone needs to turn these into a calendar.

    Thumb up 0
  40. dorna

    This is my all-time favorite unintentionally gay vintage ad: http://vivatvintage.tumblr.com/post/4510930889/go-gay-this-season-in-hanro-plaids-1953

    It’s like the designer could see into the future.

    Thumb up 2
    1. Jade Norman

      Hahaha! That is perfect!

      Thumb up 0
  41. Jade Norman

    This is the best thing ever! I also read it as Clitone… was thinking that was perfect until I reread it… Gutted it doesn’t say that!

    Thumb up 0
  42. Dina

    I have a calendar from 195something that says “If it’s Gay, it’s okay!” From a company called Gay Products. I love it.

    Thumb up 0
  43. Anne

    I need to have these adverts in frames on my wall in my house. Now.

    Someone needs to start making reproductions to sell to me on etsy. Or tell me where i can get them please.

    Oh, the gay cruise! And the very gay assortment! Those will never stop being amusing.

    Thumb up 0

Leave a Reply

Site Meter