The Best Part Of Pride Is Making Fun Of Rainbow Capitalism
Every June, queer people across the internet — especially on Twitter and, more recently, TikTok — engage in an important Pride tradition: dunking on the year’s overwhelming and nauseating display of rainbow capitalism. Also known as “pink capitalism” or “pinkwashing,” rainbow capitalism is a term used to describe the commercialization and commodification of LGBTQ movements, most notably Pride.
In the same way that whitewashing and greenwashing absorb historical and environmental struggles, rainbow capitalism exploits marginalized communities by turning them into markets, selling them back to them as a product, and commodifying pretty much everything about every part of their lives. Rainbow capitalism’s flattening of the LGBTQ struggle is the reason why so many people are unaware of the roles of Black and brown trans women in creating Pride — despite the fact that the month-long celebration is meant to commemorate them.
Rainbow capitalism is why Pride month is one of the spirit-and-alcohol industry’s biggest promotional seasons, despite the disproportionately high rates of substance abuse among LGBTQ people. But perhaps most importantly — and disrespectfully — rainbow capitalism has produced some of the most offensively ugly branding out there.
Take, for example, Red Lobster’s recent Instagram post featuring the beloved Cheddar Bay Biscuits adorned in the most miserable rainbow filter: Is it an earnest attempt to appeal to queer consumers? Or, could it be a meme commenting on the absurd lengths rainbow capitalism will go to profit off queer struggles? It almost doesn’t matter, it's so tasteless; it’s cringe
One of this year’s most destabilizing specimens of rainbow capitalism happened when Mean Girls actor Jonathan Bennet (he played Aaron Samuels) announced his engagement to Jaymes Vaughan and went on Twitter to promote the engagement ring. The ring is available to purchase through Kay Jewelers, and is named “Our Ring,” Bennet explains, “not just because it’s me and Jaymes’, but it’s ‘Our Ring’ because it’s for the entire community,” adding that “if you are gay and part of the LGBT + community” you can go get this ring. Is this as bad as this wildly homophobic 2017 Tweet from Chipotle? Hard to say, but that Chipotle tweet is always worth revisiting because it’s so bad.
