An insurance ad is being celebrated by Stevie Nicks & condemned by the religious right

[Behind the Aegis]

A heartwarming commercial featuring a young boy wearing makeup, jewelry, heels, and a dress is taking the Internet by storm.

The boy is featured in a British ad for John Lewis Home Insurance. In it, he is strutting through his house, causing damage left and right while dancing fabulously to Stevie Nicks’ “Edge of Seventeen.”

As he struts past his family and continues to smear paint and glitter across his face, he spills drinks, breaks glassware, knocks into paintings, and pours paint all over the carpet.

But it’s all in the name of his fabulous dance number. In the end, the commercial reads, “Let Life Happen.”

more...

I am sorry, this is too cute, but not surprising people are losing their fucking minds over it.

[TlalocW]

1. Yes, son, you're fabulous

But you're still grounded. Now clean up your mess.

TlalocW

[Solly Mack]

2. That's awesome!

[winstars]

3. Tear in my eye, soooo cool!!!!!!!

[LeftInTX]

4. Cute! I hope insurance covers the mess...

I think straight kids are more guilty of home destruction...LOL

My son punched a wall...LOL...

[RestoreAmerica2020]

5. Glitter added that extra wow..what a charming child! Now clean up

..this bloody mess (says his mother.)

Thanks for posting. Made me smile. loved it !.

Paz.

[lame54]

6. Edge of Seventeen?...

I've heard that song a zillion times and never knew that was the title

[LeftInTX]

7. I know...I never knew the name myself...

I though Edge of Seventeen was that downer song by Janis Ian.

[orleans]

9. lol. the janis ian song was "seventeen" nt

[ShazzieB]

17. No, it's "At Seventeen."

I learned the truth at seventeen
That love was meant for beauty queens
And high school girls with clear skinned smiles
Who married young and then retired

The valentines I never knew
The Friday night charades of youth
Were spent on one more beautiful
At seventeen I learned the truth...

Omg, I loved that song SO much back then! It was one of those "Killing Me Softly" songs for me, that feeling that someone had reached into your head, scooped out your own personal thoughts and memories, and used them to write a song. *sigh*

Never even heard of that Stevie Nicks song, though. I'm not that familiar with her solo work, just the stuff she did with Fleetwood Mac. It sounds cool, though.

[orleans]

34. omg! you're right--it is *at* seventeen

can't believe i forgot that.

here's the old video of edge of seventeen

i googled what edge of seventeen is about: "The lyrics were written by Nicks to express the grief resulting from the death of her uncle Jonathan and the assassination of John Lennon during the same week of December 1980."

hmmm.... i don't think i ever knew that.

[Tumbulu]

8. Well it really upsets me- destroying so many things?

I don’t get it at all.

Not a good ad in my book.

[LeftInTX]

11. It's a home insurance ad...as long as the insurance covers "wild kids"...it's a good ad

[Behind the Aegis]

14. From the company:

Link to tweet

[orleans]

10. adorable! i love this! nt

[Earth-shine]

12. Insurance covers this type of destruction?

I don't think this is cute at all.

[Behind the Aegis]

13. From the company:

Link to tweet

[Earth-shine]

15. You think the child is not potrayed as willfully damaging his home?

He couldn't see or hear the damage happening?

He sure as heck is willfully in control of his behavior.

There's no way an insurance company would cover all this damage as accidental. Simply put, they'll take the premiums and then make their case for why they won't pay up.

Again, I see nothing cute about this. If this was reality instead of some TV fantasy, the parent would be 100% responsible.

[Behind the Aegis]

18. You think he is?

Other than the paint on the carpet, most of it seems he is lost in his character. Personally, this is seems more like overthinking.

There's no way an insurance company would cover all this damage as accidental. Simply put, they'll take the premiums and then make their case for why they won't pay up.

And you know this how? I see a statement for them actual company, perhaps not all would be covered, but your opinion, is just that.

Don't like it? Fine. I, and some others, think it is cute and expressive.

[Earth-shine]

23. I question the need for this level of "expression."

A child destroying his home while the mother sits by is not valid expression. It's an absurdity. So is thinking insurance will pay up.

[Behind the Aegis]

24. It's a commercial.

It is a kid being a kid. Sure, there will be consequences from the parent, but the point is shit happens and the kid is being himself. Of course, you are also missing the bigger picture here; the reason people are shitting themselves isn't because of some "concern" about the kid creating a mess, but that he is dressed like a girl and dancing around the house unashamed. THAT is why people are freaking out.

[Earth-shine]

25. The juxtaposition of the kid being cross-dressed with all the destruction is ambiguous.

The commercial is relating the two. Why?

If this were reality, no matter how the kid is dressed, the poor parenting and kid's behavior would be problematic. The adult is there letting this go on.

The kid's off-beat sexuality is exploited by the commercial. To me, the problem is that sexuality itself is imposed on the child by the commercial to make a point.

This kid is on a rampage. There's no way that all or most of it would pass muster with an insurance adjuster.

I do not think it's cute.

[harumph]

29. I agree. It's not clever. It's not surreal - not magical realism.

It's a kid on a rampage - breaking things as you say. Oh, I get what it's "trying" to do which is
conflate non-binary sexuality which is FALSELY interpreted by conventional wisdom (and ad agencies),
as transgressive or edgy, with REAL transgressive behavior that is selfish and completely unconcerned with
others. I believe the conflating of these two aspects is actually damaging to LGBTQ individuals - because it
equates identity with being solipsistic.

[Earth-shine]

33. Well said. You found the words to say what I was thinking.

Solipsism - It's a good word to describe extreme self-indulgence at the expense of others.

[Hortensis]

36. :) I think that taking it seriously and literally causes the

intended message to be missed. "Performance Art, meet Business Commercial. Business Commercial, this is Performance Art."

Lacking the guitar-smashing gene, I winced at the destruction also, but the unreal, unconcerned reaction of family is a huge clue to how we should take it.

Message: Life happens, but not to worry. You're insured.

Took me a second viewing, but I really like it.

[inthewind21]

39. American Response

To insurance in CANADA!

[Demobrat]

16. So if the kid throws a party when the parents aren't home

does the insurance cover that too?

I can think of lots of great tracks to set that action to.

[Behind the Aegis]

20. Contact the company and ask.

Maybe they will let you create an ad. Ca-ching.

[iwillalwayswonderwhy]

19. I just showed this to my husband

He laughed through it, as did I. I told him it was controversial because of the destruction. His reply was that if you don’t think kids are messy and untidy and break things, you best not have kids.

I found it adorable. What a fun role for this kid!

[Demobrat]

22. Not that people don't believe kids are destructive.

We just have trouble believing insurance would cover it.

Accidents maybe - willful acts of destruction, not so much.

[róisín_dubh]

31. Just a thought..

perhaps insurance is different in other countries?

[Celerity]

21. 10 quid says almost all of those gits whingeing on are Little Englander Leave voters

[MissMillie]

26. Just wondering... (back in the day)

Did people give Milton Berle such a hard time?

[GoCubsGo]

32. Nope, and they loved Liberace, too.

[Biophilic]

27. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Thanks. Such fun to see a truly free spirit.

I'm sort of sorry for those who take it entirely too seriously. Come on, it's a commercial. It has artistic license. It was a wonderful idea and the kid is awesome.

[BootinUp]

28. Haven't watched it yet

Now if you play it backwards… what happens?

[Bettie]

30. It was cute and funny

plus, most paint for kids that age is water based and washes off....glitter can be vacuumed up, and it didn't seem that much was broken, more like the kid was making a mess....been there, cleaned it all up, with help from kids.

I don't think the commercial was literally saying: we'll pay for cleaning your house if the kids make a mess.

It was saying that sometimes shit happens and they can help.

I don't know what the case is wherever this ad was made, but getting an insurance company to cover ANYTHING is really difficult here in the US.

[Chautauquas]

35. I'm sure most parents would find it adorable

Come home to find the kid has gone around making a big mess and surely they'd just say "oh, he's so adorable."

I don't like the ad for the same reason I don't like any ads. They're ads and they're an intrusion. Ads are why mute buttons were invented.

[Elessar Zappa]

37. You kids get off my lawn!

[Elessar Zappa]

38. The ad is great.

Fuck the religious right.

[BComplex]

40. That could be my grand-nephew. So friggin' awesome!

Great video! I want whatever they're selling!