Boycotting pasta is not something Italians take lightly. But when the head of Italyâs popular Barilla pasta, which is the worldâs largest producer and exporter of the Italian staple, told a provocative radio program that he would never consider using a gay couple to advertise his pasta products, gay rights activists, politicians, and consumers vowed to boycott the products. âI would never feature a gay couple in our advertisements,â Guido Barilla said to Italyâs Radio24. He said it was OK if gays âlike our pastaâ and âour communicationâ referring to the brandâs traditional family-centric marketing. âOtherwise, they can eat another pasta. You canât always please everyone.â Barilla later added insult to injury by explaining that what he meant was that their company ads wanted to reinforce the role of women as mothers, caregivers, and the nutritional head of household.

Barillaâs comments were met with scorn and indignation among gay rights activists, womenâs equality advocates and parliamentarians who have been lobbying to introduce a string of anti-homophobic and anti-sexist measures in recent weeks. Italy has one of Europeâs worst track records for sexist advertising and homophobic hate crimes. Nearly 1,000 cases of verbal and physical aggression against gay and lesbian people are reported each year, according to Italyâs Gay Helpline. In the last four years, 20 transsexuals have been killed in Italy, according to the group Transgender Europe.
The Italian parliament has been campaigning to make overtly sexist advertising taboo. In fact, Barillaâs comments came in response to criticism that his companyâs marketing campaign almost always showed a man and children sitting at the table with a woman serving them. Earlier this week, the president of the House of Deputies, Laura Boldrini, told parliament that she was tired of seeing stereotypes reinforced in mainstream advertising. âI always ask myself, would these ads run in other countries? The answer is no, absolutely no,â she said. âIt is not acceptable to always see an ad with the father and children always sitting at the table and the mother serving them.â
Barilla shot back that their family business, now in its fourth generation, was defending the traditional mother-father family. A spokesperson for Barilla told The Daily Beast that the media was sensationalizing the comments, and passed on a prepared statement: âI apologize if my words have generated controversy or misunderstanding or if they hurt anyoneâs sensitivity.â
Barillaâs remarks caused a Twitter frenzy under the hashtag #biocottabarilla or boycott Barilla, which was still trending in Italy on Friday morning. There were also reports of pasta aisles being vandalized in grocery stores in Bologna, considered the most gay-friendly city in Italy. Barilla agreed to meet with gay rights advocates to try to calm the controversy, but the damage to the company could be worse than a gluten-allergy epidemic. âWe need to boycott any company that undermines equality,â Alessandro Zan, a parliamentarian for the left-wing SEL (Sinestra Ecologia Liberta) party told The Daily Beast. âBut we also need to educate the public who agree with Barillaâs sentiment.â
The pasta chiefâs comments did not offend everyone. Maria Rita Munizzi, head of the Italian parents movement MOIGE, which tends towards keeping mothers in the kitchen and out of the workplace, showed her solidarity with Barillaâs focus on tradition. âWe appreciate the choice to showcase his products with the natural family,â she said in a statement.
Barilla stopped short of apologizing for using women in subservient roles in the companyâs marketing. âOur focus is on the traditional family,â he said. In the meantime other Italian pasta makers found an opportunity for some creative reverse marketing. Buitoni pasta quickly sent out an official statement via Facebook, âAt Buitoniâs house, thereâs a place for everyone.â Another leading pasta and bread producer Misura went a step further to a produce a quick spot with gay and heterosexual couple sharing a plate of cookies. âEvery family is different and thatâs precisely why we like you,â the ad said.
Aurelio Mancuso, the president of the gay rights advocacy group Equality Italia who instigated the Barilla boycott, said he welcomed the invitation by Barilla not to eat their pasta. âNo one has ever asked Barilla to do a spot with a gay family,â he said in a recorded interview with Corriere Della Sera posted on the organizationâs website. âBut if you think like he does, that if you donât agree, you can just eat another type of pasta, thatâs a dangerous message. Itâs the tone of his message, that gay families are not important in the market, and that they donât count, that is more troubling.â