An advertising campaign in Latin
America for Modern Family has Eric Stonestreet in the role of
mother.
On ABC's Sunday night comedy,
Stonestreet plays teddy-bearish Cameron, who, along with his partner
Mitchell (played by openly gay Jesse Tyler Ferguson), are raising
their adopted daughter Lily.
Cameron is a stay-at-home dad with a
big heart. He is often portrayed on the sitcom as a bit flamboyant.
But last season, viewers were surprised to find out that Cameron has
a decidedly masculine side.
“I collect antique fountain pens,”
Cameron says to the camera in last year's fifth episode. “I'm
quite adept at Japanese flower arrangements. Ikebana. And I was the
starting offensive lineman at the University of Illinois.”
“Surprise!” he adds after a slight
pause.
Ad guys in Latin American, however,
have chosen to portray Cameron as Lily's mother. A similar campaign
in the United States would probably be deemed offensive.
A billboard spotted in Bogota, Colombia
for the show's Monday 10PM broadcast features the couple holding
their baby. Mitchell, Cameron and Lily are labeled “father,”
“mother” and “baby,” respectively.
Season 2 of the Emmy-nominate show
returns to ABC on September 22.