Upon my return from a spring break opening weekend trip to the University of Alabama, I sat in my home kitchen eating a midnight snack and watching some television. The station and show elude my mind right now but what I saw does not.

For anyone who has seen the Levi Jeans’ commercial of a man raising a cityscape around him as he pulls up his new 501 jeans, the denim company has made an interesting change to its advertisement. Instead of a brunette woman catching the man’s eyes and walking off with him, there is a blonde man in her place.

My immediate thought was “what a marvelously progressive move by Levi!” By making this subtle change, Levi appeals to a whole new market: the homosexual community. I may have been watching Bravo (a channel known to air programs, like "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy", aimed at cultural communities and homosexuals), but that depends purely on whether or not "Top Chef" was on; I must admit that I like that show, but I digress.

Now I’m not going to get all political about this commercial. The acceptance of the homosexual community and its practices is up to each individual and his beliefs. I see this advertisement’s re-release as a savvy and opportunistic business move.

The original commercial sends men a message similar to the following: if you buy and wear Levi jeans, the excitement of the city will broaden your world, and you’ll meet a beautiful woman. The advertising think-tank over at Levi headquarters simply made a slight change without large costs (many of the scenes were the same), and eventually I see the company increasing its profits by expanding that consumer dream to include “or meeting a handsome man.”

Videos of both commercials can be found on YouTube by searching strings like “Levi’s commercial” or “Levi’s 501 Change.”