Grandfather learns to apply makeup in holiday advert celebrating trans acceptance: ‘Absolutely beautiful’

‘I don’t think I’ve ever watched a commercial so full of love and compassion,’ one viewer says

People are praising a viral holiday commercial as the “best ad of the year” for its heartwarming depiction of the relationship between a grandfather and his transgender granddaughter.

The ad, which was created by global drink brand Diageo for its J&B Rare Scotch whisky, was released in Spain, and follows an elderly man who begins to secretly teach himself how to apply makeup.

In the commercial, the grandfather can be seen borrowing a red lipstick from his wife and buying an eyeshadow palette from the store, before locking himself in his bathroom to practise applying the products.

The ad then sees the man’s family arrive for the holidays, at which point he gestures for his transgender granddaughter to follow him into the bathroom. There, the grandfather applies a full face of makeup to his grandchild.

After the pair emerge from the bathroom, they are greeted with an emotional display of support and love from their family. The commercial ends with the grandfather raising a glass in a toast.

The commercial, which in English is titled, “She, a J&B Tale,” has since gone viral on TikTok. Viewers have applauded the heartwarming story of unconditional love and acceptance.

“This is the best commercial out there right now. Hands down. Full stop,” one person captioned the video, before adding: “Grab a tissue. Watch the entire thing. This is the way.”

According to another user who shared the commercial, it is “by far the most beautiful holiday commercial [they’ve] ever seen”.

“A must watch,” they added.

In the comments under the videos praising the commercial, many additional viewers have revealed how deeply touched they were by the advert.

“I don’t think I’ve ever watched a commercial so full of love and compassion. As a member of the trans community, thank you J&B Scotch,” one person wrote, while another said: “This made me cry. Such pure love.”

“This is absolutely beautiful,” someone else added.

Diageo, the maker of J&B Whisky said that the ad, which was created by creative agency El Ruso de Rocky and production company Agosto, is meant to show the power of love, and its ability to overcome “any prejudice or barrier”.

“At J&B we want everyone to feel free to celebrate at Christmas, to give visibility to a reality that thousands of people in the LGBTQ+ community face in seeking a safe space to be their true selves during the holiday season,” Úrsula Mejía-Melgar, Diageo’s marketing director for Southern Europe, said in a statement to Fox9. “‘She’ is a story that invites everyone to celebrate Christmas freely.”

This is not the first time that Diageo has been praised for highlighting LGBTQ+ voices and stories, as the company has a long history of allyship. According to AdWeek, executives at the drinks company were named among the Top 50 Ally Executives on the Outstanding LGBT+ Role Model Lists by diversity and inclusion organisation Involve last month, which marked the eighth consecutive year executives at the company have been featured.

The Independent has contacted Diageo for comment.