diff --git a/slides_template/example.tex b/slides_template/example.tex
index 83a1af9..f418eb5 100644
--- a/slides_template/example.tex
+++ b/slides_template/example.tex
@@ -162,7 +162,9 @@ BoldItalicFont  =   *-BoldItalic
 %     urlcolor=Plum, unicode=true}
 
 % create a new \e{} command to make things purple and bold
-\newcommand{\e}[1]{\alert{#1}}
+% (falls back to \textit{} on standout slides where alert color is invisible)
+\newcommand{\e}[1]{%
+  \ifthenelse{\boolean{metropolis@standout}}{\textit{#1}}{\alert{#1}}}
 
 % remove the nagivation symbols
 \setbeamertemplate{navigation symbols}{}