The rules were developed following a consultation process partly prompted by the outcry over adverts in 2015 for the slimming product Protein World, which promised to make women “beach body ready”. The ASA concluded that the adverts did not explicitly break its rules but they were later banned for unrelated health reasons. The new rules, introduced at the beginning of the year, ban the depiction of men and women engaged in gender-stereotypical activities to help stop “limiting how people see themselves and how others see them and the life decisions they take”.
One ad, for Volkswagen’s electric eGolf vehicle, showed a series of scenes including a man and a woman in a tent on a sheer cliff face, two male astronauts, a male para-athlete and a woman sitting on a bench next to a pram. Text stated: “When we learn to adapt we can achieve anything.” Complainants said the ad showed men engaged in adventurous activities, that unlike her male counterpart, the female rock climber was “passive” because she was asleep, and that the woman with the pram was depicted in a stereotypical care-giving role.
In the ad for Philadelphia cream cheese brand, two new dads were shown eating lunch at a restaurant where food circulated on a conveyor belt. While chatting they accidentally find their babies are whisked away on it. “Let’s not tell mum,” one of them says.
The ASA’s Ella Smillie, who helped to devise the new rules, said: “Changing ad regulation isn’t going to end gender inequality but we know advertising can reinforce harmful gender stereotypes, which can limit people’s choices or potential in life.” She highlighted the real-world harms that resulted from gender inequality, such as the gender pay gap, low rates of women seeking careers in science and the large number of men struggling with mental health issues. She said comedy would not serve as a defence. “The use of humour or banter is unlikely to mitigate against the potential for harm. It’s fine to show people undertaking gender-stereotypical roles such a woman cleaning. But if an advert showed a woman being solely responsible for cleaning up mess within a home while a man sits around with his feet up, then that would be a problem.”
The ASA notes that the advertising industry has already moved on since the 2000s, when brands such as Lynx would advertise to teenage boys using over-sexualised imagery or Nestlé promoted its Yorkie chocolate bar under the “It’s Not for Girls” banner.
Other examples of adverts that will be banned include those that belittle men for carrying out stereotypically “female” roles or tasks; adverts that emphasise the contrast between a boy’s stereotypical personality and a girl’s; and adverts aimed at new mothers that suggests that looking attractive or keeping a home pristine is a priority for their emotional wellbeing.
Adverts that were studied as part of the consultation include a 2012 Asda promotion that showed a mother struggling to organise Christmas Day while a father sat around watching TV. Similar depictions could be banned under the new rules, although many members of the public who were shown the advert as part of the consultation thought that it was both sexist and realistic at the same time.
In another test, children were shown an advert featuring a young girl playing with Lego. Many of the children struggled with “cognitive dissonance” as a result of the advert, because they considered the building blocks to be a toy for boys.
What are your thoughts on the new rules? Helpful or too PC? Are there any adverts you would like to see banned?
Read more:
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/dec/14/uk-advertising-watchdog-to-crack-down-on-sexist-stereotypers
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/aug/14/first-ads-banned-for-contravening-gender-stereotyping-rules