We have grown accustomed to the idea of women being featured in washing powder ads while men shown making mess in various energy drink ads. Apparently UK is breaking this tradition by banning all such stereotypical advertisements.
The controversy started when an advert for Aptamil baby milk formula showed a girl predicting herself as future ballerina while the boy was imagining to become a scientist.
Another advert of Gap clothing was also criticized for showing a girl becoming a social butterfly while a boy becoming more academic.
The topic of advertisements spreading various stereotypes was under discussion since 2015 when Protein World placed sexist ads and billboards that showed people an unrealistic image of a “perfect beach body”.
Backlash on these advertisement apparently took a serious turn and the authorities have now taken serious steps about it.
According to a research by the Advertising Standard Authority (ASA), these stereotypes can boost “unfair outcomes” especially for younger generation of community as they are more prone to get affected by such advertisements and may develop more gender biased personalities.
The report: Deceptions, Perceptions and Harm, suggested more stringent rules against advertising stereotypical ideas.
The ban will not exactly ban all kind of stereotype but there are certain categories for it.
This ban is a hot topic in many advertising companies as females are taking lead in many of these companies. They want to put an end to the stereotype of women cleaning all the mess and doing all the chores at home while men are only shown to be making mess or relaxing.
However, the idea of woman cleaning on her own while men doing DIY tasks are acceptable according to the ASA.
This stereotypical mentality in our society is also blamed on the marketers for propagating such ideas through their advertisements. Many psychologists suggest introducing strict regulations on the marketing strategists who knowingly or unknowingly spread such stereotypical ideas.
The ban will be in effect from 2018 and any advertisement that does not abide the law will be banned.
