BRITAIN’S LOSING ITS MARBLES ( Cont.)
TV adverts with busy mums and hopeless dads to vanish in fight against ‘gender stereotypes’
FROM the Oxo Mum and the Fairy Liquid Housewife to the Milk Tray Man, they are much-loved adverts that hark back to when TV was wholesome family entertainment.
But such images are unlikely to appear on our screens again as the authorities crack down on what they call ‘harmful gender stereotypes’.
Adverts that use traditional portrayals of the do-it-all housewife will be banned, watchdogs announced yesterday. So will any that stereotype men, ridicule them for not being masculine enough or suggest they are not suited to such domestic tasks as cleaning or childcare.
But the decision by the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP), confirming proposals mooted earlier this year, drew criticism.
Actress Nanette Newman, who appeared in Fairy Liquid ads in the 1980s, has said: ‘I find this ban ridiculously over the top. What a bizarre world we live in where the adverts I starred in might today be considered harmful, yet it’s considered perfectly acceptable for women to be shown on mainstream TV having sex.’
Others said adverts that portrayed women in traditional roles were ‘corny but not corrosive’.
CAP’s new rule to tackle gender stereotyping follows a review carried out in the summer and is due to come into effect next year. The organisation, which sets industry rules that are policed by the Advertising Standards Authority, said it is not acceptable to mock people for not conforming to gender stereotypes.
‘Evidence in the review suggested that harmful stereotypes can restrict the choices, aspirations and opportunities of children, young people and adults,’ CAP said.
‘These stereotypes can be reinforced by some advertising, which therefore plays a part in unequal gender outcomes, with costs for individuals, the economy and society.
‘The new rule will not ban all forms of gender stereotypes. For example, the evidence falls short of calling for a ban on ads depicting a woman cleaning or a man doing DIY tasks.
‘But, subject to context and content considerations, the evidence suggests certain types of depictions are likely to be problematic, for example, an ad which depicts family members creating a mess while a woman has sole responsibility for cleaning it up or an ad that features a man trying and failing to undertake simple parental or household tasks because of stereotypes associated with his gender.’
Unilever is among a number of brands that have taken voluntary measures to end gender stereotyping. In the past, its Knorr TV adverts used to show a mother and daughter in the kitchen, but they now feature a father and son. It has also changed its Lynx commercials which, in the past, featured women in bikinis hunting down young men.
However, CAP said voluntary measures do not go far enough, so new rules are necessary. Ads that would now be at risk of a ban include:
A Gap campaign that featured a little boy wearing an Einstein T-shirt, which suggested he would grow up to become an academic. Images of a little girl suggested she would become a ‘social butterfly’.
One for Aptamil baby milk that showed girls growing up to become ballerinas and boys becoming scientists and rock climbers.
Asda’s Christmas 2012 offering that showed an exhausted mum struggling to buy the presents and tree, decorating the home, wrapping the gifts, writing cards and cooking the festive feast.
The ASA is also expected to take a stronger line on ads which could be seen to objectify and degrade women – for example, a poster for Tom Ford Black Orchid perfume that showed Cara Delevingne lying naked on her front with the side of her breast and bottom visible.
In 2009, it cleared an Oven Pride oven cleaner ad that showed men as incapable of performing simple
household tasks. Ella Smillie, who lead the CAP review, said: ‘Some gender stereotypes in ads can contribute to harm for adults and children by limiting how people see themselves, how others see them, and potentially restricting the life decisions they take.
‘The introduction of a new advertising rule from 2018 will help advertisers to know where to draw the line. ASA chief executive Guy Parker said: ‘We are determined to make sure our regulation calls out harmful and outdated practices.’