[Twosugars]

First ads banned for contravening UK gender stereotyping rules
Watchdog bans VW and Philadelphia ads with bungling dads and ‘passive’ women

Two television ads, one featuring new dads bungling comically while looking after their babies and the other a woman sitting next to a pram, have become the first to be banned under new rules designed to reduce gender stereotyping.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned the ads for Philadelphia cream cheese and Volkswagen, following complaints from the public that they perpetuated harmful stereotypes.

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”.

In the ad for Philadelphia, the Mondelez-owned 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.

Youtube video

Complainants said the tongue-in-cheek ad perpetuated a harmful stereotype suggesting men were incapable of caring for children and would put them at risk as a result of their incompetence.

Mondelez told the ASA it was stuck in a no-win situation, having specifically chosen two dads to avoid depicting the stereotypical image of showing two new mums handling all the childcare responsibilities.

The ASA banned the ad, saying it reinforced the idea that men were ineffective childcarers.

The 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.”

Youtube video

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.

Volkswagen said its ad was not sexist and that caring for a newborn was a life-changing experience about adaptation, regardless of the gender of the parent depicted.

The ASA, however, “concluded that the ad presented gender stereotypes in a way that was likely to cause harm”.

Critics said the new rules were too draconian and that banning even the most innocuous use of gender stereotypes showed the watchdog had gone too far.
https://www.theguardian.com/media/20...eotyping-rules

[Kate!]

Taking the piss tbh. Ridiculous.

[Niamh.]

A good step forward

[bots]

i find it difficult to get worked up about this type of thing when there is so much regression going on in the world

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by bitontheslide

i find it difficult to get worked up about this type of thing when there is so much regression going on in the world

I think steps like this are actively helping against regression, regression towards women and stereotyping in particular

[Saph]

I've always found that Philadelphia one with the two new dads leaving their babies on a sushi thing really stupid anyway so im glad its banned

[James]

Youtube video

Youtube video

[Alf]

Freedom is so much better than censorship. I hope one day we get it back again for everyone to enjoy.

The Nazis censor and ban, we shouldn't want to be like them.

[Twosugars]

Thanks James for the vids, I finally managed to add them too.

[Saph]

I dont really see why the VW one was banned.. shes just sitting there, it doesn't imply any major stereotype? the Philadelphia one makes out that dads are dumb so yeah I get why that one got banned

[Twosugars]

I mean, if bans make ad makers less lazy then why not.

[Twosugars]

Originally Posted by Saph

I dont really see why the VW one was banned.. shes just sitting there, it doesn't imply any major stereotype? the Philadelphia one makes out that dads are dumb so yeah I get why that one got banned

The man gets to do all the adventures and she's is not, stuck with a baby.
I think this one is worse than Philadelphia tbh

[Elliot]

they're **** ads anyway

[Beso]

Ridiculous.

[MTVN]

Mondelez told the ASA it was stuck in a no-win situation, having specifically chosen two dads to avoid depicting the stereotypical image of showing two new mums handling all the childcare responsibilities.

Well exactly, by these standards it seems that basically any depiction of domestic life is going to fall foul of regulations

[MTVN]

Originally Posted by Twosugars

The man gets to do all the adventures and she's is not, stuck with a baby.
I think this one is worse than Philadelphia tbh

So raising a child is not considered an adventure and something to celebrate? It's just being 'stuck with a baby'?

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by MTVN

So raising a child is not considered an adventure and something to celebrate? It's just being 'stuck with a baby'?

I think you're being deliberately obtuse here in not understanding the issue people may have with it

[MTVN]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

I think you're being deliberately obtuse here in not understanding the issue people may have with it

No I am genuinely quite dumbfounded by it

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by MTVN

No I am genuinely quite dumbfounded by it

Maybe if you were a woman you wouldn't be

[MTVN]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

Maybe if you were a woman you wouldn't be

Well I am a man and I am also dumbfounded by the banning of the Phildapelphia father ad

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by MTVN

Well I am a man and I am also dumbfounded by the banning of the Phildapelphia father ad

Gender stereotypes have had a worse effect on women than men though

[Oliver_W]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

Gender stereotypes have had a worse effect on women than men though

Yeah, who knows what will come of a formation of pixels making the shape of a woman sitting down!!

[Twosugars]

Originally Posted by MTVN

So raising a child is not considered an adventure and something to celebrate? It's just being 'stuck with a baby'?

How about the bloke goes to the park with the baby and she gets to experience weightlessness for a change, huh? Huh?
It's his baby too. Share responsibilities, not go off ****ing about god knows where

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Oliver_W

Yeah, who knows what will come of a formation of pixels making the shape of a woman sitting down!!

[Kizzy]

Does anyone remember that Scottish independence ad ' the woman who made up her mind'? That would never pass this. I remember commenting at the time... er, is it just me..can anyone else see how patronising this is? :/