International Men’s Day, held annually on 19 November, celebrates men and boys and highlights the positive value they bring as well as raising awareness of their wellbeing.
The ASA has always taken a strong position on harmful or offensive depictions of gender, body image or objectification and sexualisation in advertising. By following the advice below, you can ensure that your advertising complies with the CAP Code.
Avoid harmful or offensive stereotypes
Ads must not include gender stereotypes that are likely to cause harm, or serious or widespread offence.
Ads may feature or reference people undertaking gender-stereotypical roles but care should be taken to avoid suggesting that stereotypical roles or characteristics are always associated with one gender only, are the only options available to one gender or are never carried out or displayed by another gender.
An ad featuring a father, who was looking after his children in a house which was clean and tidy, was depicted as capable of being responsible when an item accidentally broke as well as being fun and playful. Although the ad made clear that fixing a household item would avoid the father and sons being “in trouble” with the mother, the ad didn’t perpetuate harmful gender stereotypes because it didn’t suggest that fathers were focused on having fun whilst mothers were concerned with tidiness.
Sexualisation and objectification
Ads shouldn’t depict people in a way that could present them as physical or sexual objects.
An ad for an estate agent, which featured a man’s torso and stated "WOW! WHAT A PACKAGE", was likely to have the effect of objectifying the man by using his physical features to draw attention to an unrelated product.
Ads which feature nudity aren’t always sexual but they could still cause offence depending on its relevance to the advertised product and the targeting of the ad.
Although an ad for men’s underwear was presented in a manner consistent with other products on the website, other ads were sufficiently explicit to be likely to cause serious offence. The ASA accepted that the specifications of certain products, such as the mesh boxers, would mean elements of nudity were unavoidable, but other ads didn’t make clear to recipients that they would contain sexually explicit content.
Body image
Ads should be socially responsible and they shouldn’t portray particular body types in an irresponsible manner or present an unhealthy body image as aspirational. Ads which suggest that a person’s happiness or wellbeing depends on conforming to a particular physical appearance, or a gender stereotypical body type or physical features are likely to be problematic.
An ad for a diet and exercise programme, which suggested a child should change their body shape, was irresponsible as it was likely to exploit young people’s potential insecurities around body image, or risked putting pressure on them to take extreme action to change their body shape.
If advertisers offer health or beauty products aimed at men, ensure ads do not refer to a refund or money back guarantee in such a way that implies the efficacy of the product is guaranteed. Advertisers should not to promote prescription only medicines to the public.
If you would like bespoke advice on your own non-broadcast advertising, please contact our Copy Advice team for fast, free and confidential advice.
More on
-
Keep up to date
Sign up to our rulings, newsletters and emargoed access for Press. Subscribe now.
