ASA are starting to uphold complaints on ads where women are objectified

[forkful]

M&S ad banned.

I am having a look on the ASA website for the actual adjudication.

In the meantime I've found one for Lynx.

The ASA said "We noted that the poster featured a woman standing under a beach shower wearing bikini bottoms and holding a bikini top against her breasts. While we considered that the poster was not graphic or indecent we noted that the woman?s bikini top was undone and that the ad also included the statement ?THE CLEANER YOU ARE THE DIRTIER YOU GET?. We considered that that statement, particularly placed next to a picture of a woman with an unfastened bikini top and reinforced by the statement ?GET DIRTY THIS SUMMER? at the bottom of the poster, was clearly intended to imply that using the advertised product would lead to more uninhibited sexual behaviour. We therefore considered that the poster would be seen to make a link between purchasing the product and sex with women and in so doing would be seen to objectify women."

Now is the time to hit the ASA with other adverts which you think objectify women.

[ElderberrySyrup]

It was mid-nineties, I just googled and didn't get anything more specific than that.

[Beachcomber]

Does sex really sell though? Or are we just all so used to being told that it does, so we unquestionably accept this as a universal truth (and as a natural state of affairs)?

And really all this stuff isn't sex anyway - it is the fetishization of socially constructed notions of sexuality.

[DoesNotGiveAFig]

New to this section and suchlike, so please don't shout at me.

I find washing powder adverts really annoying and fairy ads etc because they generally show women as the people using the products. Pisses me off.

[Beachcomber]

IT PISSES ME OFF TOO DOESNOTGIVEAFIG.

Does shouting count if it is in enthusiastic welcoming agreement?

[hairnets]

This is good news. I wish they'd also ban (or at least even out) adverts that make out all women do is sit around at home working out what to cook for their families/ what cleaning products to use etc.
The worst offender has to be the one where they go round the table saying "What did you do today Dad?" etc. and no one asks the mum... obviously because she's been doing nothing but sit around waiting for her fmailies' return... grrr... soap box... grrr...

Oh, and don't get me started on the group of mum's who get together round someone's house to compare Asda receipts...

But yes, adverts that objectify women; away with them.

[hairnets]

And let's not forget about M&S/Hootersgate.

[DoesNotGiveAFig]

Haha thanks Beachcomber! I also despise the galaxy advert where the lady is lying down to eat chocolate...my DH is more likely to do that than me!

[hairnets]

When you said Diet Coke I thought you meant the one with all the puppet women with massive heads and short skirts bouncing around... does that fit in to any of the catagories they don't like because that pisses me off.

[lovecat]

A friend of mine has just started working for the ASA... dunno if that's got anything to do with it

[DoesNotGiveAFig]

The non balance (is that even a valid phrase/word?) in adverts I also find irritating when it comes to physical appearance of "couples". In more adverts than the not the "wife" is slim, young looking, attractive and generally perfect. The "husband" it seems can look any way he wants - overweight, thin, balding, attractive, unattractive - more of a real representation of the general man.

Oh there are SOO many adverts that piss me off re: representation of women, their behaviour and what they want from life. Which is slimming products (when did a special k advert last feature a bloke?!), anti ageing products, to cook for the family and do all the laundry and washing up, whilst looking sexy as hell. Adverts definitely support the Madonna/whore thing too. "The Girls". Pft.

[Sciencegeekmum]

Oh the special k adverts really piss me off. How can a breakfast cereal, by definition, be gender specific? It's food ffs! Men can't be interested in slimming foods?

Same goes for any 'diet' products, let's have some balance. (chop up the diet coke puppets and burn them!)

[Beachcomber]

I'm so heartened by this. Really and truly. I'm so sick of standing alone in bus stops beside huge posters of nude women - it makes me feel so vulnerable.

Yes to that. (Loving your Christmas name)

[msrisotto]

OMG I never thought i'd see the day! Fantastic!

[ElderberrySyrup]

Here's another one Cosmetic surgery ads banned for trivialising....

[ElderberrySyrup]

forgot to say - I wondered about what SuitSupply was up to this year so I had a look and guess what? They are advertising their suits with pictures of men! In suits! Against a brightly coloured background!

'Tis quite a radical campaign considering the recent climate Not having naked ladies makes it feel almost edgy!

[IHeartKingThistle]

This is fab. Does anyone know if the Lynx ad where he builds the ark (with all the little cells urgh) and rounds up all the women has been taken off air? If not I'll complain; I find that one absolutely shocking.

[alexpolismum]

Is Lynx the same as Axe? If so, I want to ban practically ALL of ther adverts.