I've been thinking about whether advertisers should take more of a lead. This is what the European Advertising Standards Alliance has to say about portrayal of women in ads:
"The primary purpose of commercial advertising is to promote goods and services, not to bring about changes in society - what is often called 'social engineering'.
Advertising therefore 'holds up a mirror to society', portraying it in ways which are sometimes idealised or simplified, but essentially a form which consumers can immediately recognise and with which they can readily
identify. To safeguard advertisers? right of free speech and freedom to select their audience, this need has to be respected.
However, it has also to be balanced with the need to avoid stereotypical portrayals likely to be widely perceived as projecting an offensive or demeaning image of women, either as individuals or as members of society.
Differences in national culture notwithstanding, it is no longer generally regarded as acceptable for advertisements to exploit women as 'sex objects' to attract male attention, or to feature them as mere adjuncts to the sale of goods. It is unrealistic to expect advertisements to avoid showing
women in traditional roles, e.g. carrying out household tasks or caring for children, but care is needed to avoid any suggestion that such activity is 'women's work', or has little value, or that those who do it are unintelligent or interested only in domestic trivia.
The last two decades have seen significant changes in the way that women are portrayed in advertisements, reflecting advertisers? alertness to changing public sensitivities and recognition that a positive image of women as individuals and members of society is likely to evoke a better response, as well as avoiding complaints."