IT Correspondent
Mumbai, June 10:
The guidelines that guard against harmful gender stereotypes prepared by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) were released by Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani at an event held in New Delhi on Thursday.
The guidelines are based on a study report by ASCI and Futurebrands focusing on women. They also provide guardrails for the depiction of other genders. ASCI will consider stereotypes from the perspective of the group of individuals being stereotyped. The use of humour or banter is not likely to overcome the underlying issue of such harmful stereotypes. The guidelines do not intend to prevent ads from featuring glamorous, attractive, successful, or healthy people, the ASCI’s statement said.
On the occasion, ASCI Chairman Subhash Kamath said that “the new guidelines have been created after extensive consultation with many partners- both from industry, as well as civil society organizations, including the Unstereotype Alliance Australia and UNICEF. These guidelines are a big step forward in strengthening ASCI’s agenda to shape a more responsible and progressive narrative”.
Speaking at the launch of the guidelines Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Zubin Irani said, “While there are women who are happy with the incremental change that has been made in the advertising industry, women of my generation are a bit more impatient. It is time not only for the men but also for the women in the advertising industry to step up. This is a very important move, and I believe that there is a long journey to be undertaken to turn the thinking but it’s required now. Work in this area must move with more and more speed and organizations like ASCI should lead this, the action beginning with its member base”
While advertisements may feature glamorous people, they must not suggest that an individual’s happiness or emotional wellbeing depends on conforming to these idealized gender-stereotypical body shapes or physical features, the ASCI said in a statement.
Advertisements that are aimed at children may feature a specific gender but should not convey that a particular children’s product or activity, is inappropriate for one or another gender(s). For example, someone chiding a boy playing with dolls or girls from jumping around because it is not the typical activity associated with gender.
Advertisements should not mock people for not conforming to gender stereotypes, For example, an ad may not belittle a man for carrying out stereotypically female roles or tasks or make fun of a same-sex relationship.
Undesirable gender ideals
Similarly the advertisements should not reinforce undesirable gender ideals. For example, an advertisement must not depict that family members create a mess around a home, while a woman is solely responsible for cleaning it. Similarly, a woman returning from work may not be shown as solely responsible for doing household duties while others around her are at leisure.
An advertisement may not suggest that a person fails to achieve a task specifically because of their gender e.g., a man’s inability to change nappies or a woman’s inability to park a car. This does not prevent the advertisement from showing these stereotypes as a means to challenge them. Also the ad may not suggest that a short man, a dark woman, or any individual who is overweight has difficulty finding a job or a partner due to this aspect of their physique.
Sexual objectification of characters
Advertisements should not indulge in the sexual objectification of characters of any gender. For example, an online takeaway service featuring an image of a woman wearing lingerie lying back in a provocative pose behind various fast-food items would be considered problematic. If the ad uses a suggestive image of a woman that bears no relevance to the advertised product, the ad would be considered as projecting women as sexual objects and thus a gender stereotype that is likely to cause harm.
Advertisements cannot provoke or trivialize violence (physical or emotional), unlawful or anti-social behaviour based on gender. Similarly, the ad should not encourage or normalize voyeurism, eve-teasing, stalking, emotional or physical harassment, or any similar offenses. This does not prevent the advertisement from showing these depictions as a means to challenge them.
Gender portrayal is a complex and nuanced issue and the guidelines provide an interpretation of ASCI’s Chapter III which deals with ads that can cause harm to individuals or society. The advertising, through subtle and implicit depictions, reinforces certain harmful stereotypes and overlooks the aspirations of individuals and groups. A recent study by Kantar Group, a media company based in the UK shows that 64% of consumers believe that advertising reinforces rather than helps eradicate harmful gender stereotypes.
