1984: U.K. Government Bans 'Gender Stereotypes' in Public Ads

Brittany M. Hughes | June 17, 2019
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The U.K. has officially banned public ads that promote “gender stereotypes” – to be determined subjectively by Big Brother, of course – in order to promote gender “inclusivity” among its populace.

Examples of such disallowable typecasting includes “Men unable to change diapers, women cleaning while men kick their feet up on the couch, [and] women having trouble with parking,” according to a New York Times article.

On top of that, the country’s Advertising Standards Authorityis also banning“ads that connect physical features with success in the romantic or social spheres; assign stereotypical personality traits to boys and girls, such as bravery for boys and tenderness for girls; suggest that new mothers should prioritize their looks or home cleanliness over their emotional health; and mock men for being bad at stereotypically ‘feminine’ tasks, such as vacuuming, washing clothes or parenting,” the NYT explains.

As Orwellian as this whole thing sounds, it’s certainly far from the first time our neighbor across the sea has taken a page straight out of 1984 in terms of what ads it allows for public viewing. They've already banned air-brushed photos of models accused of promoting unrealistic body images and pictures of "unhealthy" foods like chips and soda.

Back in 2016, London Mayor Sadiq Khan banned ads showing healthy women over “body-shaming.”Earlier this year, the U.K. nixed a grocery store’s underground subway billboardbecause it included pictures of bacon, butter and jam, saying the photo violated the government’s rules against promoting junk food.

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