Storyboard18 | ASCI launches guidelines on harmful gender stereotypes. But is it enough?

At the launch of the ASCI guidelines, Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said: “There are many inconvenient truths, which possibly the guidelines do not address." She added that the ads regulator needs a responsive mechanism.

A lot of people on social media asked what was wrong with the recent Layer’r Shot advertisement. While a quick answer to that is- ‘everything’- the sexist and trivializing sexual violence tone of the campaign were especially disturbing. This week, ASCI (The Advertising Standards Council of India) launched a set of guidelines on harmful gender stereotypes that touches upon disconcerting ad content such as this.

One such guideline in the set says, “Advertisements should not indulge in the sexual objectification of characters of any gender or depict people in a sexualized and objectified way for the purposes of titillating viewers. This would include the use of language or visual treatments in contexts wholly irrelevant to the product.”

But are guidelines like these really enough? Present at the launch of these guidelines, Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said, “Behind that deodorant ad that had to be pulled, there was an agency, there was a writer, there was a director, there was an actor. There was also a television channel, radio channel and internet service that gained from it financially. And when money takes center stage, somehow gender is an issue nobody wants to address.”

The minister pointed out that the time for incremental change is over.

According to her, the fact that we are coming up with these guidelines is an indication that women are not valued truly within the industry.

“There are many inconvenient truths, which possibly the guidelines do not address,” she said. She also said that ASCI needs a responsive mechanism so that when an individual citizen reports an ad, they also get a response about what transpired after their complaint.

Manisha Kapoor, CEO and secretary-general, ASCI, however assured the newly launched guidelines not only focus on women, they also provide guardrails for depiction of other genders.

“We are trying to nudge people to show that the definition of acceptable is constantly evolving,” said Kapoor.

She says the industry body is constantly in touch with its members to educate them on these evolving definitions of what is acceptable and what isn’t.

Guidelines on Harmful Gender stereotypes

1. While advertisements may feature people undertaking gender-stereotypical roles, example, a woman cleaning the house or a man going to an office, or displaying gender-stereotypical characteristics such as a man being assertive or a woman being sensitive to others' needs, they must not suggest that stereotypical roles or characteristics are:

-always uniquely associated with a particular gender;

-the only options available to a particular gender; or

-never carried out or displayed by another gender(s).

1.1 Advertisements that are aimed at / depict children may target and feature a specific gender but should not convey that a particular children's product, pursuit, behaviour, or activity, including choice of play or career, is inappropriate for one or another gender(s).

2. While advertisements may feature glamorous and attractive people, they must not suggest that an individual's happiness or emotional wellbeing depends on conforming to these idealised gender-stereotypical body shapes or physical features.

3. Advertisements should not mock people for not conforming to gender stereotypes, their sexual orientation or gender identity, including in a context that is intended to be humorous, hyperbolic or exaggerated.

4. Advertisements should not reinforce unrealistic and undesirable gender ideals or expectations.

5. An advertisement may not suggest that a person fails to achieve a task specifically because of their gender, example, a man's inability to change nappies; or a woman's inability to park a car. In categories that usually target a particular gender, care must be taken to not depict condescension towards any other gender or show them as incapable of understanding the product or unable to make decisions. This does not prevent the advertisement from showing these stereotypes as a means to challenge them.

6. Where an advertisement features a person with a physique or physical characteristics that do not match an ideal stereotype associated with their gender, the advertisement should not imply that their physique or physical characteristics are a significant reason for them not being successful, for example in their romantic, social or professional lives.

7. Advertisements should not indulge in the sexual objectification of characters of any gender or depict people in a sexualized and objectified way for the purposes of titillating viewers. This would include the use of language or visual treatments in contexts wholly irrelevant to the product.

8. No gender should be encouraged to exert domination or authority over the other(s) by means of overt or implied threats, actual force or through the use of demeaning language or tone. Advertisements cannot provoke or trivialize violence (physical or emotional), unlawful or anti-social behaviour based on gender. Additionally, advertisements should not encourage or normalize voyeurism, eve-teasing, stalking, emotional or physical harassment or any similar offences. This does not prevent the advertisement from showing these depictions as a means to challenge them.