EU to ban sexist TV commercials

[adciv]

Adverts which use sex to sell or promote gender stereotypes could be banned by the EU.

Ok, seriously, this would eliminate half of the commercials on US television. In the EU, I have no idea how much would be banned. However, given some of the commercials I've seen come out of Europe, I'd guess 'a lot'.

[Deacon]

Euros are dedicated champions of free speech.

[StruckingFuggle]

On the one hand, about half the commercials in the US are rather disgustingly sexist.
And half are insultingly stupid.
And a good mix of those are mixed.

On the other hand, yeah, fuck 'em all, but free speech.

[adciv]

If either of you remember that 'banned Guinness commercial', this would probably prohibit that as well.

[StruckingFuggle]

I doubt it was even really a real commercial for Guiness.

Also, oh, big loss.

Though I wish it would air, the likely feminist firestorm afterwards would be rather ... amusing.

[Rorschach]

About time. I complained about a Maltesers advert a few years ago - the Brits'll know this one - which showed a woman flashing her tits at a surprised male colleague at work.
I'm all about strange women flashing their tits, but not in an advert. Had the roles been reversed with some guy opening his seedy mac to a girl, the ad would never have made it to the air.
And that's what annoys me. Not sexism, as the woman is also being used here, but the uneven-handedness of it. 'Oh, the victim's a guy so it's fair game.'
My complaint, needless to say, was rejected on the grounds that women flashing is 'not predatory' whilst male flashing is.

I was considering complaining about the new Maltesers advert which shows a couple of women at what we believe to be an opera - complete with inappropriate comments about cocks - before it's revealed that they're watching a strip show but I haven't got around to it as I'm not a student any more, have real things to worry about, and now occassionally leave the house.

So, good on you , Brussels. If the world was a more straight-laced place again then I wouldn't be avoiding fourteen year old preggos pushing prams when I go to the hospital. If children consider themselves old enough to get pregnant, then they are old enough to be made to give birth, with the fathers made to watch and the babies given up for adoption. To paedophiles. Perhaps then they would think twice before doing it again. [/Viz]

[Binks]

'Oh, the victim's a guy so it's fair game.'

I've never seen, or heard, of that commercial so obviously I don't know enough to actually judge it but I would argue that the point is more 'What guy would consider themselves a victim of that' rather than what you propose. Not saying that's right, or the commercial's cool, just pointing out that that's a lot more likely to be most people's feelings towards it than 'the victim's a guy so it's okay' (though that is also a possible argument).

As for the issue itself, this could go one of two ways. It could be a positive force if the judging of sexism is even handed and fair, or it could be a negative if the judging is like most other things out there. I'm of course referring to the 'Oh, you're a small company? Well we found hints of sexism in 4 parts of your commercial, it's banned.' and 'Oh, you're a big company? Well we only found hints of sexism in 24 parts of your commercial, but since none of it's definite you can go ahead and air it'.

In addition this isn't an actual law, it's a proposed law addition, unless I read the article completely wrong.

[Rorschach]

'Oh, the victim's a guy so it's fair game.'

I would argue that the point is more 'What guy would consider themselves a victim of that' rather than what you propose. Not saying that's right, or the commercial's cool, just pointing out that that's a lot more likely to be most people's feelings towards it than 'the victim's a guy so it's okay' (though that is also a possible argument).

Then that's a dangerous line for an advertiser to be walking. I would probably be pretty shocked if a woman flashed her tits at me in the street. In an office, I would likely be pretty embarrassed. While staked to the ground outside a all-chick biker bar, I would probably be pretty nervous.
It's all about context and I don't think the setting of the advert, nor the screening time before 9 o'clock was appropriate.

Used to be that married women didn't consider themselves raped if theit husband perpetrated the crime. Feelings don't always make sense or dictate right and wrong.