I had originally planned on writing up a blog post about a Reynold's Wrap commercial I had seen on TV recently. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find the commercial anywhere on the Internet. I did, though, stumble upon an article discussing ads that have actually been banned in the United Kingdom due to harmful portrayals of gender stereotypes. One of the ads exemplifies the stereotype that men are not responsible caregivers. The father is seen letting his child ride away on a conveyor belt while he himself is distracted by food. This is a common stereotype portrayed in the media: dads are fun, carefree, and irresponsible. Not only is this stereotype harmful, but it is also untrue. I was surprised to see the ad had actually been banned in the United Kingdom by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The ASA is a self-regulatory organization in the UK. The organization explained that the ad presented a harmful stereotype that should not be circulated. In the United States, ads are regulated by the Federal Trade Commission. I've personally never heard of an ad being banned in the US for displaying negative gender roles. Therefore, it was shocking for me to find out that other countries are taking the steps to do this. I believe this is an important step towards dismantling gender roles and stereotypes.
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/aug/14/first-ads-banned-for-contravening-gender-stereotyping-rules
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