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Volkswagen e-Golf Ad Banned for Including Offensive Gender Stereotypes

In what is billed a “landmark” decision, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has decided to uphold 3 complaints lodged against the ad for Volkswagen e-Golf, banning it in the U.K.
Volkswagen e-Golf ad banned in the U.K. for showing offensive gender stereotypes 6 photos
Photo: YouTube / Robert Pearson - Canada / Worldwide
Volkswagen e-GolfVolkswagen e-GolfVolkswagen e-GolfVolkswagen e-GolfVolkswagen e-Golf
In June this year, the ASA introduced a new set of rules meant to exclude all gender stereotypes from marketing communications, as a means to prevent harm or widespread offense among consumers. The ad in question, for e-Golf, which you will also find at the bottom of the page, was released at about the same time that the rules went into effect – and has become their first victim, Express confirms.

The ad argues that “when we learn to adapt we can change everything” and shows imagery of male climbers, para-athletes and astronauts, and one solitary mother sitting on a bench, reading a book, while her baby is sleeping in a nearby pram. You probably guessed where this is going: ASA believes this is harmful gender stereotyping.

According to the publication, only 3 people have lodged formal complaints with ASA for the ad, but this was clearly not a case of strength in numbers. ASA believes they were founded, so the ad will no longer air online in the country. The new rules don’t apply for bans on televised space.

“Volkswagen said its ad was not sexist and that caring for a newborn was a life-changing experience about adaptation, regardless of the gender of the parent depicted,” Express writes. “The German car manufacturer also stated that its advert made no suggestion that childcare was solely associated with women, and the fact that the woman in its advertisement was calm and reading could be seen as going against the stereotypical depiction of harassed or anxious parents in advertising.”

ASA disagreed, siding with the complaints. The ad shows men in adventurous postures, while women are portrayed as passive and / or engaged in household / caregiving roles, without a possibility of interchanging them.

Jess Tye, investigations manager at the ASA, notes that gender stereotypes used in advertising could lead to “real-world harms.” “Ads that specifically contrast male and female stereotypes need to be handled with care,” she says. “It's about thinking about what the cumulative effect of those gender stereotypes might be.”

Meanwhile, commenters online lament a world that’s gone so PC that it’s becoming offensive even to breathe.

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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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