Let Toys Be Toys welcomes the ASA report which confirms many of the things that we have campaigned on over the last five years. We are delighted about a new tougher stance on damaging gender stereotypes in advertising.
A page from the Argos catalogue of the 1970s shows an obvious contrast with the current equivalent products.
A strong separation of toys into ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ toys is relatively recent, driven mainly by the desire to sell more. Stereotypes in ads exploit children’s (and adults’) natural desire to fit in. We hope that these new guidelines will encourage advertisers to be more creative, instead of falling back on the same lazy stereotypes.
Our mission is simple, we want every child to get the chance to play with a toy that they will love, and we don’t believe that their choice should be limited because someone else has decided it’s not for them.
- Deceptions, perceptions and harm The Advertising Standards Authority’s evidence-based case for stronger regulation of ads that feature stereotypical gender roles or characteristics which might be harmful to people, including ads which mock people for not conforming to gender stereotypes
- Who gets to play? Let Toys Be Toys research into gender stereotypes in toy advertising.
- Why does stereotyped marketing matter?