This advertisement from the British government, inviting you to stay at home to fight against the coronavirus, has been denounced by Internet users. It ended up being withdrawn.
Advertising tends to use clichés. This is how we often find sexist, even downright misogynistic advertising images. As the report of the association Resistance to Advertising Aggression points out, in television commercials, women are today six times more naked than men. And when they do not undergo the sexualization of their body, they are confined to the role of interior women. Unfortunately, Britain is no exception to this trend. However, the mobilization of conscious citizens pays off.
The British government, at the head of a country extremely affected by the coronavirus pandemic, has launched a campaign to encourage citizens to stay at home (to stop the spread, we know that citizen containment is effective). This campaign is in the form of a drawing posted on Facebook and since withdrawn, because it triggered the anger of citizens.
The illustration shows different people staying at home, at home. The problem ? The different activities embodied by men and women strongly reinforced gender stereotypes. Thus, the women took care of the children or did the housework while the men were quietly on the sofa. An image worthy of the 50s pubs! This Internet user comments ironically: "If only I had time to do all of this, but unfortunately I'm a little busy working. Are we going back a century in lockdown?"
This ad did not reflect the government's views on women, according to a spokesperson, it was removed from the networks. Hopefully, those responsible for the campaign will remember how much their creations influence the way we think about the world. Public authorities have a particular responsibility for the way they represent society. We can therefore only welcome the withdrawal of this image from another time.