Receiving the top honours of a damehood are Bake Off star Prue and former Strictly Come Dancing judge and legendary choreographer Arlene Phillips.
Musical theatre star and Oscar-nominated actor Jonathan Pryce is also set to receive a knighthood – ahead of his debut as Prince Philip in the fifth series of the royal Netflix drama The Crown.
Gareth Cattermole/David M Bennett/Jeff Spicer/GettyPrue Leith, Arlene Phillips and Jonathan Pryce
Footballer Raheem Sterling is set to receive an MBE this year, for his work to promote racial equality in sport, with his England teammate Jordan Henderson also getting the same honour.
Patrick Elmont/UEFA/Getty/David M Bennett/Harry HerdRaheem Sterling, Robert Rinder and Alison Moyet
Several public figures will also receive CBEs, including TV presenter Sue Barker and singer Lulu.
Artist Edmund de Waal, Yes musician Rick Wakeman and former England manager Roy Hodgson are also among those who have been awarded CBEs.
Tristan Fewings/Cameron Spencer/John Walton/PA Images/GettyEdmund de Waal, Lulu and Sue Barker
It’s also been confirmed that rock singer Skin and children’s author David Almond will receive OBEs.
As well as public figures and celebrities, it’s also been noted that those who came together to prepare thousands of meals for key workers during the pandemic have been rewarded for their efforts in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
Members of the scientific community have also been recognised for pulling together to combat coronavirus.
It’s been reported that this year’s Birthday Honours list is the most diverse to date, both in terms of gender and race.
During the ever-changing news cycle, it’s easy to miss captivating images that fly under the radar. Fortunately, we’ve got you covered.
We’re highlighting exceptional photos from around the world this past week.
Check them out below.
Above: In this photo provided by NASA, a partial solar eclipse is seen as the sun rises to the left of the US Capitol in Washington on June 10, as seen from Arlington, Virginia.
BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images
Activists put the finishing touches to a sand drawing of the G-7 leaders and calling on them to share the vaccine and waive the patents on Watergate Bay beach near Newquay, Cornwall, on June 10, ahead of the three-day G-7 summit. Leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the United States meet this weekend for the first time in nearly two years, for the three-day talks in Carbis Bay, Cornwall.
Eugene Garcia via AP
A pair of migrant families from Brazil pass through a gap in the border wall between Mexico and Yuma, Arizona, on June 10, to seek asylum. The families are part of an influx of asylum-seekers entering the US in the Yuma area from South America and elsewhere.
Phil Noble via AP
Military personnel wait as President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrive on Air Force One at Cornwall Airport Newquay, near Newquay, England, ahead of the G-7 summit in Cornwall on June 9.
Hadi Mizban via AP
People take part in the Baghdad Kite Festival in Baghdad, Iraq, on June 5.
Ben Curtis via AP
Abeba Gebru, 37, from the village of Getskimilesley in Ethiopia, holds the hands of her malnourished daughter, Tigsti Mahderekal, 20 days old, in the treatment tent of a medical clinic in the town of Abi Adi, in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, on May 11. She had the baby at home and walked 12 days to get the famished child to a clinic. “She survived because I held her close to my womb and kept hiding during the exhausting journey.”
Kemal Aslan via AP
A man relaxes on a canoe at the Caddebostan shore, on the Asian side of Istanbul, Tuesday, June 8, surrounded by a huge mass of marine mucilage, a thick, slimy substance made up of compounds released by marine organisms, in Turkey’s Marmara Sea. Turkey’s president has promised to rescue the Marmara Sea from an outbreak of “sea snot” that is alarming marine biologists and environmentalists. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said untreated waste dumped into the Marmara Sea and climate change had caused the bloom of the thick, slimy substance made up of compounds released by marine organisms.
RANEEN SAWAFTA via REUTERS
Relatives of Palestinian security officer Adham Alioh, who was killed by Israeli forces, mourn during his funeral in Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank June 10.
ANNEGRET HILSE via REUTERS
The German Athletics Championships in Braunschweig on June 5 feature Rebekka Hasse in the women’s 100 meter semi-final
Patrick Semansky via AP
First lady Jill Biden turns around to show the word “love” on the back of her jacket as she speaks with reporters after visiting with Carrie Johnson, wife of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, ahead of the G-7 summit, Thursday, June 10, in Carbis Bay, England.
EMILY IRVING-SWIFT/AFP via Getty Images
Divers taking part in a project to document shipwrecks in Cyprus with 360-degree images to promote the Mediterranean island as a dive destination for tourists take photos of the Lef1 shipwreck off the coast of Larnaca on June 8. LEF1, a 50-foot vessel, was sunk on Dec. 10, 2019, to a depth of around 50 feet. It is one of several sunken vessels in artificial reefs to promote marine life in the area.
SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty Images
This picture taken on June 10 shows a family enjoying the first snowfall of the season at a golf course in the Blue Mountains of Australia.
CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images
Former world welterweight king Floyd Mayweather (R) and YouTube personality Logan Paul fight in an eight-round exhibition bout at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on June 6. Mayweather, who weighed in at 155 pounds, dominated his 190-pound opponent, much to the delight of a substantial crowd at the home of the Miami Dolphins.
Michael Probst via AP
People walk on the pier at the Baltic Sea in Scharbeutz, Germany, as the sun rises Monday, June 7.
Boris Johnson this week confirmed that he doesn’t like to call the UK and United States’ close ties the “special relationship”, believing it makes Britain look “needy”.
After the G7 summit got underway with an awkward “family photo” on the beach, the French president made a beeline for Joe Biden, throwing his arm around the American’s shoulders and beginning an animated discussion
PHIL NOBLE via Getty ImagesFrench president Emmanuel Macron (right) greets US president Joe Biden at the G7 summit
LUDOVIC MARIN via Getty ImagesMacron was flanked by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen
PATRICK SEMANSKY via Getty Images
The vignette was one of several moments in which G7 leaders appeared uneasy at their first face-to-face meeting since the start of the Covid pandemic.
Biden at one point tried to break the tension, joking “everybody in the water” after leaders and their spouses were greeted with elbow bumps from Boris and Carrie Johnson on the beach at Carbis Bay in Cornwall.
After strolling down a lengthy walkway to the seafront, Jill Biden meanwhile joked that “I feel like we are at a wedding” while Johnson later agreed that it was like “walking down the aisle”.
Leaders then struggled to create any kind of bonhomie as they stood two metres apart for a family photo.
The PM said the citizens of G7 nations “want us to be sure that we are beating the pandemic together and discussing how we will never have a repeat of what we have seen”.
“But also that we are building back better together and building back greener and building back fairer and building back more equal and… in a more gender neutral and perhaps a more feminine way.”
Johnson also appeared to criticise his own Conservative Party for the way it handled the recovery from the 2008 financial crash by taking power in 2010 and embarking on a programme of austerity.
He said the G7 economies had the potential to “bounce back very strongly” from Covid.
“But it is vital that we don’t repeat the mistake of the last great crisis, the last great economic recession of 2008 when the recovery was not uniform across all parts of society,” the PM said.
There was a risk the pandemic could leave a “lasting scar” as “inequalities may be entrenched”, Johnson said.
“We need to make sure that as we recover, we level up across our societies and we build back better,” he added.
TOBY MELVILLE via Getty ImagesBoris Johnson and his wife Carrie Johnson walk with US president Joe Biden and US first lady Jill Biden in Carbis Bay, Cornwall
Imagine the nerves of hosting the first party for your group of friends after a year and a half in Covid lockdown.
Now imagine that your 12 guests are the leaders of some of the world’s richest countries and their spouses.
This is the challenge facing Boris Johnson at this weekend’s G7 summit in Cornwall.
And true to form, the prime minister has taken a massive risk by choosing to invite the likes of Joe Biden and Angela Merkel to a barbecue on the beach… in Britain.
The danger of relying on the UK’s changeable summer weather has already been highlighted after Johnson and Biden were forced to move their first ever face-to-face meeting indoors at the last minute on Thursday, as Cornish “mizzle” (mist/drizzle) shrouded the beautiful island of St Michael’s mount.
The PM will be hoping it clears in time for the Saturday night barbecue so leaders get a clear sight of the Red Arrows flypast as they dine on barbecued sirloin steaks and local lobster on the Carbis Bay sand.
And if a beach barbecue in 15C potentially cloudy weather wasn’t risky enough, leaders will be asked to stay outside after dinner to listen to sea shanty group Du Hag Owr while enjoying baked brie, hot buttered rum and toasted marshmallows around fire pits on the beach.
Despite the boho stylings sparking fresh speculation about Carrie Johnson’s influence over her husband, the PM’s official spokesperson told HuffPost UK she did not play a role in the decision to hold a beach barbecue, although she was closely involved in the partners’ programme for the weekend.
If Saturday night’s event is a risk, Johnson should have some credit in the bank from the Friday when he will host a reception with senior royals including the Queen, Prince Charles, Prince William and Kate, followed by a lavish dinner among the biomes of the Eden Project.
The menu for Friday night, cooked by Emily Scott, chef at the Watergate Bay hotel near Newquay:
Starter: spiced melon, gazpacho, coconut, high note herbs.
Main: Turbot roasted on the bone with Cornish new potatoes and wild garlic pesto with greens from the local Padstow kitchen gardens.
Petit fours: clotted cream fudge, mini clotted cream ice cream cone with chocolate earl grey truffles.
The menu for Saturday night, cooked by Simon Stallard, from the Hidden Hut in Portscatho:
Canapes including: sparkling scallops, Curgurrell crab claws and Portscatho mackerel.
Main: Seared and smokey Moorland sirloin, Newlyn lobster and scorched leeks served with sides of layered Cornish potato chips, St Just purple sprouting broccoli and salt-baked beetroot.
Dessert: Beach Hut Sundae.
Afterwards the leaders will also be able to have baked brie, hot buttered rum and toasted marshmallows around fire pits on the beach.
Karwai Tang via Getty ImagesJanette at the Strictly red carpet launch in 2019
Janette announced the news on Thursday’s edition of The One Show, revealing: “It’s a dream come true to become part of the It Takes Two team! Although it’s impossible to fill in the shoes of a legend like Zoe Ball, I hope to make her and all of the Strictly fans proud.”
She added: “I will miss dancing on that iconic dancefloor weekly, but forever grateful to continue being a part of the Strictly Come Dancing family!”
Janette will be joining current It Takes Two presenter Rylan Clark-Neal – who first began co-hosting with Zoe in 2019 – on this year’s series.
Lia Toby – PA Images via Getty ImagesZoe Ball will not be returning to It Takes Two after 10 years with the spin-off show
During her time on Strictly, Janette has been partnered with fashion designer Julien Macdonald, EastEnders legend Jake Wood, singer Peter Andre, broadcaster Melvin Odoom, JLS star Aston Merrygold, This Morning’s Ranj Singh, Paralympian Will Bayley and pop star HRVY.
Although she’s never lifted the Glitterball trophy, she has won the Strictly Christmas special on two occasions – with Melvin and Aston – and made it to last year’s final with HRVY.
Boris Johnson has attempted to downplay tensions with US president Joe Biden over Brexit following the pair’s first ever face-to-face meeting as leaders.
The prime minister praised Biden as a “breath of fresh air” after the Donald Trump years and an ally who wants to work with the UK on issues from security to climate change.
Johnson meanwhile insisted that there is “absolutely common ground” as No.10 spoke of “complete harmony” between the pair on the need to protect peace in Northern Ireland amid a simmering row between the UK and EU over how post-Brexit arrangements are being implemented in the region.
Biden – who is proud of his Irish ancestry – is thought to be concerned about Johnson potentially refusing to implement parts of the Northern Ireland protocol and earlier this month ordered officials to deliver a formal diplomatic rebuke to the UK for imperilling the peace process over Brexit.
Johnson and his Brexit minister Lord Frost want the EU to be less “purist” about applying checks on goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain, but Brussels is threatening a trade war with the UK unless it properly implements the deal it signed up to.
The president was expected to use Thursday’s meeting to urge Johnson to “stand behind” the protocol.
But asked if Biden urged him to “crack on” and implement the deal, Johnson told reporters: “No he didn’t.
“But what I can say is that America, the United States, Washington, the UK plus the European Union, have one thing we absolutely all want to do, and that is to uphold the Belfast Good Friday Agreement and make sure we keep the balance of the peace process going.
“That’s absolutely common ground and I’m optimistic that we can do that.”
The PM added: “The talks were great, they went on for a long time, we covered a huge range of subjects and it’s wonderful to listen to the Biden administration and to Joe Biden because there’s so much that they want to do together with us, from security, Nato to climate change.
“It’s fantastic, it’s a breath of fresh air.”
WPA Pool via Getty ImagesBoris Johnson speaks with US President Joe Biden at the Carbis Bay Hotel, Cornwall
It came after 80 minutes of talks between Johnson and Biden on the eve of the G7 summit in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, at which they signed a new Atlantic charter, paving the way for co-operation on challenges including climate change and security.
Also attending the meeting were UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab and US secretary of state Anthony Blinken.
Yael Lempert, America’s most senior diplomat in the UK, was also present hours after the Times revealed that she was ordered by Biden to deliver a demarche – a formal protest – in a meeting with Brexit minister Lord Frost on June 3.
In a joint statement following the meeting, Johnson and Biden reaffirmed their commitment to the Good Friday Agreement for peace in Northern Ireland.
But Johnson had earlier tried to gloss over any tensions with Biden by suggesting the pair would not disagree on “anything”.
Ahead of the high level talks, the two leaders admired the view over Carbis Bay with their wives – Carrie Johnson and Jill Biden.
TOBY MELVILLE via Getty ImagesBoris Johnson and his wife Carrie Johnson walk with US president Joe Biden and US first lady Jill Biden in Carbis Bay, Cornwall
As the politicians sat down to talk, Biden said: “I told the prime minister we have something in common. We both married way above our stations.”
Johnson responded: “I’m not going to dissent on that one. I’m not going to disagree with you there or indeed on anything else, I think highly likely.”
Art, clothes and a bike – leaders exchange gifts
As is customary, the leaders and their wives exchanged gifts.
Johnson gave Biden a framed photograph of a mural of Frederick Douglass, a former slave who became a leading figure in the 19th century abolitionist movement in the United States.
The image, painted by Ross Blair, is part of a mural trail around Edinburgh and the photograph was taken by Melissa Highton – a UK-US dual national.
First lady Jill Biden was given a first edition of Daphne du Maurier’s The Apple Tree. The author lived in Cornwall and drew inspiration for many of her works from the surroundings.
Meanwhile, the PM received from the Bidens a US-made bicycle and helmet, while Carrie Johnson was given a leather tote bag made by American military wives and a presidential silk scarf.
Talks between Frost and the European Commission’s Maros Sefcovic on Wednesday failed to make a breakthrough on the protocol.
The EU has threatened to launch a trade war against Britain if it fails to implement checks on goods entering Northern Ireland under the terms of the Brexit “divorce” settlement which Johnson signed.
But Frost has refused to rule out unilaterally delaying the imposition of checks on British-made sausages and other chilled meats due to come into force at the end of the month.
At a press conference in Brussels on Thursday ahead of the summit, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen again insisted the protocol was the “only solution” to prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and must be implemented in full.
In a joint statement following the meeting, Johnson and Biden reaffirmed their commitment to the Good Friday Agreement for peace in Northern Ireland.
A Downing Street spokesperson added separately: “The prime minister and president both reaffirmed their commitment to the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and to protecting the gains of the peace process.
“The leaders agreed that both the EU and the UK had a responsibility to work together and to find pragmatic solutions to allow unencumbered trade between Northern Ireland, Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland.
“The prime minister outlined his ambitions to further expand opportunities for all the people in Northern Ireland and hoped that the US would continue to work with the UK to boost prosperity there.”
Boris Johnson has defended flying to Cornwall for the G7 summit at which he is expected to urge world leaders to take more action against climate change.
The prime minister spoke in Newquay having flown from London after PMQs on Wednesday.
A journey to the region would take around four hours by rail, a much greener form of transport, or around five hours by car.
I’ve arrived in Cornwall for this year’s @G7 where I’ll be asking my fellow leaders to rise to the challenge of beating the pandemic and building back better, fairer and greener.
France has recently moved to ban short-haul internal flights where train alternatives exist in a bid to reduce carbon (CO2) emissions.
Around 2.4% of the world’s CO2 emissions come from aviation.
But Johnson defended his 250-mile plane journey as he arrived in Cornwall, where he is hoping to help pave the way for an ambitious climate deal at the key Cop26 summit in Glasgow later this year.
The PM told reporters: “If you attack my arrival by plane.
“I respectfully point out that the UK is actually in the lead in developing sustainable aviation fuel and one of the points in the 10-point plan for our green industrial revolution is to get to jet zero as well as net zero.”
Johnson will meet US president Joe Biden for their first face-to-face talks on Thursday before the summit begins on Friday.
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The date is probably already marked in your calendars – but for a different reason. June 21 is not only midsummer and potentially the day we get full “unlockdown” in England, but it’s also Amazon Prime Day 2021.
Here’s your need-to-know guide about the day.
What is Amazon Prime Day 2021?
You probably already know this one, but it’s basically a day to save a lot of cash. Amazon has lots of deals across the whole site, from gadgets to homeware – and even booze.
If you were about to make a big purchase, you might want to hold out to see if you can save some money by buying it on Prime Day. Thank us later.
Okay, so when exactly is it this year?
It’s actually two days. Prime Day 2021 starts at 12:01am on Monday June 21 and ends at 11:59pm on Tuesday June 22. The deals will be on the official Amazon page.
Do I have to be an Amazon Prime member?
Well, yes, but there are ways around this, too. You can sign up and pay the yearly subscription fee of £79 (this also means you’ll get access to Amazon Prime TV and super quick delivery, btw). Or it’s £7.99 a month.
Or, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial and still access the sales. Just remember to cancel your membership before the 30 days are up and you won’t get charged a thing.
What else do I need to know?
In the lead-up to Prime Day, Amazon is running a campaign supporting small businesses. From Monday June 7 to Sunday June 20, Amazon will offer a £10 credit to use on Prime Day to members who spend £10 on items sold by UK small businesses, including products from Amazon Handmade and Amazon Launchpad.
To make it easier to support small businesses, Amazon has curated collections to connect shoppers with small businesses at amazon.co.uk/supportsmall. Or, Echo device owners in the UK can say “Alexa, shop small business” to discover products eligible for the spend £10, get £10 promotion.
Another bonus: Prime members will receive an additional £7 promotional credit, if they top up their Amazon account with £50 or more. (Guys, this is basically free money).
What Prime Day deals can we expect?
Well, Amazon says there are going to be more than two million deals. So there’s a lot to get excited about – but also a lot to sift through. Which is where we’re here to help. We’ll update you as soon as we know more, but at the moment, we’re told Prime Day 2021 will feature deals from top brands including LEGO, Bosch, Fitbit and Philips.
Previous years’ bestsellers in the UK included the Echo Dot, Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote, the Bosch Cordless Drill and Finish Dishwasher Tablets – apparently that’s the stuff people want!
What early Prime deals are on now?
Prime members can start shopping early exclusive offers and deals, including:
Amazon Devices: Save up to 50% off popular devices from June 7 – June 22, including Echo, Fire TV and Ring.
Amazon Music: Prime members who haven’t yet tried Amazon Music Unlimited can get four months free with unlimited access to more than 70 million songs ad-free and millions of podcast episodes.
Audible: Prime members get three months of Audible membership for just 99p this Prime Day. Membership includes an unbeatable selection of new releases, best sellers and Audible Original audiobooks and podcasts.
How do I get the best Prime deals?
Start making your wish-list now, so you can see whether they’re discounted during Amazon Prime Day. The main hub of deals will be on the Amazon Prime Day homepage. Remember: blue means deal – Prime Day deals are colour-coded, so look our for blue badges to save money. You can also get early deals with Alexa – no secret password necessary. Just ask!
There’s also Treasure Truck, where you can discover hand-selected product offers at amazing prices. You can opt-in at amazon.co.uk/treasuretruck or by opening the menu in the Amazon Shopping app and finding ‘Treasure Truck’ under ‘Programmes and Features’. You will receive text notifications whenever there’s something new to share.
Everyone poos, but it’s still something a lot of us have an awfully hard time talking about. (Unless you’re my 6-year-old and 3-year-old, who cannot talk about poo enough, it turns out.)
But it’s unfortunate that poo talk tends to make adults squeamish, because our stool can offer some powerful clues about what’s going on inside our guts – and even more broadly within our bodies. And doctors really do wish people would lean into it.
“When I ask patients to describe their stool, even when they’re at the GI doctor, you can almost immediately sense their discomfort,” Christopher Henry, a gastroenterologist at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, told HuffPost.
Enter the Bristol Stool Chart (sometimes called the Bristol Stool Form Scale or the Meyers Scale), a diagnostic tool that health professionals can use with their patients to help determine what’s normal (and what’s not) in terms of size, texture and colour of poo.
sabelskaya via Getty Images/iStockphoto
In general, ideal poo is Type 3 or Type 4. Type 1 or Type 2, on the other hand, can indicate a person is struggling with constipation. And Types 5, 6 or 7 can suggest diarrhoea – though not always.
“Sometimes I’ll have patients with very severe constipation, and they’ll have periodic diarrhoea,” Henry said.
That particular example shows why the stool chart really shouldn’t be used by laypeople to self-diagnose. Instead, people should see it as a jumping-off point for health-related conversations – and it certainly can help make those discussions less awkward. Many people find it easier to point to a line on a chart than to have to search for the words to describe their stool to a provider, Henry said.
Doctors, on the other hand, can use the chart to help diagnose conditions like various types of irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS.
If your poo pretty consistently falls outside of the normal types on the chart, that’s definitely worth flagging to your doctor, who might refer you to a specialist. Significant changes in poo frequency or form also are worth noting. And don’t ignore other gastrointestinal symptoms. That includes heartburn that doesn’t get resolved with antacids, blood in your stool, severe pain or unintentional weight loss.
Even if your poo-related issues turn out to be relatively mild, a doctor might be able to help you with some simple changes that can help you achieve the ideal poo (and feel better overall) – like getting sufficient fibre and water.
But experts caution against getting too caught up on whether your poo is exactly the right texture and colour based on the chart – especially because there are many slightly different iterations of it floating around the web. Also, people’s stool colour can vary based on what they eat.
But what the Bristol Stool Chart can do pretty well is provide clarity.
Henry recalled an experience when he was working with multiple patients complaining of diarrhoea, but when he asked them to point to what their stool looked like on the chart, they pointed to Type 1 – which actually indicates constipation. They believed that diarrhoea referred more to frequency, rather than to a particular stool form.
In cases like that, the chart helps to create a shared language, to make sure patients and their providers are on the same page.
“I think of it kind of like a Rosetta stone. To make sure we’re using the same words to mean the same things,” Henry said. “It’s a platform for patients and doctors to have better conversations.”
Because talking about poo may not be most grown-ups’ favourite thing to do, but it’s an important part of overall well-being.
A television ad for a scrubbing device has been banned for suggesting cleaning the home is a responsibility uniquely associated with women.
Cue major eye rolls.
The three-minute television ad for the JML Hurricane Spin Scrubber, seen in March, depicted several women using the cleaning tool in the bathroom, kitchen and elsewhere in the home.
In the ad, four women describe their experiences with the tool, saying: “I have a very busy household. People are in and out of my shower all the time”, “I love using the extension pole to get the rings out of the bathtub”, and “I’ve given this to my mother as a gift, and it’s changed the way she cleans. I don’t have to worry about her slipping and falling”.
A screenshot of the advert, provided to HuffPost UK by the ASA
In the banned ad for the Hurricane Spin Scrubber, one woman said she had previously been “embarrassed” to have people over to her house because of limescale deposits but no longer worried after using the product.
“I love having people over to come inspect my kitchen and my bathrooms,” she said, before a male voiceover concluded: “To get your hands on the Hurricane Spin Scrubber and a sparkling clean home call now…”.
A viewer complained to the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) on the grounds the ad perpetuated harmful gender stereotypes by depicting women in a role that was stereotypically female and implying only women cleaned or were interested in cleaning products.
John Mills Ltd, trading as JML, said the ad had been broadcast since 2017, focused on the functionality of the product and featured two shots of men.
The firm said the ad did not suggest cleaning was only associated with women or that a man was unable to undertake any of the featured tasks.
Provided by the ASA
A screenshot of the advert, provided to HuffPost UK by the ASA
Advertising clearance agency Clearcast said the ad did not at any point suggest that cleaning was associated with women only.
However, upholding the complaint, the ASA noted that ads may feature people undertaking gender-stereotypical roles, such as showing women cleaning, but they should take care to avoid suggesting that stereotypical roles or characteristics were always uniquely associated with one gender.
The ASA said the four women’s testimonials “contained a number of explicit references to cleaning up after other people and implied feelings of shame at other people seeing an unclean home”. There was no implication that the men briefly featured in the ad would share such responsibilities or feelings.
“We considered the cumulative effect of the four testimonials, the prominence of people cleaning who were easily identifiable as women, and the lack of easily identifiable men, perpetuated the stereotype that it was a woman’s responsibility to take pride in the appearance and cleanliness of their home, and to clean up after other people,” said the ASA. “It also perpetuated the idea that women should be judged on the cleanliness of their home.”
The ASA ruled that the ad must not appear again in its current form, adding: “We told JML to ensure their advertising did not present gender stereotypes in a way that was likely to cause harm, including by suggesting that cleaning the home was a responsibility uniquely associated with women.”
