Ministry Of Justice Ad Banned For ‘Reinforcing Negative Stereotypes About Black Men’

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has had one of its adverts banned, for being likely to cause “serious offence” by “reinforcing negative stereotypes about Black men”.

The ad for the MoJ’s Prison Jobs scheme, which ran this summer, featured an image of a white prison officer talking to a Black inmate, with superimposed text stating: “Become a prison officer. One career, many roles.”

A caption accompanying the image read: “We’re key workers, problem solvers, life changers. Join us to perform a vital role at HMP Wormwood Scrubs.”

A reader complained that the ad perpetuated negative ethnic stereotypes and was likely to cause serious offence.

The MoJ said the photographs used in the ad campaign featured real officers and prisoners, arguing that it did not therefore “portray” a Black man as a criminal but rather depicted a real person who had been convicted of an offence.

It said it was not therefore an inaccurate or unfair representation of the type of engagement that might have been seen between officers and prisoners.

The now-banned MoJ advert.
The now-banned MoJ advert.

The MoJ said the image formed “one small part” of the overall campaign – accounting for less than 5% of its spending on the ads – “which used a wide variety of images and showed officers of different ethnicities, interacting with each other”.

It added that none of the other images used in the Facebook part of the campaign showed white officers alongside ethnic minority prisoners.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) noted all this, but pointed out that viewers would be likely to see the advert in isolation on Facebook.

The ASA said: “The ad made reference to prison officers being ‘problem solvers’ and ‘life changers’, and we considered it drew a link between the officer depicted and those attributes. On the other hand, the Black prisoner was depicted as a criminal, without those positive attributes.

“We considered the ad did not suggest that all Black men were criminals or were more likely to be so than any other ethnic group.

“However, it showed an imbalanced power dynamic, with a smiling white prison officer, described as a ‘life changer’, and a Black, institutionalised prisoner.

“We considered the ad’s focus on the positive qualities of the white prison officer and negative casting of the Black prisoner was likely to be seen as perpetuating a negative racial stereotype.

“We concluded that the ad was likely to cause serious offence on the grounds of race by reinforcing negative stereotypes about Black men.”

The ASA ruled that the ad must not appear again, adding: “We told the Ministry of Justice to ensure they avoided causing serious offence on the grounds of race.”

Share Button

It’s 2021 And TV Adverts Are Still Implying Only Women Clean

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”.

We don’t know about you, but we’re getting a serious throwback to the 90s, when an 11-year-old Meghan Markle campaigned against a sexist TV advert. The future Hollywood star and royal wrote a letter to Proctor & Gamble to protest their ad for Ivory dishwasher soap that claimed “women all over America are fighting greasy pots and pans”.

Three decades on, it seems little has changed.

A screenshot of the advert, provided to HuffPost UK by the ASA

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.

A screenshot of the advert, provided to HuffPost UK 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.”

Share Button

Weight Loss Injection Ads Banned For ‘Irresponsible’ Claims

HuffPost is part of Verizon Media. We and our partners will store and/or access information on your device through the use of cookies and similar technologies, to display personalised ads and content, for ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development.

Your personal data that may be used

  • Information about your device and internet connection, including your IP address
  • Browsing and search activity while using Verizon Media websites and apps
  • Precise location

Find out more about how we use your information in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

To enable Verizon Media and our partners to process your personal data select ‘I agree‘, or select ‘Manage settings‘ for more information and to manage your choices. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Your Privacy Controls.

Share Button

This Mattress Ad Was Banned For Linking Coronavirus To Immigrants

HuffPost is part of Verizon Media. Click ‘I agree‘ to allow Verizon Media and our partners to use cookies and similar technologies to access your device and use your data (including location) to understand your interests, and provide and measure personalised ads. We will also provide you with personalised ads on partner products. Learn more about how we use your data in our Privacy Centre. Once you confirm your privacy choices here, you can make changes at any time by visiting your Privacy dashboard.

Click ‘Learn more‘ to learn and customise how Verizon Media and our partners collect and use data.

Share Button

One Of These Missguided Ads Was Banned For ‘Objectifying Women’. The Other Is Allowed To Stay

HuffPost is part of Verizon Media. Click ‘I agree‘ to allow Verizon Media and our partners to use cookies and similar technologies to access your device and use your data (including location) to understand your interests, and provide and measure personalised ads. We will also provide you with personalised ads on partner products. Learn more about how we use your data in our Privacy Centre. Once you confirm your privacy choices here, you can make changes at any time by visiting your Privacy dashboard.

Click ‘Learn more‘ to learn and customise how Verizon Media and our partners collect and use data.

Share Button

‘Irresponsible’ Face Mask Ads Banned For ‘Exploiting’ Coronavirus Fears

HuffPost is part of Verizon Media. Click ‘I agree‘ to allow Verizon Media and our partners to use cookies and similar technologies to access your device and use your data (including location) to understand your interests, and provide and measure personalised ads. We will also provide you with personalised ads on partner products. Learn more about how we use your data in our Privacy Centre. Once you confirm your privacy choices here, you can make changes at any time by visiting your Privacy dashboard.

Click ‘Learn more‘ to learn and customise how Verizon Media and our partners collect and use data.

Share Button

‘Overly-Sexualised’ Pretty Little Thing Ad Banned For Objectifying Women

HuffPost is part of Verizon Media. Verizon Media and our partners need your consent to access your device and use your data (including location) to understand your interests, and provide and measure personalised ads. Verizon Media will also provide you with personalised ads on partner products. Learn more.

Select ‘OK’ to continue and allow Verizon Media and our partners to use your data, or select ‘Manage options’ to view your choices.

Share Button

If We Are Serious About Progress Gender Stereotypes Must Be Challenged Wherever They Appear

HuffPost is part of Oath. Oath and our partners need your consent to access your device and use your data (including location) to understand your interests, and provide and measure personalised ads. Oath will also provide you with personalised ads on partner products. Learn more.

Select ‘OK’ to continue and allow Oath and our partners to use your data, or select ‘Manage options’ to view your choices.

Share Button