File photo The Advertising Standards Authority has dismissed a complaint that an ad for a Burger King children's meal reinforced gender stereotypes. The TV ad features girls playing with pink princess dress up accessories and boys playing with monster truck toys, and a voiceover which says "Girls are all about pink. Princess pink, while boys are all about roughing it up." A complainant said the ad stated gender stereotypes as if they were facts. "I believe that this not only reinforces stereotyping but also ostracises those children that don't fall within their stereotypical gender roles," they wrote. The ASA said stereotypes may be used to simplify the process of communication in relation to the products and the intended consumer. "The choice is open to the purchasers of the meals regardless of the gender of the child and so the use of stereotypes did not meet the threshold to be considered offensive in the light of generally prevailing community standards, and was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence. "Therefore, while the Chairman acknowledged that the Complainant found the advertisement offensive, there was nothing in the advertisement that was likely to cause serious or widespread offence, and as such she was of the view that there was no apparent breach of the Advertising Standards Codes."
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 15th June 2012 - 10:12am