TikTok post by dating site Match.com banned for perpetuating harmful gender stereotypes
A TikTok post by Match.com that showed a woman doing domestic chores for her partner was sexist, the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has ruled.
The dating site's video was titled 'Things that make him realise I'm a keeper' and showed a man sitting in a chair with his feet up and on the phone.
A woman voiceover said: “Things that make him realise I’m a keeper. I will make him his protein shake after the gym.”
“I always make sure he has a fresh towel and socks after his shower” and continued “I put the football on for him every evening”.
The advert ended with the woman saying: “Find your keeper via Match. Go download the Match app today.”
A viewer, who believed the ad was sexist, perpetuated negative gender stereotypes and challenged whether it was harmful and offensive.
Match.com said the ad formed part of a three-video storyline, which also showed gestures carried out by the man for the woman.
They removed the video from TikTok and acknowledged it would have been more appropriate to include gestures carried out by both individuals in the same advert to avoid any perceived inequality between the couple.
The ASA noted that all of the gestures performed by the woman were domestic chores such as making a drink and taking it to her partner, preparing towels for after his shower, and setting up the television so that he could watch a football game.
“Because the ad relied on the stereotype of a woman carrying out domestic chores in order to please her male partner, we considered that viewers would interpret the ad as reinforcing a negative gender stereotype,” the regulator said.
“We further noted that the actions of the woman were one-sided and were not reciprocated by the man in the ad.”
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Referring to the voiceover where the woman said she “always” made sure the man had a fresh towel and socks and put the football on for him “every evening”, the ASA added: “We considered that the longevity of the gestures implied that they were not one-off acts of kindness but were indistinguishable from chores.
“Given that, and in the absence of any reciprocal gestures by the man, we considered that the woman was shown to prioritise her partner’s needs over her own.”
The ASA said it also took the title into consideration, saying: “We considered that the title, when viewed in the context of the ad, reinforced the idea that women should be subservient to men in order to maintain a successful relationship.
“For those reasons, we concluded that the ad perpetuated negative gender stereotypes and was likely to cause harm and widespread offence.”
The ASA ruled that the ad must not appear again, adding: “We told Match.com to ensure that they did not portray sexist or negative gender stereotypes in future marketing communications.”