Between the years 2016 and 2023, the Advertising Ombudsman (RO) received an average of 574 reports about upsetting or misleading advertising, of which an average of 53 were cases based on gender discrimination – this is shown by calculations that News24 have produced with the help of historical data from the foundation.
Some of the cases are particularly outstanding.
Nyheter24 has mapped some of the largest companies that have been convicted of gender discrimination in their marketing.
1. H&M
When the Advertising Ombudsman in January brought down H&M for its criticized advertising images, the clothing giant climbed to the top as the one with the most notifications in the category.
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At the latest in March, they were reported, and then convicted, again. According to ROCK the notified advertisement represents the British artist Raye wearing workout clothes. Underneath the top she’s wearing is a deep v-neck matching sports bra that accentuates her breasts.
According to the complainant, the artist is portrayed in a sexist way through her clothes and the way she poses, and claims that the promotional images have nothing to do with exercise.
H&M has the most rejections for advertisements with slim models, according to RO | Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT
According to the case description, H&M believed that the artist herself had been involved in making the image selection based on what she believed represented her artistic vision.
The female photographer the advertiser has partnered with for this campaign is also noted, according to the company, for her work in portraying “a strong and confident woman” – something they felt the ad conveyed.
RO disagreed, and found – like the complainant – that the depiction of the woman has no connection to the marketed training clothes. H&M was eventually convicted, and the penalty was damages, writes RO.
2. Twins
In June 2024, the underwear company Twilfit was convicted of sexist advertising.
The reported image, which was posted on Instagram and Facebook, shows two women sitting in front of a gate facing the street.
According to ROCK‘s description, they are wearing lace bras and lace thongs, and one woman is wearing a shirt that is tied in the front so that it only covers her elbows.
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They sit with their legs wide apart and each balance a clay dish of dough between their thighs. Both women have flour stains on their face, chest and legs. In front of them on the ground are bowls of eggs.
The advertising campaign received two reports, according to RO, where one believes that the women’s baking has nothing to do with the underwear they are wearing. The second complainant perceives the advertisement as discriminatory and unrealistic, and that it illustrates almost naked women in stereotypical gender roles.
Twilfit is a Swedish underwear company | Photo: Henrik Montgomery/TT
In a statement to RO, Twilfit wrote that the women in the photo are “having fun” and showcase the “freedom of being playful, young and carefree” – not being portrayed as objects. If anything, the company says, the ad is critical of a “chauvinist portrayal,” mocking typical gender roles by pushing stereotypes.
Again, the board disagreed, finding that the petition went beyond what is warranted in traditional underwear marketing.
Twilfit was convicted on June 16.
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3. NA-KD
In recent years, the fashion company NA-KD has received some media attention, including in magazines such as SvD and breakit, in connection with alarms about poor working conditions and sexual harassment in the workplace.
In mid-May 2024, the clothing company was also reported to RO for gender-discriminatory advertising after a campaign about how women choose the right clothes for job interviews.
One of the advertising pictures shows a picture of a woman wearing a cream white glossy blouse with the buttons partially unbuttoned, so that the chest is visible. The hand is placed by one button of the blouse, which gives the impression that the hand is holding up the opening of the blouse, writes ROCK.
When NA-KD was contacted for comment, the company said it has stopped the advertising campaign, but gave no further comment on the content of the images, RO describes.
According to the complainant, the advertisement is gender discriminatory because the image with the blouse suggests that the person should bet on sex to get a job – something that the Advertising Board agreed with.
NA-KD was brought down on 14 May.
4. ICA Supermarket
That an ICA store would be reported for sexist marketing does not feel like the most tipped bingo card for the events of 2024.
But that was the case.
On April 11, 2024, the store Ica Supermarket Klingan Grums was closed down ROCK for an advertisement containing condoms and squirt cream.
The reported ad is a post from the grocery store’s Facebook account, and shows a woman dressed in 50s clothing holding the bottle, the package of condoms and a red rose.
The report stated that the advertisement had sexist connotations, and the RO – which also considered that the depiction of the woman had no connection to the marketed products – chose to fine the ICA store.
Grums Matmarknad was given the opportunity to comment in connection with the Advertising Ombudsman’s investigation, but chose not to do so.
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