Match.com ad banned for perpetuating negative gender stereotypes
‘Welcome back to 1800s’: Match.com ad featuring a woman boasting she is a ‘keeper’ because she ‘makes protein shakes’ for her boyfriend and ‘puts the football on for him every night’ is BANNED amid ‘sexism’ backlash
- Advertising Standards Authority has banned an ad from dating app Match.com
- It featured a woman calling herself a ‘keeper’ for bringing a man protein shake
- It was intended as part of a three-video story based on a real couple’s gestures
- The footage aimed to show excerpts from a day in the life of a real-life pair
A dating app ad which featured a woman calling herself a ‘keeper’ for making her partner ‘his protein shake after the gym’ has been banned for perpetuating negative gender stereotypes.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received a complaint after a social media user saw the Match.com clip on TikTok, and it has been upheld.
The clip included a voiceover by a woman, which said: ‘Things that make him realise I’m a keeper. I will make him his protein shake after the gym.’
As it played, a clip showed a man sat down, with his feet up, as the woman brought him a beverage – and they then kissed.
The dating platform said that the ad – which was a part of three-video story that showed the couple discussing different things they do for each other – intended to demonstrate the importance of small gestures in love.
A dating app ad which featured a woman calling herself a ‘keeper’ for making her partner ‘his protein shake after the gym’ has been banned for perpetuating negative gender stereotypes (pictured)
The female audio also stated that she ‘always makes sure he has a fresh towel and socks after his shower’ and ‘puts the football on for him every evening’ as the actions described were demonstrated.
Sharing the clip on Twitter in June, many social media users confessed it had left them shocked.
One user wrote: ‘What is this nonsense… .@match_UK seems like you have to be a 1950s housewife to be a keeper….he offers minimal in return in his ad!
‘Reinforcing men needing carers for GFs not equal partners. Sharing task like morning coffee make me realise mines a keeper (sic).’
Over the summer some took to social media to voice their disapproval of the ad, with one suggesting it was ‘a welcome back to the 1800s’
Another added: ‘What the hell is this cultlike weirdness and from what parallel universe did it sprout?’
‘Welcome back to 1882,’ another penned in July. ‘@Match @match_UK kindly explain why you’ve made this tiktok? The things that make HIM realise she’s a keeper?
‘She makes him drinks, puts out his towel and clothes while showering, and puts football on every night for him. All in skimpy outfits.’
The dating app responded that real couples were contacted for examples of everyday gestures, and that no script was given to the couple which featured in the ad.
According to the app, the footage, which was seen in June this year, aimed to show excerpts from a day in the life of a real-life pair.
An overview of the ASA’s ruling stated: ‘They emphasised that the aim was to focus on genuine small acts of kindness within a relationship.’
Match.com also pointed out that the clip was intended to be viewed in the context of a three-part storyline, which could provide a ‘balanced and reciprocal view of the featured couple’s relationship’.
All three parts were posted on the same day, with the other videos titled ‘Things that make me realise he’s a keeper’ and ‘Small gestures we do for each other that makes me realise he’s a keeper’.
They conceded that viewed in isolation, the clip didn’t provide a full overview of the couple’s dynamic and acknowledged that featuring reciprocate actions in one ad may have aided with any ‘perceived inequality’.
Match.com however also said that the ad aimed to show authentic actions relevant to the real couple and highlighted that the man in the relationship ‘did not act in a manner which suggested he expected the gestures’.
The ruling overview added: ‘Match.com believed that the ad had not breached the CAP Code, but confirmed that they had removed the ad from TikTok.’
Over the summer some took to social media to voice their disapproval of the ad.
The ASA ultimately upheld the complaint – which believed that the ad was sexist and perpetuated negative gender stereotypes and challenged whether it was harmful and offensive.
The ruling, which acknowledged that the actions were authentic to a real couple, read: ‘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.’
It added: ‘Whilst we acknowledged that the ad formed part of a wider campaign and that another ad focused on the man’s gestures, we considered that was not evident when viewing the ad and, furthermore, it was not referenced in the ad that the man would reciprocate any of the gestures.’
The ruling also highlighted that the habituality implied in the voiceover – with the woman frequently saying she ‘always’ does things, implied the gestures were ‘not one-off acts of kindness but were indistinguishable from chores’.
‘We also considered that the voice-over highlighted that the actions were done for the benefit of the man, not the woman,’ it added.
The ASA also said the title of the video – ‘Things that make him realise I’m a keeper’ – in the context of the ad also implied that women should be subservient to men for a successful, long-term relationship.
It concluded: ‘For those reasons, we concluded that the ad perpetuated negative gender stereotypes and was likely to cause harm and widespread offence. The ad breached CAP (Edition 12) rules (Social Responsibility), and (Harm and Offence).
Accoridng to the ASA’s website, the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (CAP Code) is ‘the rule book for non-broadcast advertisements, sales promotions and direct marketing communications’.