The guy's boyfriend is distracted & # 39; is sexist, says a Swedish watchdog

Image: SHUTTERSTOCK / ANTONIO GUILLEM

How could anyone have expressed themselves in front of the same "distracted boyfriend" – the Internet's favorite way of conveying disloyalty, desire, disapproval and jealousy at the same time ?

Now advertising agencies in Sweden will have to think about a way – or at least think twice before using the meme of the year. The Swedish advertising mediator, Reklamombudsmannen, felt that the use of the same by the Internet company Bahnhof in a message broadcast on social networks was sexist.

On Facebook, Bahnhof used the same in a post about talent recruitment. The captions read "you", "your current employer" and "Bahnhof".

After a series of complaints, the Swedish mediator of advertising ruled on the use of the same by Bahnhof. The ombudsman found that the meme discriminated against men and women.

"The board finds that the woman in red […] is presented as a sexual object, "writes the ombudsman, adding that it is furthermore an objective that both women be considered" representatives of the workplace while the man […] is presented as an individual. "

The same vehicle also has a stereotyped view of men, since the man in the picture is portrayed as a person who "sees women as interchangeable in the manner of workplaces, which is degrading," writes the mediator.

The mediator cites the advertising code proposed by the International Chamber of Commerce, which states that advertising must "not encourage or tolerate any form of discrimination, including those based on race, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability or sexual orientation. "

Bahnhof has posted a response on Facebook, stating that they were only meant to present Bahnhof as an attractive employer. They stated that anyone familiar with the Internet and the culture itself knows that it is so that the same is "used and understood", adding that the genre is "most often irrelevant".

The Swedish advertising industry self-regulates, so that the mediator can criticize, but not invoke sanctions. The Ombudsman's website states that "advertisers are expected to follow decisions".

Bahnhof wrote on Facebook that they deserved only one punishment for using a "old and tired" meme.

On Twitter, people reacted to the discovery of the ombudsman with – you guessed it – memes.

Do not worry, advertisers. There are many great memes at your disposal.