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Spain launches campaign against gender stereotypes in toy advertising


Madrid - Spain's consumer pollution ministry has called for children not to be given toys that correspond to alleged gender stereotypes. "Only toys without stereotypes give adolescents the opportunity to develop their full potential," said the minister responsible, Alberto Garzón (Left), according to the Spanish news portal El Español.

Parents have to be "vigilant" and take off their rose-colored glasses. Advertising that is specifically aimed at boys or girls is "clearly out of date". Sexistically charged representations threatened to shape the later behavior of children and had a negative effect on their perception of their own identity, he warned. Parents can influence what is on offer with their purchase decisions.

To this end, the ministry has launched a campaign called “Toy Strike”. Almost forty percent of the advertising directed at girls has to do with beauty and grooming. For boys, on the other hand, toys for professions such as pilots, policemen or soldiers are mostly advertised, criticizes the authority with reference to a study from last year.

Ministry promotes rethinking with posters and video film
In addition to the “toy strike”, part of the campaign, which costs around 80,000 euros, also includes a poster campaign in several major Spanish cities and a video film. In this, toy figures demand that alleged gender stereotypes in the children's room be put to a halt.


“We want to play with one hundred percent of the children, not just fifty percent,” it says. “For years we resigned ourselves to being pigeonholed and being told that we were only made to play with boys or girls. Even if we are made of plastic or are stuffed animals, we have small hearts. Enough is enough."

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