SEXIST ADS: LEARN FROM THESE MISTAKES

Sexism, defined by Oxford Languages as, ‘prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex’, is still a cause for concern in the 2020s – and, unfortunately, this type of behaviour continues to be normalised by sexist advertisements, whether it be sexist advertisements in 2021 or sexist advertisements 2022.

Sexism may be a lot more subtle in today’s ads – compared to the heavily sexist ads of the 20th Century, that is – nevertheless, it’s still unnecessary and offensive. One piece of good news is that these ads will no longer air in the UK as the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) recently introduced a ban on sexist advertising as they discovered it can play a part in ‘limiting people’s potential’.

Here, we explore different sexist ads from across the years and take a look at the music used for them. Looking for ad music? We have a huge range of hand-picked playlists to help you find the perfect track.

Recent Sexist Ads

Sexist Ads 2020

Over in Oz (circa June 2020), KFC released a festival-inspired ad that focuses on a young woman checking herself out in a stationary car window. As she takes a close look at her reflection, the window rolls down to reveal two young boys and their mother have been watching her through the car window the whole time. Unsurprisingly, the pre-adolescent children are a little caught up with what they’re seeing (quite frankly, they’re practically drooling), and their mother appears to be extremely unimpressed.

The sexist undertones of this advert lie within antiquated notions that women are objects of desire. This is made even worse when you realise it’s a KFC advert marketing juicy chicken breasts and thighs – hence, it runs the risk of suggesting the young girl is nothing but a piece of meat.

The song used in the advertisement is the popular 2012 dance-pop track ‘I Love It’ (feat Charlie XCX) by Icona Pop. The music is used to convey good summertime vibes and reaffirm the festival setting. If it’s dance-pop tracks you’re after for your next project, take a look at our dedicated playlist.

Sexist Ads 2019

One of the most controversial adverts of 2019 was the Peloton Christmas commercial, created to advertise the brand’s home workout equipment – namely their exercise bike. In the commercial, titled The Gift that Gives Back, a woman is gifted a Peloton bike by her husband. Thereafter, she religiously uses the bike to change her life around.

The reason why a percentage of women were not onboard with Peloton’s ad is because they felt it suggested women should be constantly dieting. In fact, it affected so many people that, according to CBSN Los Angeles, Peloton stocks plummeted after the ad was released.

It’s clear the ad was supposed to be fun and light-hearted, as the music used in the ad is nimble and chipper. If you happen to be looking for something similar, make sure you check out our Lifestyle playlist.

Sexist Ads 2018

The most sexist ad of 2018 came from Israeli fashion label, Castro. The advert revolves around a woman who drives across a rural landscape in her sports car. Sounds empowering, right? Well, it certainly would be if she didn’t stop off for gas.

As the woman in question pulls up at what is best described as a gas shack, she's met by the gaze of the scruffy shack owner. As she fills her car up, she parades around the space in her skimpy dress, dancing for the male gaze. But the inappropriateness doesn’t end there: soon after, it’s revealed that she’s kidnapped a young woman who’s stuck in her car boot, wearing nothing but her underwear. It’s implied she’s going to kill her and bury her in the desert. Sexist and violent. Yikes.

The soundtrack? Blondie’s iconic 70s hit ‘One Way or Another’.

Sexist Ad 2017

Another sexist ad from the Aussies. In 2017, automotive servicing company Ultra Tune released a commercial that not only played with passé gender stereotypes, but also featured two busty women for the male gaze.

At the beginning of the ad, two women are driving along before their Mini’s muffler unexpectedly sets on fire. After the driver uses her Ultra Tune app to summon a mechanic, she and her companion attempt to put out the fire themselves – a scene that is best described as borderline-pornographic. Unfortunately, the two women aren’t savvy enough to put out the fire themselves so the car ends up exploding. The male narrator proceeds to say, ‘avoid unexpected situations’ and as soon as you know it, a male Ultra Tune mechanic appears to rescue the damsels in distress.

The only inoffensive part of the ad is the chirpy background music that plays throughout. We have similar upbeat songs - have a listen over at our Upbeat Pop and Rock playlist.

Sexist Ads 2016

Shockingly, it was multinational brand Amazon that created one of the most sexist ads of 2016 – more specifically, it came from Amazon India. The ad, titled #WhenAWomanShops, may not be quite as in-your-face sexist as the others that grace this list, but its concept is founded on outmoded conventions.

The experiment featured in the ad challenges men to predict what their partner will order from Amazon when gifted free credit. Typically, the men forecast their other halves will purchase clothes, make-up and beauty products. The women then defy their expectations by revealing they’ve purchased activity equipment, useful accessories and clothes for their men, proving that many men are still stuck in toxic ways of thinking.

At least Amazon hits the right spot with its music choice. The orchestral composition makes the experiment an easy-watch and provides it with a healthy pace to follow. Discover more modern orchestra songs over in our catalogue.

Sexist Ads 2000s

Titled Save the Boobs, this ad was created for Breast Cancer Awareness Month by Canadian charity, ReThink Breast Cancer. To advertise their Boobyball (the charity’s annual fundraiser) the commercial focuses on MTV’s Aliya-Jasmine Sovani at a pool party in a white bikini. As all the men and women gawk as she walks by, text appears urging viewers to ‘save the boobs’. Not only does this downplay the serious disease in question, but it also really reduces women’s value to their body parts. How are women who have had a mastectomy supposed to feel?

Unfortunately, the song ReThink Breast Cancer opts for only makes things worse. A male vocalist sings ‘the girl is mine’, further emphasising that women are possessions.

Brand-Specific Sexist Ads

Budweiser Sexist Ads/ Sexist Beer Ads

Budweiser hasn’t had the best track record when it comes to sexist ads – by marketing to beer-drinking men, they often do a disservice to women in the process.

In this particular Bud Light ad, a daughter asks her mother an important question on her wedding day: ‘How did you and dad make your marriage work?’. Her mum starts off with, ‘communication and understanding’, then veers off into basically saying if you do literally everything round the house (from mowing the lawn to fixing retaining walls), so hubby can go off drinking with his mates, you’ll live happily ever after. Ultimately, of course, you can just give your man some Bud Light and he’ll be a contented fella. To be fair, this is an equal-opportunity attempt at sexism: women are best off doing all the work around the house, but also, all men need to be happy is to lazily drink beer with their friends.

The music used in this Bud Light ad is pure, innocent and filled with emotion – it conveys the mood of a wedding day. Discover more emotive piano tracks over at our dedicated playlist.

Peta Sexist Ads

PETA - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - created an extremely unexpected, provocative commercial back in 2009 for the Super Bowl XLIII. In fact, it was deemed so inappropriate it was actually banned from going live on air.

The PETA ad features women in lingerie being inappropriate with vegetables in erotic settings. But that’s not the most shocking part – the ad claims – using bold, capital letters – that ‘Vegetarians have better sex’. (Based on what? They neglect to tell us.)

To ramp up the shock factor, PETA opts for a heavy rock track – think Guns ‘n’ Roses - that feels apt considering the gothic-inspired lingerie and settings.

Axe Sexist Ads

Axe (also known as LYNX in the UK) are, sadly, renowned for their sexist adverts that usually suggest women will lust after men if they use their products. One archetypal instance of this is their ‘Spray More, Get More’ ad.

In the 1-minute long commercial, women are seen running through a wild setting wearing nothing but their underwear. As you may have already guessed by the title of the ad, and the fact that this is an Axe/Lynx commercial, the thing they’re running towards is a topless man. Ergo, the moral of this ad is that a man will get lucky with more women if he’s wearing the brand’s deodorant spray. On a deeper level, this suggests that women are plentiful, disposable and objects of desire.

The music is akin to something that one might expect to hear in an adventure film – chiming with the exotic, natural setting. Need an adventure track? Take a look at our adventure playlist.

Other Sexist Ads

Sexist Makeup Ads/1950s Sexist Ads

Returning to the heyday of sexist ads, 1950s Maybelline commercials really captured the zeitgeist. Back in the 50s, the only reason women would wear makeup was, of course, to impress men.

In this specific ad, a model shows viewers how she uses Maybelline products – including mascara and an eyebrow pencil – to bring out her eyes. Towards the end of the ad, three be-suited men appear on-screen to stare appreciatively at her. At this moment, the jingle kicks in: ‘All the guys make eyes at a girl whose eyes are lovely with Maybelline’. Maybe she’s born with it? Nope, it’s definitely the Maybelline, guys.

Sexist Vintage Ads

This 1960s Folgers Coffee compilation is like a soap-opera based entirely around grumpy men who can’t bear their wives’ coffee. ‘That’s pretty harsh!’ protests one poor wife. ‘Well, so’s your coffee!’ replies her husband. Thank goodness, when the women go to the supermarket (because women love to shop! Remember?) and hear about Folgers’ mountain-grown, ‘husband-pleasing coffee’, they purchase it without hesitating. As one may expect, each husband is extremely pleased with their Folgers Coffee and marital harmony is restored.

Sexist Car Ads

In 2000, Fiat released two adverts poking fun at sexist remarks. In the first ad, a man drives the new Fiat Punto, making remarks about women’s intelligence levels, spending habits and materialistic priorities. In the second ad, the women get their own back as a young Scottish woman remarks on men’s uselessness in the bedroom and their obsession with cars, football and sexual fantasies.

You will notice that neither of these adverts used a background music track, and we presume this is because Fiat was keen to ensure viewers focused on the dialogue. However, it does sound as though the Italian vehicle manufacturer has relied on a range of car-related sound effects to make the advert appear professional.

Sexist Ads Against Men

Sexism isn’t only something women experience, men can experience it too. There are tons of stereotypes, social expectations and clichés about men, which get played out in TV ads.

In Samsung’s 2013 ad for their Smart TV Revolution Kit, men are portrayed as unintelligent, slobby cavemen. The ad focuses on a woman who attaches a Samsung Evolution Kit to her TV whilst her boyfriend/husband is gormlessly watching it. As the piece of technology syncs to the device, she imagines attaching the piece of kit to her man to upgrade him. In this daydream, her man is multitasking: cooking, painting, baking and entertaining the baby, all at the same time. But it doesn’t take long until her real man passes wind, causing her to snap out of her daydream. Why any woman would go out with a man as rubbish as this – let alone live with him – is, perhaps, a bigger question for another day.

Ironically, the ad does feature a fantastic male-led song. The track is ‘Come and Get It’ by Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed: an American singer and songwriter renowned for his soulful sound.

Our Advert-Appropriate Production Music

If you're looking to create your own ad, then involve both female and male creatives in the whole process. And, of course choose the best music to get your message across! Audio Network has tracks in every genre imaginable. If you want to discover our latest tracks, head over to our new releases.