[Brussels,
04 July 2012] The EWL has issued a Statement welcoming the recent adoption of a
Charter and Guiding Principles on Responsible Advertising
and Marketing Communication by the European cosmetics industry.
While favouring binding measures at EU and national level to ensure respect for
and promotion of women’s rights and gender equality in media output, the EWL is
supportive of this initiative, and calls for strict implementation and
enforcement in all cosmetics advertising across the EU.
The European Women’s Lobby (EWL)
has long been concerned with the impact of stereotypical, denigrating and/or
unrealistic portrayals of women in advertising – as well as an increasing
‘pornification’ of public space – on women’s health and rights. The EWL calls
for EU legislative measures accompanied by effective sanctions for the
enforcement of the wide range of international and national legislative
commitments of States to uphold women’s rights and promote equality between
women and men, including in media content, which has a strong impact on public
perceptions and social mores.
In this perspective, the EWL is
pleased to see the cosmetics industry in Europe commit
to implement and enforce self-regulating principles in advertising, including
many of the recommendations made by the EWL in May 2011. The EWL recognises the
inclusion of broad anti-discrimination provisions including regarding the
portrayal of women and men. In addition, the EWL welcomes the following
specific commitments:
- ‘Digital
techniques should not alter images of models such that their body shapes
or features become unrealistic and misleading regarding the performance
achievable by the product.’
- ‘Cosmetics
advertising and marketing communication “should not appear to condone or
incite violent, unlawful or anti-social behaviour”.’
- ‘Models
used in advertisements and post production techniques should not appear to
promote a preferred body image of extreme thinness.
- ‘Do
not focus on bodies and parts of bodies as objects when not relevant to
the advertised product.’
- ‘Do
not stage nude models in a way that is demeaning, alienating or sexually
offensive.’
- ‘Advertising
of decorative cosmetics and perfumes should not incite children to overuse
of such products.’
- ‘Advertising
of cosmetic products, including images, should not promote early
sexualisation of young people.’
The EWL trusts that the cosmetics
industry will now do its utmost to ensure the full enforcement of the Charter
and Guiding Principles throughout Europe. The document
calls for national cosmetics associations to cooperate with their respective
Self-Regulatory Organisations (SROs) ‘with a view to having these principles
adopted at national level.’ In cases of non-compliance, SROs will then have the
mandate to adjudicate on complaints.
The EWL calls for the due
adoption of the principles at national level, but is aware that the prominence
and power of SROs varies greatly across the EU and that effective action by
these bodies to uphold women’s rights is rare. The EWL calls on the cosmetics
industry to advocate strong and publicly visible SROs, with effective
sanctioning powers, to ensure the credibility of self-regulation. In addition,
the EWL calls on the individual members of Cosmetics Europe to promote their
commitment to this Charter and Guiding Principles on their advertising and
marketing materials, and put in place easy-to-use public complaints and
follow-up procedures.
The EWL and its members across Europe
will monitor the process of implementation of this initiative, as well as the
agreed reporting and review procedures.