Anti-Sexist Marketing Campaigns : ‘Approved, Not Approved

Many creative companies have recently spoken out about the sexism that exists in marketing, and sexual wellness companies Unbound and Dame have teamed up to launch the multi-media ‘Approved, Not Approved’ campaign to further emphasize this.

The campaign highlights various blatantly sexualized campaigns put forth by alcohol brands, breast augmentation surgeons, and erectile dysfunction companies that feature scantily clad women or phallic-shaped objects — all of which have been approved by Facebook. On the other hand, subtle female advertisements for women’s sex toys have not been approved.

To help bring awareness about this issue, the campaign offers an online quiz that asks individuals to guess which of the aforementioned advertisements have been approved by Facebook — the results are disproportionally against advertising women’s sexual wellness and education products. The Approved, Not Approved campaign seeks to ensure there is an equal standard for advertising women-specific products.