Women's Health Victoria's initiative, Shequal, has partnered with The Open Arms to launch a campaign designed to challenge persistent gender stereotypes in advertising.

Titled 'Commercial Breakdown', the campaign uses humour as a tool to spark conversations about gender representation within agencies and between agency and client. The work stars stars comedians Alex Lee and Lewis Garnham in a Gogglebox-style video where they watch ads and reflect on the broader social impact that persistent gender stereotypes can have.

Research conducted for the campaign found that while representations of women in ads have become less overtly sexist, the 'Aussie bloke' trope persists, and women are often entirely absent from ads in categories such as beer and gambling. The campaign is being launched in the context of rising violence against women in Australia, highlighting the importance of addressing harmful gender stereotypes in advertising.

Manager of Gender Equity and Capacity Building at Women's Health Victoria, Lauren Zappa, said: "The average Australian is exposed to thousands of ads a day, so what happens in those ads matters. That’s because advertising is a powerful multi-billion-dollar industry that exists only to influence us. We want to give people the tools to challenge gender stereotypes and to support brands that promote authentic, respectful, and diverse portrayals of all Australians."

Zappa also highlighted the lack of diversity in advertising. "Most ads still feature young, white, able-bodied, cis-gendered and heterosexual people, leaving many in our community unseen and unrepresented."