'Distracted boyfriend' meme is sexist, says Swedish advertising watchdog

How did anyone ever express themselves before the "distracted boyfriend" meme — the internet's favourite way to convey disloyalty, longing, disapproval, and jealousy all at once?

Now, advertising agencies in Sweden will have to think of a way — or at least think twice before they employ the meme of the year. The Swedish advertising ombudsman, Reklamombudsmannen, has ruled that internet company Bahnhof's use of the meme in a post on social media was sexist.

On Facebook, Bahnhof used the meme in a post about recruiting talent. The captions read "you", "your current employer" and "Bahnhof."

After a series of complaints, the Swedish advertising ombudsman ruled on Bahnhof's use of the meme. The ombudsman found that the meme was discriminatory against both men and women.

"The board finds that the woman in red [...] is presented as a sex object," the ombudsman writes, adding that it is furthermore objectifying that the two women are seen as "representatives of workplaces while the man [...] is presented as an individual."

The meme also conveys a stereotypical view of men, since the man in the photo is portrayed as a person who "views women as if they are interchangeable in the manner of workplaces, which is degrading," the ombudsman writes.

The ombudsman cites the code of advertising put forth by The International Chamber of Commerce, which states that advertising should not "incite or condone any form of discrimination, including that based upon race, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability or sexual orientation."

Bahnhof posted a response on Facebook, saying that they only meant to portray Bahnhof as an attractive employer. They stated that anyone familiar with the internet and meme culture knows that that is how the meme is "used and understood," adding that gender is "most often irrelevant."

The Swedish advertising industry is self-regulating, so the ombudsman can criticise but not invoke sanctions. The ombudsman's website states that "the advertisers are expected to follow the decisions."

Bahnhof wrote on Facebook that they only deserved punishment for using an "old and tired" meme.

On Twitter, people reacted to the ombudsman's finding with -- you guessed it -- memes.

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Don't fret, advertisers. There are many great memes at your disposal.