Distracted Boyfriend meme is sexist to men and women, Sweden's advertising watchdog rules

The original 'distracted boyfriend' picture, which became a popular internet meme last year
The original 'distracted boyfriend' picture, which became a popular internet meme last year Credit: Shutterstock/Antonio Guillem

The distracted boyfriend meme is sexist to both men and women, Sweden’s advertising watchdog has ruled.

The country’s ombudsman, Reklamombudsmannen, said that an advert by a software company using the viral image treated women as “sex objects” and portrayed men in a “stereotypical” light.

The body made the ruling after receiving complaints from the public when the company Bahnhof repurposed the popular meme for a job advert in April.

The company defended its actions saying that the image was well-established and that they had used it to portray the feeling someone, who was not enjoying their current job, may have about moving to a more attractive employer.

The photograph, which was originally taken a professional photographer Antonio Guillem from Barcelona, depicts a boyfriend walking with his girlfriend and becoming distracted by another woman wearing red.

Originally intended as stock image, the photo rose to prominence on social media last year after people started overlaying it with text to represent different scenarios of jealous or longing.

In the Bahnhof advert, which the company posted on Facebook and Instagram, they labeled the boyfriend ‘you’, the girlfriend ‘your current workplace’ and the woman in red ‘Bahnhof’.

The caption read: “Looking for a new job? Right now we are looking for sales staff, an operating engineer and a distinguished web designer.”

In its representations to Reklamombudsmannen, Bahnhof, argued that the image was a widely used to represent a general feeling of “longing for something better”.

However the watchdog said several members of its complaints panel felt the advert depicted stereotypical gender roles of both men and women.

The ruling said: “The committee finds that the woman in red, who is in focus in the image through the man's appreciative reaction, is portrayed as a sex object.”

It added: “The committee further finds that the presentation of the man - through the way he imparts a stereotypical picture of men looking at women as being interchangeable, in the same way as a change of workplace, which is undervaluing.

“The advertisement is therefore also sexually discriminatory against men”.

Following the ruling, Bahnhof defended the use of the meme in a statement on its website, saying: “If we are to be punished, it's for of using an old and tired meme.”