The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has proven
itself to be avant-garde once again by being progressive enough to
amend its Code and recognizing the importance of gender identity
and body shaming in advertising.
Section 3.1(b) of the original ASCI Code regarded all
advertisements deriding anyone on the basis of race, caste, creed,
gender, and nationality to be hazardous or harmful to society or to
individuals, particularly children, to a degree or of a type which
is unacceptable to society at large, and hence not permitted. The
revised Section 3.1(b) now reads, “No advertisement shall
be permitted which: derides any individual or groups on the basis
of race, caste, color, religion, gender, body shape, age,
sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental
conditions or
nationality.” Therefore, any advertisement that
disparages an individual on the basis of these criteria is in
violation of the ASCI Code, and vulnerable, at best, to a
complaint,
