Via Daily Caller:

The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority, the self-regulatory organization of the ad industry across the pond, is seeking to cut the cord on gender stereotypes.

Following a year-long inquiry, the organization has updated its already stringent standards to prohibit advertisements that portray what it refers to as “potentially harmful” gender stereotypes. Fitness ads that depict women in swimsuits and children’s clothing ads that depict boys as geniuses in direct contrast to girls as princesses risk being banned.

The ASA states that a “tougher line” was needed on ads that depicted “stereotypical gender roles or characteristics which can potentially cause harm, including ads which mock people for not conforming to gender stereotypes.”

According to the Telegraph, the new standards are set to be enforced beginning in 2018. The ASA argues that harmful stereotypes “can restrict the choices, aspirations and opportunities of children, young people and adults.”