QUEZON CITY (PIA)— The Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) calls on all brands and advertising agencies to create content that empowers women.

In a statement on Tuesday, August 17, the Commission said the creative industry should “reassess the values they want to perpetuate” after Netizens criticized an aesthetic clinic for releasing a body-shaming video ad of a woman amid the pandemic.

While most working women juggle work and family life, PCW said that others face harsh realities, such as unpaid care work, violence at home, online sexual harassment, and unemployment.

“With these difficulties, it would be more kind and helpful if they see advertisements that lift them rather than pressure them into conforming to subjective beauty standards, which may be the least of their priorities now,” PCW said.

PCW encouraged ad agencies and media partners to revisit the checklist in the Gender-Fair Media Guidebook released by the Media and Gender Equality Committee (MGEC) when assessing communication materials.

“We look forward to seeing [ad] materials that elevate women. Those that show how they rise above the challenges during the pandemic,” PCW said. (MBP/PIA-IDPD with information from PCW)