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Singapore\u2019s system still relies largely on industry self-regulation, without meaningful penalties. Transparency is limited too: In 2022, local digital news platform TheHomeGround Asia asked ASAS how many complaints it had received about sexist ads, but its secretariat declined to comment.<\/span><\/p>\n A new layer has emerged too, Lim said. Algorithms are shaped by engagement data that favour sexualised imagery, amplifying the kind of content that AWARE is warning against. <\/span>People aren\u2019t choosing to self-objectify \u2013 platform reward systems are designed to incentivise it.<\/span><\/p>\n Lim added that consumers also need media literacy, specifically, the ability to recognise engineered content and understand how amplification systems shape what they see.<\/span><\/p>\n For this to happen, change needs to take place on two fronts.<\/span><\/p>\n The first is cultural. It starts with education, respect for personal agency and recognising when something crosses a line \u2013 including when \u201csexy\u201d is doing the work that an actual idea should be doing, or when a norm is built on gender disparity, as Asst Prof Ho observed.<\/span><\/p>\n The second is regulatory. Current guidelines have not kept pace with digital media, and brands that cross clear boundaries need consequences beyond an apology after the backlash.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBrands need to review campaigns before they launch, at the concept stage, rather than pulling them once the backlash has already landed,\u201d said AWARE\u2019s Lim.<\/span><\/p>\n