A “sexist” Ryanair ad featuring cabin crew staff in their underwear has been banned for being sexually offensive and likely to cause offence.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) says that “although the images were not overtly sexual in content, the appearance, stance and gaze of the women…were likely to be seen as sexually suggestive”.
The low-cost carrier’s “red hot fares & crew!” press ads, which ran in newspapers including The Guardian and The Independent, promoting its 2012 cabin crew charity calendar showed women posing in their bra and pants.
The ad attracted complaints that it was sexist, objectified women and was offensive.
Ryanair says the ads promoted its 2012 charity calendar and the images were taken directly from it.
The airline says as members of their cabin crew volunteered their time to produce and promote the calendar, it was not sexist or objective.
It added that because similar images of men and women often featured together, the ads could not be deemed offensive or unsuitable for public display.
