KFC sort of apologises for same-old sexist advert in Australia
The advert hampers ‘our ability to challenge sexist ideas that contribute to harmful behaviour towards women and girls’, activist group Collective Shout says
21 January 2020 - 12:36
byShubham Kalia
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Bengaluru — KFC apologised for an advertisement in Australia that shows two young boys staring at a woman's breasts, after calls from a local campaign group to boycott the fast-food giant over the advert it called “sexist”, the Australian Associated Press reported.
The 15-second advert, which is still on KFC Australia's YouTube channel, shows a woman adjust her breasts as she looks at her reflection in the window of a parked car.
The car's window then rolls down to show two young boys looking at the woman's breasts, before she smiles and says, “did someone say KFC?”
“We apologise if anyone was offended by our latest commercial. Our intention was not to stereotype women and young boys in a negative light,” Yum! Brands' KFC said in a statement to the Australian Associated Press.
It was not immediately clear if KFC would take any action on the usage of advert. The video has had more than 28,000 views on the company's YouTube channel.
KFC's response came after Collective Shout, a group that campaigns against the objectification of women, condemned the advertisement and said it was a “regression to tired and archaic stereotypes where young women are sexually objectified for male pleasure”.
“Ads like this reinforce the false idea that we can't expect better from boys. It is another manifestation of the 'boys will be boys' trope, hampering our ability to challenge sexist ideas that contribute to harmful behaviour towards women and girls,” the group's spokesperson, Melinda Liszewski, said.
While many did not approve of the advert, several others took to Twitter to label the ad “funny” and said there was no need for the company to apologise.
KFC Australia did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
KFC sort of apologises for same-old sexist advert in Australia
The advert hampers ‘our ability to challenge sexist ideas that contribute to harmful behaviour towards women and girls’, activist group Collective Shout says
Bengaluru — KFC apologised for an advertisement in Australia that shows two young boys staring at a woman's breasts, after calls from a local campaign group to boycott the fast-food giant over the advert it called “sexist”, the Australian Associated Press reported.
The 15-second advert, which is still on KFC Australia's YouTube channel, shows a woman adjust her breasts as she looks at her reflection in the window of a parked car.
The car's window then rolls down to show two young boys looking at the woman's breasts, before she smiles and says, “did someone say KFC?”
“We apologise if anyone was offended by our latest commercial. Our intention was not to stereotype women and young boys in a negative light,” Yum! Brands' KFC said in a statement to the Australian Associated Press.
It was not immediately clear if KFC would take any action on the usage of advert. The video has had more than 28,000 views on the company's YouTube channel.
KFC's response came after Collective Shout, a group that campaigns against the objectification of women, condemned the advertisement and said it was a “regression to tired and archaic stereotypes where young women are sexually objectified for male pleasure”.
“Ads like this reinforce the false idea that we can't expect better from boys. It is another manifestation of the 'boys will be boys' trope, hampering our ability to challenge sexist ideas that contribute to harmful behaviour towards women and girls,” the group's spokesperson, Melinda Liszewski, said.
While many did not approve of the advert, several others took to Twitter to label the ad “funny” and said there was no need for the company to apologise.
KFC Australia did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Reuters
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