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Ryanair sexy stewardess ad campaign is banned by British authorities

Irish airline slammed for sexist promotion featuring undressed employees

By
PATRICK COUNIHAN,
IrishCentral Staff Writer
Published Wednesday, February 15, 2012, 7:19 AM
Updated Wednesday, February 15, 2012, 6:06 PM

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See more: Michael O'Leary  

2012 Ryanair Cabin Crew Charity Calendar launch. Chief Executive of Ryanair, Michael O'Leary pictured with the Girls of Ryanair. The 2012 Ryanair Cabin Crew Charity Calendar has been banned by the ASA
2012 Ryanair Cabin Crew Charity Calendar launch. Chief Executive of Ryanair, Michael O'Leary pictured with the Girls of Ryanair. The 2012 Ryanair Cabin Crew Charity Calendar has been banned by the ASA.
Photo by Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland


PHOTOS - Slideshow of the 2012 Ryanair Calendar

Michael O’Leary and Ryanair have been slammed for sexist adverts which objectified women.
The budget airline boss has been hauled over the coals for a promotion which featured a scantily clad stewardess in lingerie.

O’Leary, no stranger to controversy, has run foul of the British advertising standards authority, ASA, over the campaign which has now been banned.

Already under fire for his annual charity calendar featuring cabin crew in lingerie, O’Leary has been ordered to stop the saucy campaign after thousands of complaints.

The British authority found the ads to be ‘sexist’ after analysing the complaints, including one from a Ryanair flight attendant who claimed it portrayed cabin crew as glamour models.

The adverts ran with the strap line ‘Red Hot Fares & Crew’ and were deemed offensive after thousands of people backed calls for the promotion to be axed.

The British body also said 17 complainants lodged personal grievances and concluded that the campaign was likely to cause ‘widespread offence’.

In a statement, the authority said that one image, entitled ‘Ornella February’, which showed a model pulling down the top of her pants with a thumb, was particularly ‘sexually suggestive’.

In its defence, Ryanair said that all the images came from its 2012 charity calendar, which raised over a hundred thousand dollars.

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The airline also claimed that the pictures were not sexist because members of staff had volunteered to produce the images.

The advertising watchdog disagreed however. A statement from ASA read: “We also considered that most readers would interpret these images, in conjunction with the text ‘Red hot fares & crew!!!’ and the names of the women, as linking female cabin crew with sexually suggestive behaviour.

“Although we acknowledged that the women in the ads had consented to appear in the calendar, we considered that the ads were likely to cause widespread offence, when displayed in a national newspaper.”

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30 Comments

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proudirishlass | Feb 17, 2012, 03:53 PM EST
Readabook, Thanks Michael for that desperately needed hearty laugh. I knew that you had it in you. Shame on all the complainers, even though YOU are laughing all the way to the bank.Then again maybe you have your slaves carry you to make the DEPOSIT.

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readabook | Feb 17, 2012, 12:27 PM EST
Collette2 "Any convent educated ones amongst them I wonder?" Why Yes "Collette2" Convents are our best source of New Slaves! Our secret?!?! After years of mistreatment and abuse in the Convent, a little "Hoochey Coochey" down the aisle of a plane is "Child's Play"

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readabook | Feb 17, 2012, 12:12 PM EST
proudirishlass- Your eagerness to support O'Leary's business practices gives me a sneaking suspicion that you are Michael himself!!!!! You are truly a "Door Prize" proudirishlass. I should have remembered from our past that I could never fool you! Besides telling my Stewardesses how you left me in a crying heap when you stalked away following our one night "dalliance" I also told them not to bother being nice to you because you're not much of a "tipper". Remember,these Stewardesses are "my slaves so they do whatever I Say! Please call me "Mikey" like you did when we were together !

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IrelandNorth | Feb 17, 2012, 08:13 AM EST
The only bad publicity is no publicity. 'O'Leary Air' gets plenty of bad publicity, which is really good publicity, because it gets them free advertisement by being controversial. Even if he's fined by the Neo-Voctorian Anally Retentive Brigade, the increased business will be worth it. I suspect his Ad-men have done the maths.

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Collette2 | Feb 16, 2012, 02:03 PM EST
Stupid men, you can only look and not touch, making the fantasy even more intense, then for some, that's all it needs to get their rocks off unless you have fat wallet. Girls, don't complain if your treated like sluts. Any convent educated ones amongst them I wonder?

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proudirishlass | Feb 16, 2012, 12:57 PM EST
Readabook,I am impressed with your keen sense of understanding of my "green with envy" compassion. Your eagerness to support O'Leary's business practices gives me a sneaking suspicion that you are Michael himself!!!!!

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ciaradexy | Feb 16, 2012, 12:51 PM EST
Bogside, seeing as you have brought the wasste charges into this, I'll clear up some of the errors you have made. The issue with the charges was that no one was told that DCC had outsourced the collections to Greyhound and so people, like myself, were told 'you have 30 days to hand over the €100 standing charge'. NO WARNING! This is the problem! We have paid charges for years, we just didnt expect to be given a time limit.

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proudirishlass | Feb 16, 2012, 12:42 PM EST
Sirpeter,I have traveled extensively and I have never made those observations about any other airline. Regardless of it being a "CRAP" job the staff have always been polite and interactive. I have worked difficult jobs but always put a smile on my face when dealing with the public. It costs nothing and reaps great benefits. No Sirpeter, I did not give them a tip nor did the idea cross my mind. Perhaps if they were a little more social i might have had that idea. Tipping is not a custom in Ireland.

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Alexiswolf | Feb 16, 2012, 05:08 AM EST
Ryanair, the gutter press of airlines.

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sirpeter | Feb 15, 2012, 10:29 PM EST
@proudirishlass.That why they call work~work.Otherwise they would call work ~happy time.How much joy do you think walking up and down an airplane aisle is going to bring pushing a trolly day in day out??It's a crap job.At least understand their boredom.You want pleasantries.Did you ever give them a tip?

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galway2001 | Feb 15, 2012, 08:33 PM EST
he a laughing stock of ireland and whats wrong with those women they must be desperate for something

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readabook | Feb 15, 2012, 06:39 PM EST
To proudirishlass Your ability to instantly spot possible Psychological abuse of Foreign Nationals(source?),followed up by shrewd Analysis of Payroll Records compared to Industry Norms with possible linkage to an International Slavery Ring is duly noted. Do you think that "Fella" in the One Piece is not O'leary but a Eunuch to guard the stewardesses when the "Ring" is out procuring more slaves er' stewardesses? OR does your stated Compassion just mask a little green envy? "MEOW!"

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proudirishlass | Feb 15, 2012, 06:11 PM EST
I have traveled on Ryanair and from the moment we took off the cabin crew were busy selling lottery tickets and the calendar among other items.They all appeared to work like robots with no personalities. It was all business and no pleasantries. In fact i notices that their eyes appeared unhappy,there was definitely no joy in their work. I also noticed that they did not chat with each other which I thought very strange. Most of his staff are underpaid eastern Europeans. It was reported recently that the staff are required to work long hours and are not treated well.The authorities might want to check in to OLeaary's business practices just in case there are employment rules broken. Slave labor comes to mind.

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cillowen | Feb 15, 2012, 05:56 PM EST
years ago they allowed bare assed ladies on their music hall stages as long as they didn't move. Wonder if O'Leary's ladies are shaking their booties thus displeasing these buggars.

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cillowen | Feb 15, 2012, 05:55 PM EST
years ago they allowed bare assed ladies on their music hall stages as long as they didn't move. Wonder if O'Leary's ladies are shaking their booties this displeasing these buggars.

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