Campaign launched to ban Ryanair’s ‘sexist’ advertisements featuring ‘red hot’ staff

Member of staff recruits 7,000 members to her 'Ryanair: stop selling your staff' petition

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Campaign launched to ban Ryanair’s ‘sexist’ advertisements featuring ‘red hot’ staff

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A cabin crew member has launched a campaign to have Ryanair’s advertising campaign banned on the grounds that is it “sexist”.  The series of ads launched by Michael O’Leary’s company feature members of the “red hot” flight staff wearing underwear.

So far the campaign leader, identified only as Ghada, has attracted over 7,000 supporters on the website Chang.org.

Ghada asks that the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ban these ads  which have the tagline “Red Hot Fares & Crew”.

As part of her “Ryanair: stop selling your staff” campaign she says “I'm a member of cabin crew. I love my job and take it seriously, so I was disgusted to see this Ryanair ad which basically portrays cabin crew as glamour models.

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"My work colleagues, many of whom are male, work hard with me to ensure the safety of our passengers. Safety is our number-one priority, not the brand of our underwear."

“Ryanair need to have these types of adverts banned.

“We have come a long way from seeing women purely in a sexual way as opposed to a professional way. No other profession would get away with depicting women in this way.

“In the new Pan Am series, Christina Ricci says to a customer with wandering hands, "I'm not included in the price of your ticket". Too right!”

Speaking to the Irish Independent Brie Rogers Lowey, the UK campaigns director for Change.org, said “This campaign shows that Ryanair cannot get away with objectifying female staff in their adverts.

"With no budget and only a computer at her disposal, Ghada has managed to recruit thousands of supporters."

Ryanair’s “Girls of Ryanair” calendar is also being protested. Members of the Tyrius association, in Spain, have reported the calendar to the Valencia Sexist Advertising Observatory. They are demanding that sales on that grounds that the calendar exploits women and the Ryanair staff.

In response Ryanair said all staff members posed voluntarily. They also announced that €10,000 of the proceeds from the calendar will go to the charity Debra.

Already the calendar has sold 7,000 copies and earned €100,000.

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