Nearly 8,000 people have signed a petition against a Christmas advertising campaign created by Ryanair, because it denigrates women. The ads show a buxom Ryanair employee dressed in a bikini and are accompanied by fare prices and the slogan "Red Hot Fares & Crew." Ryanair have also produced a 2012 "Cabin Crew Charity Calendar" showing "The Girls of Ryanair" posing in red bikinis and high heels. As of Tuesday 7,948 people had added their names to the online petition.
A member of the crew started the campaign on change.org. "I'm a member of an airline Cabin Crew and what's more I love my job," she writes. "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.
Many women, and some men, have made their views clear in comments on change.org. "Making staff take off they're clothes to advertise air plane flights is sexist and objectifying, not to mention completely irrelevant," said Rose Whitehorn. "It is extremely demeaning for the professional women working on the flights and could make it a less safe work environment for them."
Ryanair have responded by saying that its staff posed voluntarily for the pictures and pointing out that sales of the calendar will raise €10,000 for charity, according to the Irish Independent. The airline company has asked that the public support its scheme.
