Complaint over Icelandair's "sexist" advertising rejected

Airline Industry Information, Dec 2, 2003

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2003 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

A complaint in Iceland against a series of advertisements for national airline Icelandair has been dismissed by a committee for equal rights issues.

The advertising was claimed to be sexist and degrading to women, and allegedly suggested that Icelandic women are loose or promiscuous.

The controversial ads, which appeared on posters in London, UK, featured slogans such as "One Night Stand in Reykjavik" and "Fancy a Dirty Weekend in Iceland?". One in the London Underground called on travellers to go to Iceland to "pester a beauty queen".

The equal rights committee dismissed the case because it was not in a position to judge advertisements appearing in foreign media, as Icelandic equal rights laws only apply in Iceland.

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