posted on July 30, 2003 02:37:33 PM new
Jul 30, 11:07 am ET
LONDON (Reuters) - An advertisement for budget airline EasyJet featuring a picture of a woman's breasts in a bikini top with a headline "Discover weapons of mass distraction" was not offensive, Britain's advertising watchdog said Wednesday.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said it had received 186 complaints about the advert from some who said the it was demeaning to women and from others who said it trivialized the war in Iraq.
One of the reasons Britain used to justify taking military action was Iraq's development of weapons of mass destruction.
Easyjet denied the ad was sexist and said it was one of a series of "topical, humorous and irreverent" ads.
The ASA agreed that, although the headline was distasteful, the ad was light-hearted and unlikely to cause any serious or widespread offense.
