Airline cuts Cuba ad after sexism complaint

Airline cuts Cuba ad after sexism complaint
(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-05-22 15:15

MADRID - Spanish airline Iberia has cut an advertisement showing black
Cuban women in bikinis bottle feeding a baby tourist as he sings "feed
me mulattas ... come on little mamas, take me to my cot" after
complaints it was sexist.

A consumer rights group demanded Iberia, Spain's national flag carrier,
pull the ad for online sales as it was offensive to Cuban women and
could encourage sex tourism.

The animated cartoon shows young Cuban women driving the baby to the
beach, dancing for him and massaging him after he is transported to the
Caribbean island via the Iberia Web site.

Spain's Facua consumer rights group said the ad showed Cuban women at
the service of tourists 24 hours a day.

"It's sexist, Cubans could find it offensive," said Ruben Sanchez, a
spokesman for the Facua consumer rights group.

Foreign tourists have long travelled to Cuba to buy sex and
companionship in exchange for hard currency and gifts.

Iberia said it had not meant to offend anyone with the advertisement and
removed it on May 16 after the complaint.

"It was completely trivial," said a spokeswoman of the ad.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/lifestyle/2007-05/22/content_878008.htm