KFC Sorry for Ad in Which Boys Gawk at Cleavage

KFC has apologized over a "sexist" ad released in Australia, showing two young boys gaping at a woman in a low-cut top. The woman is seen adjusting her top while looking at her reflection in the tinted window of a parked car, which suddenly slides down to show the boys gawking, alongside a female driver who looks disapproving. The woman, who looks embarrassed, soon provides a distraction: "Did somebody say KFC?" she asks. While some said the 15-second ad for KFC's Zinger Popcorn Box was "brilliant," per Sky News, a rep for Collective Shout, a group that campaigns against the objectification of women, labeled it harmful, per the Australian Associated Press.

It's "a regression to tired and archaic stereotypes where young women are sexually objectified for male pleasure" and "another manifestation of the 'boys will be boys' trope, hampering our ability to challenge sexist ideas [that] contribute to harmful behavior toward women and girls," said Melinda Liszewski. KFC responded Tuesday, noting "our intention was not to stereotype women and young boys in a negative light," per AAP. "We apologize if anyone was offended." It didn't say if the ad would be pulled from TV, where it's been airing for about a month. The ad remains on the company's official YouTube page. (Perhaps KFC missed the uproar over this ad.)