When one of the highest paid models of the moment, stunner Bar Refaeli, was chosen as the “IT girl” for the Swimsuit Edition of Sports Illustrated, fans were ecstatic. However, when Sports Illustrated teamed up with Southwest Airlines and plastered Bar’s body on a plane, customers of the carrier were not that enthusiastic about it: as a matter of fact, they immediately became outraged at the advertising campaign and took to the blog of the company to vent, several media outlets are reporting.
Southwest Airlines unveiled the Boeing 737 plane on February 11, with Bar Refaeli herself stepping out of it to pose for pictures with the many fans gathered for the grand introduction. Since then, though, with the plane making its rounds across the world, more and more users have been leaving scathing comments on the official blog page of the company, demanding that the ad be taken off.
The plane that has sparked this kind of negative feedback shows the model in a two-piece swimsuit, lying on one side and reclining her head in her hand. What got people outraged, it seems, was not so much the fact that there was a giant woman on the plane they were (hypothetically) about to get on board, but that she was wearing almost no clothes. For a company that also has many families with small children as clients, the ad is inappropriate and, while somewhat fun, completely tacky, most commenters on the blog of the company pinpoint.
“I don’t have any kids, but if I did i would be terrified at [the] thought of my child seeing images like this while traveling. Maybe I’m just old fashioned (for a 20 year old) but I don’t think that bikini models belong splashed on the side of the airplane is tasteful or right.” one Kevin shares. Don adds, “Very tacky. I know Southwest is notorious for it’s fun, but this is simply in bad taste. I’m very surprised at their decision especially in an economic time that loss of customers is crucial. I suppose it could go the other way, but how many teen-age boys are fare paying customers?”
“I find this tacky and somewhat offensive. I am a twenty-something male, and I would not want to have to watch this plane pull up to the gate traveling with my young child, or mother, grandmother, etc. I know Southwest is known for its fun, laid back qualities but this is just completely inappropriate to plaster all over the side of the plane.” Jim Dawson writes, pointing out that the greatest irony of them all is that Southwest would not let anyone (not even Bar Rafaeli herself) get on board of a plane dressed like that.
While customers continue to post angry messages on the Southwest Airlines page, the company defends itself by telling the partnership with Sports Illustrated has received mostly positive feedback, therefore there is nothing wrong with the photo. Even if not stating it outright, Bar Refaeli’s image on the plane stays there, a statement sent to paparazzi agency / celebrity gossip website TMZ seems to hint.
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