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Airline scraps 'sexist' supermodel in-flight video

This article is more than 12 months old

Air New Zealand's sexy in-flight video that raised some 11,000 netizens' eyebrows has been dropped from its flights.

"A safety video is to alert passengers on what to do in an emergency; it should not be an excuse to objectify the sexualised female body," said the petition on change.org

The change.org petition, led by Melbourne woman Natasha Young, declared victory on Sunday with 11,049 signatures. 

But a spokesman for the airline denied that it was bowing to the online backlash, saying it typically changed safety videos every few months, reported ABC News. 

"Safety in Paradise" features bikini-clad models on a Cook Island beach dishing out safety instructions on flights, in celebration of Sports Illustrated's 50 anniversary.

One model flicks her hair suggestively after wearing a life vest while another was ogled by Maori men while tanning on the beach.

The four-minute YouTube video has been viewed over six million times since it was uploaded in February. 

"This video is culturally insensitive; it disregards those who are conservative by nature and are uncomfortable with its imagery and disregards passengers who have been exposed to sexual assault," said the petition.

It added that the video forces itself upon the passengers because they have no option to turn it off. 

Other users, mostly men, saw nothing wrong with the video. 

Sources: ABC News

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