Sofitel Brisbane has found itself in a spot of bother over backlash from a print advertisement it ran in the Sydney Morning Herald. While at a quick glance it just looks like a couple sitting together on a bed with breakfast, it’s the reading material which caught the attention of some readers.
In the ad, the man is reading the Australian Financial Review and the woman is reading a Chanel coffee table book. Readers took to Twitter to complain that the ad was sexist and perpetuated stereotypes about women.
Hi @SofitelBrisbane, your breakfast looks delicious! Hey and just wanted to let you know I’m a woman and I also read the @FinancialReview every day pic.twitter.com/qOg5J2vkqz
— Elizabeth Redman (@elizabethredman) October 7, 2018
Other critics went further, pointing out that the healthy fruit was beside the woman and the bread was beside the man, suggesting that men are more willing to eat unhealthy foods.
“There was no intention of portraying a stereotype, but we recognise it and apologise for any offence it has caused. The creative has been pulled from any future activity," said the official Sofitel Brisbane Twitter account.
