KFC Is in Trouble for Ad That Shows Boys Ogling a Woman's Cleavage

KFC is sorry, kind of, for airing a weird and distinctly archaic ad in Australia that involves a group of teen boys staring agape at a woman’s cleavage. It’s unclear how it’s related to chicken (breasts, I guess, in which case GOOD ONE); it’s also unclear whether they’ll pull the ad.

The spot features a woman dressed for what I must assume is festival, checking out her reflection in the mirror of a parked car she seems to think is empty. But reader…it’s not. Mid-top adjustment, the window suddenly rolls down to reveal that a group of tween boys and a disapproving older woman have been sitting in there THE WHOLE TIME.

It’s awkward and doesn’t make me particularly hungry, but I don’t know, maybe you have to be Australian to understand the subtleties of this particular bit? According to the Guardian, KFC apologized after an advocacy group called the Collective Shout declared the ad “a regression to tired and archaic stereotypes where young women are sexually objectified for male pleasure.”

In response, KFC issued a statement, saying “We apologise if anyone was offended by our latest commercial. Our intention was not to stereotype women and young boys in a negative light.”

Personally, I’m old enough to remember the similarly themed 1992 Pepsi ad featuring Cindy Crawford that was referred to, hilariously, as “iconic.” Time flies!