SA fast-food chain criticised for ‘sexist’ advert

Regulators in South Africa have criticised a fast-food chain for an advertisement showing a female model toying with a phallic waffle on a stick alongside the words "more than a mouthful," TimesLive reports.

"The gratuitous use of sexualised women and sexual puns, with no product relevance, is unacceptable,” Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) said of the Kota Joe Roadhouse billboard.

The Reformed Church of Pretoria had complained to the watchdog saying that the advertisement was degrading towards women.

ARB said that the advertisement contributed to the perception that women "are a commodity to be used as and when needed, and then discarded”.

Kota Joe, which has four outlets in the province of Gauteng, told the watchdog that not all advertising would appeal to everyone, and said it had been complimented on the billboard.

It also denied that the advertising encouraged any activity that might be harmful to women.

Despite the criticism, the advertising authorities cannot ban the advert because the food chain does not subscribe to the code of advertising practice, TimesLive reports.