A sexist billboard has been removed from the slopes of Thredbo after causing an outcry.
Skiiers were shocked at the Toyota billboard, which compares family members to ski runs: Green for the kids, Blue for the mums and Black for the dads.
(On the slopes, a green run is for beginner skiiers; a blue run is for intermediate skiers and a black run is for experts only.)
Sydney mother Romy Krassenstein, who was at Thredbo with her children, snapped a photo of the billboard.
“The banner was on the railing at the bottom of the chairlift and it was actually my kids who pointed it out to me,” Krassenstein told News Corp.
“My 14-year-old said to me, ‘Mum, you are going to flip when you see this,’ and I did, I was gobsmacked,” she said. “There was another ad that said, ‘Watch out Dad, Mum’s got a cold shoulder with your name on it?’ and one more that said something like ‘Want to see a real competition? How about Mum versus Dad.”
Because in case you didn’t know, women can’t ski as well as men. Something no one (thankfully) ever told olympians Lydia Lassila or Torah Bright.
The ad quickly gained traction across Twitter and Facebook, with many users venting their outrage.
“@Toyota_Aus are you serious with your recent ads in Thredbo…women aren’t as capable as men? it’s 2016 not 1916,” wrote one.
“I am insulted and shocked at this type of advertising, that suggests that women are only capable of doing the intermediate run, while men can do the harder ones. Toyota Australia, so do you mean now you are creating cars for women that are easier to drive than for men?,” wrote another.
While another added: “This ad to me is just an example of a really dumb and lazy advertising strategy, on top of it being offensive. Embarrassing for Toyota, really.”
A spokeswoman from Toyota said the company did not intend to cause offence with its Kluger campaign.
“We simply wanted to highlight that Thredbo, much like the Kluger, has something for everyone,” she told News Corp.
“The banners in question are from a previous campaign and have since been removed to make way for a new campaign,” she said.
“We have printed the new marketing material and expect that they will be displayed at Thredbo within the next two weeks subject to weather conditions.”
Just in case there was any confusion, here are some photos of Lydia and Torah in action – no blue runs in sight…
