KEY POINTS:
An upset fast-food diner was arrested after she ripped down a poster featuring busty, bikini-clad women.
The 23-year-old woman was at Whangarei's Burger King store about 8.45pm on Sunday when she spotted the poster, took exception to its portrayal of her gender, and tore it down.
She left the restaurant but was later arrested and charged with wilful damage.
She is scheduled to appear in the Whangarei District Court on June 21.
The fast-food chain is appealing against an Advertising Standards Authority ruling that its TV ads - featuring women in skimpy bikinis riding horses, presenting giant cheques and carving an ice sculpture - breached advertising standards.
The ads have been withdrawn pending the outcome of the appeal, but the posters remain on display.
Burger King would not comment on the poster incident yesterday, but marketing manager Megan Denize said the ruling on the TV ads was disappointing, because they had been reviewed and approved during the production process.
The ads were a light-hearted reflection of the cheeky nature of the brand, she said.
Ms Denize claimed the production team behind the ads was mainly female, and mindful of being appropriate, making sure the girls were not filmed "in a gratuitous way" and were dressed in beachwear that an average New Zealand woman would feel comfortable wearing.
- NORTHERN ADVOCATE
