Recently an ad by Air New Zealand which features cougars, or older single women who like to prey on young men, has been closed as of Monday. The closing of this ad came about after the airline incurred a lot of heat from both male and female rape victims in New Zealand.

Right now, Cougar is a very popular term. In places like the United States, cougars are popular among high school and college students. In fact, these sexually aggressive older women are so popular that a TV comedy was made starring Courtney Cox called Cougar Town. Thus, it is easy to see why the airline chose to go with a cougar themed ad. However, the term, although popular, can be viewed as misogynistic or a word of empowerment.

An online spoof by Air New Zealand, which was promoting a competition for free tickets to a rugby tournament, shows a so-called cougar starving herself during the day and then hunting for young men at bars during the night. The voice over says that, despite mens’ attempts to ward off the woman’s advances, the cougar has not tasted fresh meat for days. The cougar then drags her victims to her inner city apartment and often forces them to listen to Enya or the Eurythmics.

The promotion by the airline’s Grab Seat discount airfare site encouraged women, age 35 plus, to send in photographs of themselves to compete for tickets to next month’s Wellington Sevens. Grab Seat Manager Duane Perrott said that the campaign was designed as a lighthearted humor to kick off the New Year. Nothing more, nothing less.