By Nolan Strong
An advertisement produced by fast food chains Hardee's/Carl's Jr. that spoof's rap music has caused outraged amongst teachers in Tennessee.
The :30 second spot aired during a recently televised Tennessee Titans football game and features a group of male students in a classroom being taught by a female teacher in a tight gray skirt.
The sexy teacher stands at the chalkboard, turns, stands on her desk and begins to dance and pull on her blouse while the two male students rap about their love of "flat buns," to promote Hardee's new Patty Melt Thick Burger, with grilled, flat rye bread.
In once scene, the boys erase a portion of an oversized gluteus maximus on the chalk board, but not before flashing two finger rings that read "flat buns."
"At this very moment, there are female teachers in high school classrooms with 30+ students who are working hard to teach our children so that they can compete in today’s world," Tennessee Education Association President Dr. Earl Wiman said in a statement. "It is unbelievably demeaning to every one of them to promote a television advertisement showing a young teacher gyrating on top of her desk while boys in the class rap about her body in order to sell hamburgers.”
The "Flat Bun" promotion includes a :60 second radio spot, as well as a "Flat Buns" rap song that's available for download on Hardees.com.
Additionally, a flatbuns.com companion site was launched that features shots of various women's backsides.
The "Flat Buns" spot was created by Mendelsohn | Zien, L.A.
“I am asking that all of our members and the public who care about children and their education to contact their local Hardee’s to voice their concerns," Wiman protested. “Tennessee’s teachers work hard every day to educate the children of this state. Working with parents, we strive to teach and reinforce good behavior so that all students have the chance to learn in a safe and orderly environment, and we strongly resent those who flaunt their disregard for both teachers and the children we teach.”
Representatives for Hardee's were not available at press time.
Hardee's is a wholly owned subsidiary of the publicly traded company CKE Restaurants. The company has a total of 3,105 franchised Hardee's or Carl's Jr. restaurants in 43 states and 13 countries.