MIDTOWN — Haunted Hayride ads that picture a woman with her head in a plastic bag and a noose around her neck will be removed after riders expressed outrage over the violent image, the MTA said.
The agency will pull the ads for the Randall’s Island venue, which it said violates its advertising policy forbidding material “so violent, frightening, or otherwise disturbing as to reasonably be deemed harmful to minors,” said MTA spokeswoman Beth deFalco.
MTA officials decided to pull the controversial ad campaign, which was approved by private agency Outfront Media, following inquiries from WNYC, the station reported Friday.
Several New Yorkers took to Twitter with complaints that the ads upset their children and promoted violence against women.
@NYCMayorsOffice @NYCTSubway my child should not have 2see this ad of a girl's #death to sell a "hayride" #Halloween. #wrong #dobetter pic.twitter.com/KTsM8xCwB2
— Mason Bendewald (@MasonBendewald) September 25, 2016
Ad on NYC subway for haunted hayride portrays woman strangled with head in a bag...Yeah, hayride+killing women=fun? pic.twitter.com/LI1G8aOqFZ
— Jen Harris (@JenHarr99) October 5, 2016
@MTA nothing says 'haunted hayride' like a homicide crime scene photo. Bonus points for the misogyny pic.twitter.com/FfBx9doBXP
— Peter Duffy (@DuffmanTweets) September 27, 2016
This is not the first controversial ad purchased by Outfront Media, which curates subway ads for the MTA.
Outfront Media approved an Amazon ad campaign to plaster subway seats with Nazi flags but did not approve ads for THINX — protective underwear for menstruation — because they were too provocative.
Outfront Media did not respond to requests for comment but a spokeswoman for Haunted Hayride told DNAinfo New York the meaning of the ads had been misconstrued.
"They have nothing to with domestic violence,” said the spokeswoman. “Our intentions are not to offend anyone.”
