There were two complaints about the ad, which promoted the Observer Food Monthly supplement. Under the headline "Dish of the Day", it showed a woman wearing a bikini lying on top of a metal kitchen surface surrounded by lobsters, while a group of male chefs stood around. The text read: "Padma Lakshmi: Salman Rushdie's favourite cook".
Two readers complained that the ad was sexist and offensive, but the Guardian Media Group defended it by pointing out that the picture had been submitted by Lakshmi herself, and that it was a good description of her dual careers as a model and a food expert presenting a TV cookery programme.
The Advertising Standards Authority agreed with the advertisers and cleared the ad of charges that it could cause serious of widespread offence to readers of The Observer or The Guardian.
As a model, Lakshmi, born in southern India, has appeared in Vogue and Elle, while her food career has seen her presenting a show on the Food Network in the US and publish a book called 'Easy Exotic: A Model's Low-Fat Recipes from Around the World'.
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