Scantily clad Southwest flier lands on Playboy site
DALLAS - A 23-year-old college student who was told by a Southwest Airlines employee that her outfit was too revealing to fly is wearing even less on Playboy’s Web site.
Kyla Ebbert appears in a series of pictures - some in lingerie, some nude - under the heading, “Legs in the Air.”
“They’re very tastefully done,” Ebbert said Thursday. “I don’t see anything wrong with the female body.”
Playboy contacted Ebbert’s attorney to pitch the idea. After “a little bit of talking” to persuade her mother, Ebbert agreed.
She said her boyfriend supported her decision, but “the most hesitant one was my dad.”
On its Web site, Playboy says Ebbert “was too sexy for Southwest Airlines, but she’s perfect for Playboy.”
Ebbert said she was paid “less than six figures” to pose.
A Southwest employee pulled Ebbert off a flight this summer and forced her to adjust her outfit of a tank top, sweater and miniskirt before getting back on the plane.
Ebbert ripped the airline in appearances on NBC’s “Today” show and “The Dr. Phil Show,” during which she wore the outfit. Southwest officials said the airline doesn’t have a dress code but doesn’t want customers’ attire to offend other passengers.
Ebbert said she was offended that Southwest tried to turn the dustup to its advantage by promoting a fare sale in honor of miniskirts.
Southwest apologized to Ebbert, but she said she found the double-entendre-laced message unacceptable.
Told of Ebbert’s photos on the Playboy Web site, Southwest spokeswoman Beth Harbin said, “We wish her all the best.”
Ebbert, who once worked at a Hooters in San Diego, said she wants to become an attorney.