NORFOLK, Va., April 7 (UPI) -- An animal rights' group has cancelled a parody ad of Bruce Springsteen's 1984 "Born in the USA" cover art to avoid offending the rock star.
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, known for its aggressive advocacy tactics, particularly when celebrities are unkind to animals, has said it will pull the current ad aimed at meat eaters out of respect to the Boss, MSNBC reported Wednesday.
The ad is a send-up of the album's famous cover image of Springsteen's backside, but PETA's version, bearing the tag line "Obese in the USA," shows an overweight bottom with what is unaffectionately known as repairman cleavage.
"The ad was intended to parody the sad shape a meat-addicted America has taken since this classic album came out two decades ago," PETA officials said in a statement.
"But Mr. Springsteen's management felt that people might think we are spoofing Bruce himself, which was never the case."
Springsteen has a history of being kind of animals.
