My wife recently pointed out to me these two adverts. Both were published in the March 15th-21st edition of the Economist. This advert appeared on page 55:

The advert reads: “From departure to arrival, only dignified services for our dignified guests”

And this advert appeared on page 51:

The advert reads: “Progress has a name. In fact, it now has 10,000 names. Each one representing the goals and aspirations of women in every corner of the world. 10,000 Women is designed to help these individuals make progress in their own lives. […] 10,000 Women will offer women the power of an entrepreneurial and management education. […]” etc

There were so many thoughts that came to my mind when I looked at these two adverts. First was that the Economist seems to accept any advert, even when it is sexist. I am not sure what this means for their moral high ground when reporting on the topic of women discrimination. The second was that it is hilarious that Korean Air publishes an advert like this in a Western magazine. Talking about cultural differences! The third thought was that there may be some concept in publishing where ads with opposing effects that are placed near each other probably cancel each other out. Like these two.

Finally, I though that the stewardesses at Korean Air probably could benefit from being helped by Goldman Sachs‘ 10,000 Women programme.

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