Finnish flag carrier Finnair has been dragged into a massive racism storm that started when this year’s Miss Finland winner posted a photo of herself making an apparent racist gesture that is disparaging towards Southeast Asians.
Social media users have also unearthed an old Finnair advertisement, which also appears to be racist, and the airline is scrambling to protect itself from catastrophic reputational damage.
Sarah Dzafce was only crowned Miss Finland in September, but has already been stripped of her title after she posted a selfie of herself pulling her temples to create a slant-eyed effect, accompanied by the caption: “Eating with a Chinese person.”
Dzafce attempted to justify her actions, saying that she had a severe headache and was trying to relieve the pressure by massaging her head. Her explanation was not enough, however, to stop the Miss Finland organization from dethroning her.
In response to last week’s decision, two right-wing Finnish politicians then posted photos of themselves pulling the same facial expression as in Dzafce’s controversial photo. They claimed they were doing so in solidarity with Dzafce, as they believe she has faced overly harsh treatment by the Miss Finland organization.
The photos have now exploded on social media in China and Japan, causing Finland a massive reputational blow, which is having far-reaching consequences.
One Finnish television production company has already been forced to put future projects with its Japanese partner on hold because of the controversy, while the national airline Finnair is scrambling to distance itself from the controversy.
Unfortunately, for Finnair, social media users have discovered an old Finnair advertisement celebrating a route launch between Helsinki and Beijing, which depicts a cartoon character with slanted eyes and wearing a bamboo hat.
“Recent social media posts by a former Miss Finland and some Finnish politicians have sparked discussion on our channels,” the airline said in a series of posts on X on Wednesday.
“These posts do not represent Finnair’s values. We firmly condemn all forms of discriminatory behaviour. We are proud to be an international airline.”
The statement continued: “With a global customer base, we remain committed to treating everyone with respect.”
“At the same time, an advertisement created 37 years ago in connection with the launch of our Beijing route is circulating on social media. Seen through today’s lens, we fully understand why it has raised justified criticism. It is clear to us that we would not create similar content today. Diversity and equality are a core part of Finnair’s values.”
In Japan, Finnair serves both Tokyo Haneda and Tokyo Narita Airports, as well as Osaka, and in China, the airline flies daily to Hong Kong and twice weekly to Shanghai.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Finnair had built its long-haul business strategy around connecting Southeast Asia and Europe via what is referred to as the ‘far northern route’ that utilized Russian airspace for the fastest non-stop flights between the two continents.
Finnair was first hit by extended border closures throughout Southwest Asia during the pandemic, and then the closure of Russian airspace.
The airline has lost much of the advantage it used to wield and has had to completely rethink its long-haul route network. Even so, Finnair has spent decades carefully cultivating its brand image in Asia, where it has, until now, been considered a high-quality and reputable airline.
The airline now faces an outpouring of criticism, with one user replying to Finnair’s Japanese language X account: “I’ve always thought that someday, at least once in my lifetime, I’d like to go to Finland to see the aurora. Unfortunately, Finland’s image has completely crashed for me.”
“Even if I went on a trip, I’d probably be discriminated against and looked down on unconsciously as an Asian person on a daily basis, turning what should be a fun trip into nothing but bad memories, right? Goodbye, Finland…”
Another person wrote: “When discriminatory actions against Asians are downplayed as just ‘childish humor,’ and reduced to something so trivial… Looking at all the various incidents, I’ve come to understand what kind of country Finland is.”
And a third person suggested Finnair should stay quiet on social media for while, writing: “Promoting in Asia at this time is a bad move, and it’s only natural that people would think you’re insulting Asians. I won’t stop you if you want to use controversy marketing, but I think it’d be better to hold off until the backlash dies down!”
