United Airlines: Sexism still in 2011

Last Sunday and this Friday I flew United Airlines and for the UA to save time and money they showed a movie telling people about the security features of their Airplane. This is fine with me because I rarely pay attention to it beside looking where my exit rows are.

That said the end of the movie did really put me off and I was thinking that could be be happening in 2011. So what’s up with that movie.

In the beginning a stewardess talks about some features and then a steward takes over and explains the rest. Still fine until the closing shot. There the steward is thanking the audience and the the camera is pulling out while two beautiful and smiling but silent women a sliding in from the side behind the steward. So they just decorated the man like in a good old James Bond movie except that it is now 2011 and we shouldn’t keep on distributing such stereotypes, shouldn’t we.

If Huge Hefner is pulling that stand off then I am fine with it, what else would we expect from him and even James Bond could do it even though the last movie in the franchise does not follow that stereotype anymore (AFAIKR). But from a major US company which for sure has some equality employment opportunity rules this is just nasty. If they want to invoke some feelings about the good old days then use something else or at least show the women on the same level and let them talk as well. The decoration aspect of the shot is what I despise and what I really would hope is a thing of the past.

– Andy