Ikea airbrushes women out of Saudi catalog
The Swedish Wire blog explains: Ikea’s catalog is printed in 198 million copies and looks almost the same in 27 languages and in 38 countries. With one big exception. In the Saudi Arabian version of the catalog almost all women have been erased, Swedish newspaper Metro said. Sweden’s minister of trade Ewa Björling said the ...
The Swedish Wire blog explains:
Ikea’s catalog is printed in 198 million copies and looks almost the same in 27 languages and in 38 countries. With one big exception. In the Saudi Arabian version of the catalog almost all women have been erased, Swedish newspaper Metro said. Sweden’s minister of trade Ewa Björling said the retouched images are a “sad example” of women oppression.
More on the furniture chain’s other alleged past collaborations with authoritarian regimes here. Also check out this slideshow on China’s Ikea culture.
Joshua Keating is a former associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating
More from Foreign Policy
Chinese Hospitals Are Housing Another Deadly Outbreak
Authorities are covering up the spread of antibiotic-resistant pneumonia.
Henry Kissinger, Colossus on the World Stage
The late statesman was a master of realpolitik—whom some regarded as a war criminal.
The West’s False Choice in Ukraine
The crossroads is not between war and compromise, but between victory and defeat.
The Masterminds
Washington wants to get tough on China, and the leaders of the House China Committee are in the driver’s seat.
Sign up for World Brief
FP’s flagship evening newsletter guiding you through the most important world stories of the day, written by Alexandra Sharp. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.