A social media post by a beauty queen, followed by predictable outrage, has somehow metastasized into a reputational crisis for Finland’s flag carrier.
Finnair Scrambles To Contain Backlash After Racism Controversy Erupts In Asia
Finnair is facing a growing public relations crisis after a racism controversy originating in Finland spilled over into East Asia, triggering widespread backlash in Japan, China, and South Korea. The airline has been drawn into the controversy despite not being directly involved in the original incident, as calls for boycotts and criticism flooded its Asian social media channels.
As flagged by PYOK, the controversy began when the 2025 Miss Finland winner, Sarah Dzafce, posted a photo of herself making a gesture widely viewed as “racist” toward East Asians. In the image, she pulled the corners of her eyes back in a manner commonly associated with mocking Asian facial features, accompanied by a caption referencing eating with a Chinese person. The photo quickly went viral across Asian social media platforms.
Public reaction was swift and severe. Many users in Japan, China, and South Korea condemned the image as racially insensitive and offensive. The Miss Finland organization subsequently stripped her of the title, stating that the role requires respect for people of all backgrounds. Attempts by the former titleholder to explain the image did little to calm criticism.
The situation escalated further when two right-wing Finnish politicians shared similar images online, apparently in support of the former Miss Finland. Those posts drew intense backlash abroad and criticism at home. At least one lawmaker later apologized and removed the post, while Finland’s prime minister publicly condemned the behavior, calling it unacceptable and damaging to Finland’s international standing.
Finnair became a focal point of the backlash due to its extensive operations in Asia, including flights to Tokyo, Osaka, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. Although the airline had no involvement in the original incident, angry comments began appearing on its Japanese- and Chinese-language social media accounts. Some users called for boycotts, while others accused the airline of being emblematic of broader cultural insensitivity. An old Finnair ad also resurfaced, which added fuel to the fire (with slanted eyes and a bamboo hat), even though it was decades old:
In response, Finnair issued statements condemning racism and emphasizing its commitment to diversity and respect:
“Recent social media posts by a former Miss Finland and some Finnish politicians have sparked discussion on our channels. These posts do not represent Finnair’s values. We firmly condemn all forms of discriminatory behaviour. We are proud to be an international airline. 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.
“We have also seen AI-generated fake images related to this topic, which we consider tasteless and disrespectful toward our international team representing 50 nationalities and our global customer community.”
This Is All So Absurd
I will not defend Ms. Dzafce for her slant eye joke…it was crass. She says the gesture was a reaction to a headache during dinner and said the caption was added by a friend without her consent…that sounds like an “I’m sorry if you are offended” reply when the better response is just to own it and say it was a joke in poor taste.
Dzafce was further criticized for posting the apology below in Finnish (since Chinese, Japanese, and Korean generally cannot read Finnish):
“I fully understand that my actions have caused ill will in many people and I am deeply sorry for that. I want to apologize especially to those who have been personally affected by this situation. That was not my intention in any way.”
“I know that I still have a lot to grow. One of the most important things for me is respect for people, their backgrounds and differences. What matters to me is that everyone can be themselves and be treated with dignity.”
But I see overreaction all around…the same unfortunate overreaction that fuels the rise of right wing governments in Europe and Trump in the USA.
Did she deserve to lose her title over this? I don’t think so, but that’s not what I want to focus on here. Instead, I want to focus on the ire directed at Finnair, as the flag carrier of Finland.
That ad above from almost four decades ago was a sign of the times. Think that was bad? Look at this German ad, also from 38 years ago, selling Chinese cooking seasoning:
It was a different era when “the Orient” was still more exotic and distant to the West than it is in our interconnected world today.
I think about how people came up to me on my trip to Indonesia last month and wanted my picture, just because I was a tall white guy. The same thing happened to me in Mainland China and India.
It wasn’t because they were racist, it was because I was very different.
And while I again found Dzafce’s joke in poor taste, Chinese state media are pushing disgusting propaganda concerning Americans in light of Trump’s tariff policy:
This is not “whataboutism” but a reminder that those who live in glass houses should not throw stones…
I’m not happy about Finnair’s response, either. I find it so stupid when people say, “We firmly condemn all forms of discriminatory behaviour.”
Every decision in life is discriminatory…how we spend our time, what we wear, what we eat, who we associate with, how we spend our money, etc.
Discrimination is the bedrock of time management. That word must always be distinguished. What Finnair meant was racism (I guess?), the idea that one group is superior to another. Sure, we can condemn that…but “discrimination” should not be thrown around like it is a bad word absent proper context.
I’m not impressed by the agitators who have fueled the fire of this controversy. Anyone who has been to Finland or flown Finnair knows that, on the whole, Finnish people are decent, open, and liberal in terms of accepting others different from their own. That’s not nearly as widespread in Japan or China…sorry, but I’ve traveled extensively in all three countries.
That some 22-year-old’s immature gesture is used to brand a whole country as racist is beyond absurd. Again, it plays right into the hands of right-wing politicians who will use that as a cudgel to scare and inflame people, ironically creating a problem where there wasn’t one in the first place.
CONCLUSION
This entire episode illustrates how easily outrage can detach from context and latch onto the nearest convenient symbol. In this case, that symbol became Finnair, an airline that neither created the original post nor controls the behavior of private citizens or politicians.
None of this excuses a juvenile, ill-considered gesture. But turning it into a referendum on an airline, a country, or an entire people is both lazy and counterproductive. It reduces complex societies to caricatures and creates a “moral emergency” when no such emergency exists.
When decades-old advertisements, unrelated corporations, and entire nations are dragged into controversies they did not create, the result is not progress or understanding. It is noise. And that noise increasingly serves those who benefit most from polarization.
image: @sarahdzafce / Instagram
Ironically,Finns are often targeted with crude jokes about their Asian slit eyes and features ,some have.Little known today,a century ago a court hearing was held in Duluth whether to send the many newly arrived Finnish immigrants back,as many believed they were not European but should be treated as asians by us immigration.They were nicknamed something like ” china swedes”.DNA wise,Finns,Russians-Ukrainians,and Hungarians have the most Asian genes among Europeans.
I’ve been to Finland; I didn’t see much Asian influence or appearance in the people there, but that’s just me, and honestly, that’s not even the issue here. They messed up, shouldn’t have ‘gone there,’ and should be walking it back. Matt’s example of the Chinese state media mocking Americans wasn’t great either. Ask John Cena what he had to do when he offended them…
I got burned by Finnair once, real bad, and I’m unable to ‘let it go.’ For those who are able to find a ‘deal,’ please do beware that you might get stuck… in HEL.
Expecting Finnair to apologize or issue a statement is racist.
How is this any different than a (insert ethnicity or nationality) person doing something bad/scandalous and everyone else on the planet with the same ethnicity or nationality is expected to account for it?
The overreaction is connecting an airline w/ the actions of private citizens and even government officials. It is precisely because AY is one of the few majority state-owned airlines in Europe that they are being held to a different standard.
Miss whoever deserves to be stripped of her title regardless of the state-owned (or not) status.
I don’t see why she should lose her title. It’s a 22-year-old girl who had a moment of poor judgment…when we hold people to unrealistic standards, we end up doing more harm than good, IMO.
we are all entitled to our own opinions – and neither you or I will have any say in the outcome of this case – but 1. there are teenagers that have better cultural sensitivities than this woman and 2. the title bears the name of the country.
22 years old is an adult in just about every country.
Sometimes the price for doing stupid things is to sacrifice yourself in order for the group to move on; Asian cultures understand that principle well.
Unless she chooses to vacate her post voluntarily, I think she should be stripped of the title – for the good of her country.
and it might set an example for some of her government leaders.’
keep us posted on this one even if I don’t lose any sleep over whatever happens.
That’s fair enough – your opinion is well-stated.
Ya gotta admire his passion!
Tim, that’s a bit harsh. If we’re looking for real accountability in this world, I can think of far more important issues and people to work on than this. Within this industry, let’s start with holding airlines accountable when they significantly delay or cancel flights under control, like they do in the EU/UK with 261 and in Canada with APPR, compensate us passengers…
Now that is whataboutism. Should we also say high school kids should not be held accountable for misbehavior in class because there are larger issues in the world?
She may be a well meaning young person that made a mistake. But the whole point of the honor she was given is to represent her country in a positive light and she failed to do that. If she were a student at a Finnish university, I would not say she should be expelled for this. But her actions violated the essence of the honor she was given, so they correctly stripped her of it.
No, Sal, my comment was ‘advocacy.’ And I’ll keep proudly beating the drum pushing for air passenger rights legislation in the US every chance I get. EU261 is within the context of aviation; whereas, your analogy to school is more a whataboutism, because it’s unrelated to the topics at-hand, specifically, and the focus of this blog, specifically. (Perhaps, you meant to respond to Tim, but accidentally responded to my reply. Eh, whatev’s either way.)
What a shock to discover that beauty queens are not the sharpest tool in the box.
Let’s judge all our societies based on similarly qualified celebrities.
Look, I’m married to an Asian. You should see and hear the things they say about other “races” (and their own) – would make the Trump administration look quite woke by comparison.
Much ado about nothing. I’m looking forward to my next Finnair flight.
“I’m married to an Asian”… niccce.
Very true, E-roy – we have a Korean neighbour who has some… Let’s just say, “pointed”… Views of the Chinese and Japanese, and apparently the feeling is very much mutual.
Yeah, I’d imagine the Japanese bring some Koreans no…. ‘comfort.’ And, PROC is increasingly bullying everyone in the region. (And, there was that war, which, technically isn’t ‘over,’ and China still supports the DPRK. )
Was at Banzai Cliff on Saipan—where several thousand Japanese civilian women and children committed suicide by jumping from the 100’s of ft high cliff into the ocean, and noticed that a few of the many Japanese memorials had been defaced. I later mentioned this to the tour desk person at our hotel, who was Japanese, wondering who would do such a thing.
I remember her calm, matter of fact answer to this day—“the Koreans do that.” The WW2 animosity is still very much alive.
My gosh. That’s awful. Just awful.
So that males the actions of the (former) Miss Finland excusable or justifiable or…?
Being discriminating is a good thing. Being discriminatory is a bad thing. Simple as that.
You missed the part where several Finnish lawmakers made the same eye gesture in apparent “solidarity” with Miss Finland https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/28306-finns-party-mps-criticised-over-new-images-mocking-asians.html. Lawmakers!
I lol’d.
@Roger, I did mention it: “The situation escalated further when two right-wing Finnish politicians shared similar images online, apparently in support of the former Miss Finland.”
This retired fraud examiner notes that cultural sensitivity and the fear of being called racist were cited as reasons t that inhibited the early investigation of huge frauds by authorities in Minnesota and cost our country $1-2 billion.
It’s also why gangs of Pakistani child-rapists in the UK escaped justice for so long, because police were scared of being accused of “racism” or “Islamophobia”. Meanwhile the degenerates were perpetrating horrendous abuse on very young girls, who as non-Muslims were considered expendable, exploitable trash.
Oof. The Jay Report (2014) described that ‘culture of silence’ and failure by police and social services. Hopefully lessons have been learned since then. (However, I wouldn’t go that far with your final statement. A bit much.)
That’s what the abusers said themselves.
And, if so, that’s horrible. No one reasonable condones any of that.
The spirit of Dave Edwards lives on on his comments.
Aaron, what are you referring to? Dave most certainly does not live-on in *my* comments; I regularly sparred against him, and his blatant bigotry on here.
@Aaron: I have to agree with 1990 – he’s nothing like Dave Edwards. Opposite side of political spectrum, but far more importantly he is much more polite and reasonable.
No, Aaron is talking about me. I’m apparently as bad as Dave Edwards was; ie, on the same level as Hitler; because my comments about Islam upset his leftist, luxury beliefs. He also had a hissy-fit when I pointed out that Islam is an ideology, not a race, and that trying to equate criticism of Islamic teachings; those same teachings that inspire terrorist atrocities like the one in Sydney last weekend; is a complete nonsense. Once an ideology made immune to criticism, and any dissent is either stifled or decried as “bigotry”, that way lies the tyranny of compelled speech, people having their lives destroyed by cancellation mobs, and policing of social media comments.
@PeteAU: FWIW, I find you nothing like lidl Davey and I greatly value your opinion and contribution.
I appreciate that, Matthew. Thank you.
Yeah, the ‘Feeding Our Future’ debacle is disappointing. 70 people have been charged, dozens convicted or plead guilty. Really insightful as to how ‘ghost billing’ has been a method for such frauds. Regardless, if this is the retribution that Trump wants against Walz, I expect he’ll attempt to make this a ‘big deal’ if he wants to. While it may be the single largest pandemic-aide-era incident, all the abuse of PPP funds by corporations that clearly were not ‘small businesses’ in the aggregate is likely a bigger ‘cost’ to taxpayers. The estimated total fraud nationwide is like 64-100 billion or more. Regardless of party affiliation, background, location, etc., I’d love a true accounting of all this, and to recoup funds from those who used it to buy second homes, etc.
“criticized for posting the apology below in Finnish (since Chinese, Japanese, and Korean generally cannot read Finnish)” Yes, because nobody in that region has Google Translate. I’d never issue an important post in a language I do not speak. I’m responsible for what I say. I’m not going to have it translated and be responsible for the translation.
Excellent point.
I still don’t see what Finnair has to do with a lewd post by Miss Finland. That would be akin to Delta receiving backlash over something that Miss America does.
I’d’ve gone with ‘American Airlines’ or ‘United Airlines’ (not Delta) to enhance your analogy. You know, because we are the *United* States of *America*… (not the Delta States of Delta). And, no one, that I’m aware of, is going after Norra (regional Finnish airline, 60% owned by Danish Air Transport, 40% Finnair).
Okay, fine. Let’s go with AA or United. But my assertion still stands.
she should lose her title. Her role is all about image and she has soured the Finnish image. Plain and simple.
I agree that holding Finnair responsible might be a stretch, but I do feel that Miss Finland should absolutely lose her title. And it’s not “just a joke in poor taste” as you keep trying to claim, it fans the flames of bigotry, rising extremism, and xenophobia, and ultimately affects the most innocent and vulnerable in society:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSbiUJoEZ8s/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
It’s also disingenuous to compare people in Asia taking pictures of you because you are a “tall white guy” (almost universally viewed as a positive) to a bunch of immature, ignorant people mocking the physical features of an entire race. And your whataboutism claim that Finland is so open and accepting compared to China, Japan, and Korea makes no sense – just because there are Asian people who might also be racist and ignorant makes this incident ok or not so bad? I think we should call out all acts of racism large and small – whether the intention is there or not (and the intention was absolutely there in the case of the parliament members).
Your points are well-made…