Starlux Promotes New Airbus A350 With Seductive Models

It may be 2023, but beautiful women remain a commodity to sell other products, this time in the context of Taiwanese start-up carrier Starlux and its use of models to promote new Airbus A350 jets.

Starlux Showcases Models Aboard New A350 Jet

Starlux is seeking to grow and adding more Airbus A350 jets to its fleet. It has teased service to Los Angeles. Rather than focus directly on the new jet and the four classes of service onboard, Starlux did a fashion photoshoot on board, sharing the photos below on social media:

View From The Wing says, “To be honest I think new Starlux widebody aircraft are sexy and stylish even without non-flight certified models,” and he’s right – the new seats are beautiful.

Even so, for the very reason he and I write about this topic, the truth is undeniable: sex appeal sells airline seats (and blog posts) too.

It was only earlier this month in the context of a “casting couch” story involving the recruitment of Flight attendants for Kuwait Airways that I remarked:

This sort of discrimination still goes on quite overtly in the Middle East and Asia in some ways continues all over the world. Remember when United and Emirates launched their partnership last autumn? Did the flight attendants paraded before us with the Emirates flight attendants on video and at the signing ceremony look anything like what we regular United flyers typically see onboard?

…What can we draw from this more benign discrimination? While the era of simply objectifying the stewardess (to use that older term) may be over, even the more progressive airlines still choose the pretty ones and the skinny ones and the young ones for their ad campaigns. Beauty may be subjective, yet distinct qualities of symmetry, age, and shape are still highly favored.

That’s hardly a profound conclusion, but so true. Humans are drawn to beauty, even as beauty varies by culture, and if you disagree with that, ask yourself why you clicked on this story.

CONCLUSION

Starlux is using attractive models to draw attention to itself. Congratulations, it is working. Our fixation on youthfulness and outward beauty may not lead to human flourishing, but it is an undeniable element of our current system of commerce.

images: Starlux