[symple_box] 
Ali Mhamedi is a senior associate at Infomineo, a business research company focusing on Africa and the Middle East. [/symple_box]
Casablanca, Morocco- During my last flight from Cairo to Madrid with Egyptair, I was handed a Spanish newspaper that goes by the name of ABC. In the last page (check featured image above), it read the following title: The Arab Style Arrives To Alitalia. I was consumed by curiousity to discover more about this story.
It was a piece narrated by the Spanish correspondent of the newspaper in Rome, describing the frustration of some Italians towards the last Alitalia airline TV ad.
So where this furiousity comes from?
The answer is: OUTFIT… Yes, outfit. They criticized the “discrete” appearance of the Alitalia staff, blaming them of not reflecting the so-called “Elegant Italian style”.
“Cabin crew ladies look Muslims,” some said.
What is it if they look Muslims? Many people in the Muslim world look Westerners…no big deal.
More, looking Westerner in the eastern society is becoming the new normal nowadays, China has embraced it, India has embraced it and even the Middle East is (slowly) getting used to it.
Or globalization has to be a one way street! From north to south or from West to East?
Accepting globalization streams is getting exposed to all the components it is carrying, money is a big chunk in it and a tangible one too. There is also culture, art and the list goes on… In the case of Alitalia, money component (coming from East), has played a big role in changing and transforming the company situation. How is that?
Alitalia was facing bankruptcy in 2013-2014 when a Qatari sovereign fund has decided to inject money in the company and take 49% equity stake, while now the management is expecting Alitalia to become profitable again.
Basically what some people are thinking is that “Middle Eastern” money injected was behind this new conservative look of the Alitalia cabin crew. Well!! Maybe… if yes, then they can consider it the price to pay for a globalized world.
Let´s humble ourselves and embrace globalization!
