I forget what I ordered to get on the Magellan mailing list, but I receive their glossy catalog about every other month.  This time I actually opened it and leafed through their gear.  Some of it, like the passport wallets and memory foam ass cushion could be useful, but much of it is just extra stuff you have to carry around with you.  Its a fine balance between selecting appropriate and useful clothing, gear, and gadgets, versus loading up on junk that prevents you from traveling efficiently. (Read traveling light.)

My other observation: In the 30 seconds I paged through this 59 page catalog I noticed there was not one person of color representing their wares.   Everyone featured is whiter than I am.  That’s REALLY white.  The closest you find to some ethnic balance is this leathery tan guy donning a sportcoat.  This absence is also visible on their website. 

While I do find it amusing when corporations go blatantly overboard to ensure a variety of ethnicities and cultures are represented on company material like brochures and posters, I find it interesting too that Magellan’s Travel Supplies wouldn’t mix in a few other ethnicities other than Caucasian.  Not to be politically correct, but simply to create a well rounded look in their print material.  Perhaps some African American business travelers, or Asian people in the photos?  Magellan ships worldwide, and if I can fall on a stereotype, Asians are thought of as big travelers aren’t they?

I certainly wouldn’t accuse them of doing this intentionally. I’m guessing it was just a mere oversight. Magellan’s is based in Santa Barbara which according to Wikipedia is 75% white.  But just down the road in Los Angeles there are millions of people from all races and cultures.   Time for a photo shoot there?  

I also give them credit too for their assistance and fundraising work with SEE – Surgical Eye Expeditions, where I did incidentally find some other cultures represented on their site.

I hope they’ll address and modify this in their next catalog.  For a company based in the U.S.,  (melting pot and all,) and selling travel supplies, more than one look should be represented.  I’ll be watching for a change in my next mailing.

Meanwhile if you’re traveling to Beijing next month the “I Can Breathe” mask is just $21.95.