Virgin Atlantic announces female flight attendants will no longer have to wear makeup so its staff ‘have more choice to express themselves at work’
- Virgin Atlantic announced female cabin crew no longer have to wear makeup
- Decision made to give them ‘more choice on how to express themselves at work’
- They will also be given pair of trousers in addition to the standard shirt and skirt
Virgin Atlantic has announced that its female cabin crew will no longer have to wear makeup.
The airline is renowned for providing a 1950s style glossy service to customers and it has its own shade of lipstick – Upper Class Red by Bare Minerals.
But it said it was making the move in order to allow cabin crew ‘more choice on how to express themselves at work’.
Virgin Atlantic has announced that its female cabin crew will no longer have to wear makeup. Stock picture of female cabin crew
Crew are still permitted to wear makeup if they wish but are told they should do so ‘using the airline’s suggested colour palette’.
Mark Anderson, Virgin Atlantic’s executive vice president of customer, told the HuffPost: ‘We have been listening to the views of our people and as a result have announced some changes to our styling and grooming policy that support this.’ .
As part of new changes, female cabin crew, known for wearing an iconic red uniform, will be provided with a pair of trousers in addition to the standard shirt and skirt.
Prior to this female crew would have to specially request trousers if thy wished to wear them.
‘Not only do the new guidelines offer an increased level of comfort, they also provide our team with more choice on how they want to express themselves at work,’ Anderson said. ‘Helping people to be themselves is core to our desire to be the most loved travel company.’
Turkish Airlines removed its rule that female flight crew could not wear lipstick and makeup – after complaints that Turkey was becoming too Islamic.
As part of new changes, female cabin crew, known for wearing an iconic red uniform, will be provided with a pair of trousers in addition to the standard shirt and skirt. Stock image of female air stewards
Female air stewards have long been objectified and sexualized, with many airlines online employing petite and slender women.
The sexualization of air travel goes as far back as the 1930’s.
One 1936 article says girls who qualify for ‘hostesses’ positions must be ‘petite, weight 100 to 118 pounds, height 5 feet to 5 feet 4 inches, age 20 to 26 years’.
Applicants had to pledge they wouldn’t get married or become pregnant, and risked getting fired if they did, according to
The Civil Rights Act was signed on 1964, but by the end of the 1960’s, stewardesses still has to be single, childless, thin, pretty and young in order to fulfill their role of entertaining men in the sky.