I’ve heard of some strict dress codes at work, but dictating flight attendants’ underwear seems a bit extreme.
Delta recently released a memo outlining its “appearance requirements” for flight attendants, and some of the regulations are…well, a bit invasive. One of the most shocking requirements involves flight attendants’ underwear.
According to the memo, “Proper undergarments must be worn but must not be visible.” I guess the issue was panty lines?
The memo also lists requirements like having natural-looking hair and eyelashes, covering all tattoos (but not with a bandage), and, of course, wearing professional clothing. Oh, and if you chip your nail polish mid-flight, you might want to take care of that ASAP, as it’s also against Delta’s guidelines.
Despite the prevalence of harassment against flight attendants, this isn’t the first time airlines have imposed appearance-based rules on their staff, of course. For quite some time, the airline industry has had a reputation for being highly sexualized. Many airlines view their flight attendants as the faces of the airline, and flight attendants say they’re asked for far more than just professionalism when it comes to their looks.
In an interview about the broader industry for VICE’s Informer series, one flight attendant spoke about having a “grooming manager” who would have to approve—or disapprove—parts of her appearance, such as her weight and skin.
“You have to look slender, slim,” she said. “Every two years, you’ll be issued the same uniform, the same size. You are expected to always be able to fit into that uniform.”
She added that your designated grooming manager will then pick apart your appearance and potentially ground you from flying just because of skin issues or weight gain.
This type of treatment, of course, can be detrimental to the mental health of flight attendants. The person said many would take drugs or endure life-threatening surgeries just to appear thinner and avoid losing their jobs.
“I’ve seen a lot of flight attendants spiral. There’s a lot of suicide in the industry,” the former flight attendant said.
So, while Delta’s new underwear requirement might sound trivial at first glance, it’s an example of a much larger issue: the airline industry’s longstanding pattern of enforcing strict appearance standards on flight attendants, often at the cost of their well-being and dignity.
The post Delta Tells Flight Attendants: No Visible Panty Lines in the Sky appeared first on VICE.
The post Delta Tells Flight Attendants: No Visible Panty Lines in the Sky appeared first on VICE.
