Men in skirts take flight for Virgin
IT’S A big step – in heels or otherwise – from the airline’s days of its Flying Lady figurehead and its strict make-up and uniform policies for cabin crew.
For Virgin Atlantic is to allow male pilots and cabin crew to wear skirts as part of a major shake-up to help staff ‘express their true selves’.
Men will be able to opt for the iconic figure-hugging red suit and heels, while women can also choose a burgundy twopiece with a grey waistcoat, red tie and black shoes.
The gender-neutral uniforms, designed by Vivienne Westwood, are a first for the British aviation industry and are among several new inclusion policies introduced yesterday.
Customers’ tickets can now feature gender-neutral titles such as ‘Mx’, and all staff will undergo ‘mandatory inclusion training’. Virgin Atlantic said its ‘fluid’ approach will ‘cement its position as the most inclusive airline in the skies’.
The airline recruited the help of Michelle Visage, a former judge on Ireland’s Got Talent, to announce the changes.
‘People feel empowered when they wearing best represents them and this gender identity policy allows people to embrace who they are and bring their full selves to work,’ she said.
The measures are a U-turn from the airline’s previously strict policy on uniform, in which female cabin crew were expected to wear full makeup until 2019. That year, it also replaced its iconic figurehead with diverse ‘Flying Icons’.
Standards were loosened again earlier this year when the airline lifted restrictions on visible tattoos.