Air NZ reviews makeup rules for cabin crew
Air New Zealand is reconsidering the makeup requirements for its female flight attendants and other customer-facing staff as part of the design process for its new uniforms, a spokeswoman says.
Potential changes to the national carrier’s grooming expectations would match moves being made by other airlines.
This week, Virgin Atlantic said it had dropped its mandatory makeup requirements for flight attendants. A spokesperson said Virgin had changed its styling and grooming policies to give cabin crew more options.
Changes included optional makeup and trousers as a standard uniform option for women. Trousers were previously only available by special request.
In a 2010 manual for Air New Zealand flight attendants, female staff were encouraged to ‘‘feel natural, so accentuate your good points and don’t overdo what you don’t need’’.
On the unacceptable list was too much makeup, no makeup, blue or pink eyeshadow, bright red, pink, purple or orange lipstick, unnatural looking tans, scaly hands and smelly breath.
On the company’s recruitment website, prospective Air New Zealand flight attendants were told ‘‘to invest in long lasting foundation that doesn’t dry out your skin’’, ‘‘a good primer is important to ensure your foundation stays in place’’, ‘‘invest in a good fresh smelling perfume’’ and ‘‘get your beauty sleep’’ to survive long-haul flights.
Tattoos have also been a big issue for the airline. In 2018, Lynley Baker was denied a job at Air New Zealand because a Tinker Bell tattoo would have been visible while Baker was wearing the company’s distinctive ‘‘koru dress’’ uniform.
Air New Zealand was not alone in its beauty requirements.
Jetstar’s careers’ website said attendants needed to be ‘‘passionate about grooming’’.
Tracy Mears, a manager for employment relations policy at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, said workplace dress codes were set by employers and needed to be agreed on during hiring. Once a standard was agreed on, both parties needed to keep to it, she said.
‘‘If an employee has concerns about dress requirements, they should discuss this with their employer so that the employer is clear about the problem.’’