Why must we STILL be trolley dollies?
WHEN i got a job as cabin crew, i didn’t think i was stepping into a career laced with sexism. The infamous Virgin Atlantic air hostesses advert of 2009 has been consigned to history, i thought. How wrong i was. A copy of the uniform standards was presented to me soon after the training course where i had been taught how to serve a three-course dinner, fight a fire at 40,000 ft, deliver a baby and deal with a cardiac arrest. Of course i had expected to wear a uniform and to look smart and presentable, but i didn’t think i would be obliged to wear lipstick and blusher. i was also told i would have to wear high heels walking through the airport. Every trip starts with a 20-minute team safety briefing at the airport, but a significant part of that is spent checking the appearance of the crew. Tights, hair and nails are inspected. On one occasion i was told to use more moisturiser; on another, i was even asked to shave the back of my neck! i was sent a formal letter because i did not wear mascara, despite it not being part of the uniform, and called into a disciplinary meeting when i decided to stop wearing high heels, due to the pain caused by bunions, which had been caused by wearing heels at work. i had to provide a doctor’s note to be allowed to wear my uniform flat shoes. When i was asked if i was willing to have a bunionectomy — an operation in which bone from your foot is shaved off, requiring six weeks’ recovery — i laughed, until i realised the airline would rather i had surgery than not wear heels. All i wanted was to be able to walk through the airport pain-free alongside my male colleagues. interestingly, the rules on make-up and heels don’t apply to female pilots. The job of cabin crew is to provide customer service, while ensuring the safety and comfort of passengers. some may argue the crew showcase the airline’s brand, but forcing female employees into providing ‘sex appeal’ is not a good brand image. The list of outdated practices goes on: uniform trousers have only recently been made available to female cabin crew, but it is not easy to order them; you have to carry a shoulder bag, even if it hurts; and you must sign a contract agreeing to ‘maintain’ your weight. i felt constantly under surveillance, so after two years, i left my job. As i remind myself that my role in the workplace is to add value outside of my appearance, i worry how sexism is still affecting my friends who still fly. i know these issues are not unique to the airline i worked for, British Airways, but i’d like them to lead the way in the industry by re-evaluating procedures and valuing all of their employees.
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