Redefining the working woman
"Flight attendants were seen as the face and example of the American woman." |
By fighting for a professional appearance as opposed to their portrayal as sex symbols, stewardesses redefined what it means to be a working woman.
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"The emphasis on their image allowed them to fight against that emphasis with vigor." |
"United stewardesses were white, middle class, young women who worked for low wages and were forced to resign if they married or had children. Practically no one took the group seriously as a work force... This attitude was not prevalent within their own ranks, however."
-Georgia P. Nielson
(SWFR)
"Stewardesses fought to be treated as workers, rather than as sex objects, at a time when the term 'sex object' hadn't yet been invented." |
Stewardesses protest the draconian weight requirements. (Cade, 1974)
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"By the end of the 1970s, stewardesses’ militant activism had significantly changed their image and their working conditions. Stewardesses also began to earn more respect as workers." |
sAFETY ISN'T SEXY
Stewardesses repeatedly emphasized their role as safety professionals in their fight to be taken seriously, exchanging a previously sexy and submissive image for one of a dedicated and highly skilled working woman.
"Almost lost in all the sexual innuendo of the Madison Avenue imagery is the primary reason why stewardesses are on board a plane, which is to enforce safety regulations and supervise the immediate evacuation of the plane in the event of a crash. And in crash after crash, the efficiency and courage of the stewardesses have meant the difference between passengers' lives and deaths." (SWFR)
"We have to fight to get supplies, good quality food, etc. Then they keep bugging us about ridiculous things like do we have our regulation petti-pants!" |
"PSA Gives You a Lift" - A seductive airline advertising campaign from 1974 (Pacific Southwest Airlines, 1972)
(SWFR)
Stewardesses protesting the policy of forced retirement at 32 and using their image and influence to make a stand. (Daily News, 1963)
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Encountering racism
Women of color were initially denied stewardess jobs because they did not conform to white-centric beauty standards. In addition, African-American women historically held lower-level jobs because they were not perceived as competent as white women. By fighting for their jobs, they helped redefine America's images of both beauty and working women.
A Southwest Airlines African American stewardess serves drinks in her uniform- "hot pants." (Kim, 1972-4)
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"...Their appearance was prescribed down to ... physical requirements that excluded such things as 'a broad nose' - only one of many racist reasons why stewardesses were overwhelmingly white." |
the sexualization of working women
"While some hostesses no doubt in reality come to internalize that (sexy swinger) role behavior and demeanor to some extent, most are, in any event, involved in developing a real self image of dedication to a difficult and responsible work role as a more esteem-enhancing self conception."
-Elizabeth R. Moles
The stewardess' role as a safety professional was undermined as she was portrayed as a sex symbol. Similarly, other traditionally feminine professions have been undervalued because they are viewed as frivolous. Stewardesses protested their workplace sexualization to redefine working women as strong and competent.
Barbara "Dusty" Roads, famed activist, picketing American Airlines. (Makers, 2012)
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”...if she is a stewardess who has been flying for some time, the chances are very good she is only hoping that you won’t make a pass at her or get drunk or make a scene.” |
"Q: How did the flight attendants' exploration into workplace feminism in the 70's change the career?
A: I believe it made flying much more liberal and much more accepting of different sexes."
-Frances Wilson, current flight attendant in a personal interview