It’s high time! Instead of requiring flight attendants to wear sterile and essentially sexist uniforms, SkyUp Airlines has adopted a completely different policy.
The new uniforms of the Ukrainian airline’s female flight attendants lack high heels, making them comfortable, stylish, and still professional-looking.
“Times have changed, women have changed, so in contrast to the conservative classics, heels, red lipstick and a bun, a new, more modern and comfortable image of a ‘champion’ has appeared,”said Marianna Grigorash, head of the marketing department for SkyUp Airlines, in a July news release.
Previously, female flight attendants were required to wear painful and uncomfortable high heels, resulting in swollen legs and feet after a long shift without sitting down.
The senior flight attendant for SkyUp, Alexandra Denysenko, stated that she would endure a heel shift.
“God forbid, but if a crew has to do a landing in water and an evacuation, heels can damage the ladder and it won’t be very comfortable to swim in a skirt,” she told Reuters.
The new uniforms are quite stylish. As of the fall of 2021, flight attendants will wear bright orange relaxed trouser suits with a white t-shirt instead of a button-up.
A 2019 Facebook post, however, depicts flight attendants wearing pants, a fitted suit top, dress shoes with a practical heel, and neck scarves.
The new uniform requires attendants to wear their signature scarves on their shoulders via a loop in the jacket. Instead of wearing high heels, they will wear extra-cushioned white Nike Air Max 720s.
They also receive GUDU trench coats made of Italian eco-leather and Have a Rest orange suitcases.
The airline will replace the traditional high bun hairstyle with braids and alter the required makeup appearance.
Forcing employees to have identical hairstyles and makeup seems overly restrictive in the twenty-first century. Uniforms are understandable, but maintaining one’s humanity requires a degree of individuality. In addition, many airlines no longer require their female flight attendants to wear skirts and heels.
If SkyUp was truly interested in accurately representing modern women, perhaps they would use older women in their advertisements instead of only young, picture-perfect models, which perpetuates the stereotype that flight attendants should be beautiful and focused on their appearance rather than the comfort and safety of passengers.
While the old uniforms emphasized sexual appeal, the new uniforms are completely covering.
The airline claims it presents a “new image” of “a modern girl with an active life position — a champion who works for team result and shows respect for herself and her health.”
With a “new” PR twist, this sounds like the same old type of female repression and forcing women (not girls!) into a controlled role. According to SkyUp’s press release, wearing red lipstick and high heels demonstrates a lack of self-respect.
According to the company’s press release, choosing sneakers demonstrates a commitment to health.
Not sure how or why an employer that is not a health care provider would care about an employee’s personal health decisions. Allow these women to distribute peanuts in peace. It appears that the male flight attendants are also receiving a makeover. According to USA Today, they are replacing their vests and dress shoes with black Nikes, a light suit, and a t-shirt.
The press release made no mention of the planned “new image” for the male employees.
Anyway, it’s great to see employers providing more humane and comfortable working conditions.
Hopefully, this will make these employees significantly happier! On Diply’s Facebook page, users had some intriguing comments.
“I’ve seen uniforms change a lot over the years. And flight attendants wearing pants is nothing new. There are much more professional looking and practical low heeled shoes than white Nikes. I would prefer black Clarks. I’ve never seen a male flight attendant wear white sneakers,” wrote one individual.
“The ladies looked so much more comfortable on my last flight 10 days ago on a Flybe aircraft. Much more practical in event of an emergency,” one commenter wrote.
Some individuals disliked the colour, comparing it to prison jumpsuits. Others deemed it to be useful.
“I should imagine that these are way more practical to wear.
And speaking as someone who likes to enjoy their flights its nice that they make clear who to ask about the arrival of the drinks trolley,” said another.
