Discrimination During the Hiring Process for the Cabin Crew

The article “Sexism Is In The Air: Female Flight Attendants Await Their Feminist Revolution” highlights relevant issues as far as the recruitment criteria are concerned . The women applying (whether it is as a female flight attendant or a hostess) must meet an essential criterion which is to be attractive. However, it is implied that this “attractiveness” is based on western beauty standards, i.e. being a thin and tall woman with a fair complexion. For this reason, hostesses that do not match these standards must change if they hope to get hired. This is especially seen with the case of women’s hair. Women with frizzy, curly, or coily hair are required to straighten it. This is what I was asked to do during my job interview at Selectively. The reason was to have a so-called “visual homogeneity in the team’’. On this subject, Julie Boulangier claims that many companies are racist. To avoid controversies, “agencies say they cannot hire black girls because it is the client who imposes it. They obey so as not to lose the client. The truth is that it is a question of money, there are no moral values.”

The image of women in this environment is extremely controlled. In 2004, Air India did not hire women who had scars or pimples. The applicants are rejected if they do not have a clear complexion, meaning no birthmarks or scars. The recruitment criteria are not only limited to cosmetic appearance but also weight and height. Nothing is left to chance and every single physical detail is taken into account. To understand these eligibility criteria, we must remember that it dates back to the 1960s, when women had to be “beautiful”. Most of the time, they held positions where their image had to be irreproachable because they represented their company (e.g. secretary). This is the reason why TWA stewardesses took lessons on maintaining a “ladylike” posture at all times. Nevertheless, these standards of beauty are not representative of reality. In air hostess agencies, the most sought-after girls are all are over 1.65 m tall.

Spicejet is an Indian low-cost airline which has imposed unattainable standards for women. In order to be part of a cabin crew, female applicants must be “between 18 and 27 years old, at least 155 cm tall, and of a weight ‘in proportion to height’.” In this company, there are also criteria that do not make sense. For instance, candidates must also be unmarried, although there is no logical reason why they should be single in order to work. Therefore, we assume that the Airlines want the female flight attendants to look ‘available’ to male