A flight attendant has revealed how she was made to wear a surgical face mask and latex gloves for the duration of her long working day aboard the aircraft because her manager didn’t like the color of the lipstick and nail varnish she was wearing.
Taking to the popular social media site Reddit, the flight attendant revealed: “I was made to fly wearing a mask & gloves just because they didn’t approve of my lipstick & nail paint shade.”
The flight attendant was careful not to reveal the identity of her employer, although she later explained that she worked for an airline in India, and admitted that while the experience got a “bit awkward,” the unusual request was better than being sent home.
Ordinarily, the flight attendant probably wouldn’t have had a problem wearing her color choice of lipstick and nail varnish, but one of the airline’s so-called ‘Operational Compliance Check’ officers was also on the flight, and they immediately focused on her makeup.
“My lipstick was a shade too dark, according to them,” the flight attendant added. “But I was wearing silver nail paint, which is absolutely fine according to our Grooming standards. They didn’t provide me with an explanation.”
Other flight attendants from countries where grooming standards aren’t quite as strict were quick to share their horror at what had happened, with one commenting: “American crews could never.”
Others suggested the flight attendant should have just wiped her lipstick off to avoid wearing the surgical mask, but if she had done that, she would have been sent home, as lipstick is a mandatory grooming item.
Although these kinds of stringent grooming standards might shock American flight attendants, they’re nothing compared to some airlines where a surgical face mask and gloves wouldn’t even be an option.
Take Singapore Airlines, for example. The airline is notorious for its incredibly stringent uniform and grooming policies. When female cabin crew first join the airline, they are assigned one of several ‘approved’ hairstyles which they must wear for the rest of their career.
Singapore Airlines cabin crew also have their iconic sarong kebaya uniform custom-fit, and it is a requirement that they remain able to fit in the figure-hugging outfit for the duration of their time at the airline.
Meanwhile, at Emirates, cabin crew dread the sight of grooming officers who stalk the crew check-in area looking for crew members to assess. Anyone who looks like they may have put on weight is made to stand on a set of scales and is immediately grounded if they are assessed to be overweight.
Makeup rules and grooming standards are taken so seriously that non-compliance will see the flight attendant sent home and potentially disciplined, with a replacement crew member called from standby to take over their position.
At some Gulf carriers, even a temporary pimple that is completely out of the control of the crew member can result in them being grounded until their skin is cleared. Other airlines make new hire crew members declare any scars they have, with marks visible while wearing the uniform enough to have someone rejected from the hiring process.
