At the beginning of my flight attendant career, I was indecently propositioned by an airline executive during the selection process. I refused his offer and he declined the job opening to me. In the coming years, I have heard of so many injustices fought and survived by female crew members. A major salute to those brave women who continue to work above the clouds dedicatedly.
But this write-up is not about any of those cases.
I am also going to be a little biased here and turn a blind eye to the issues of male flight attendants.
It's Women's Day after all!
From my experience, the airline industry is generally very open-minded and crew members enjoy professional yet easygoing equations. It isn't utopia, but gender is never the reason for inequality in pay packets and promotions and the acceptance of women bosses comes rather easily to their male subordinates. Yet, even in this fairly blissful environment, this 2018, I would like to see an ease in other genuine concerns that eternally frustrate the ladies.
The skinniness of some new hires is gradually lost in subsequent years owing to the consumption of aircraft food, erratic schedules, sleep deprivation and the general lack of time for exercise. Sisterhood is experienced among some by the gain of both seniority and saddlebags.
Observing their uniforms becoming tighter and further recruitment of bony new crew, women are easily reminded of their past slenderness.
And mind you some crew members who are mothers make miracles happen. They balance out their baby woes and gym sessions perfectly and look better proportioned than the single ladies. With shapely ambitions, girls find themselves hunting for connections with trainers and diets with fancy names.
Since airlines swear by politically correct behaviour, nobody resorts to cruel shaming that could happen elsewhere. Until the obsession is limited to fitness – and not perfect bodies – things are fine.
But what do we do about the self-doubt that some women inflict upon themselves by making comparisons? Intense group discussions on board flights revolve only around their fuller figures and their connection to their love-hate relationship with food.
In case of unavoidable medical conditions, professional help is prescribed.
The glamorous grooming executives also teach many girls the art of applying makeup on the job. Eventually, each crew member develops her own style of the mandatory face painting.
For my airport look, I like to wear a 'thin' outline of eyeliner.
In my aviation career span, which covers some major international companies, I was certain I had met myriad types of persons and felt I had figured people out.
But then I flew with this one – thankfully, just one flight attendant – who had a deep complex about her dark skin. The airline fraternity that I had gotten to know rather closely over the years wasn't even remotely influenced by skin colour. I understood every insecurity, but this one was beyond me. If the employing airline, fellow crew members, passengers and even her husband didn't care for her skin colour, why did something so superficial affect her so much? While my airline did stress on clear, healthy skin, it never cared for a fair tone like some sections of the general public.
Any attempts to explain this to her proved futile. Just because another girl on our crew was lighter-complexioned than her, she would – whenever we went shopping – keep an eye on any facial products she bought for tips on fairness!
In my book, Nothing but the Plane Truth: Revelations by a Flight Attendant, I have shared many snippets of incredible crew behaviours. An eternally tall, slim, luminous skinned and perfectly made-up crew member is just a stereotype that some of us would like to laugh off. Even if professional requirements do not allow deviations, it is important for us to not associate our self-esteem with inevitable physical and physiological changes.
Happy Women's Day ladies!
Look back at your lives and recognise how many miracles you have made by yourselves! No superficial factors can ever decide your self-worth. Don't ever allow them to.
(Pinky Eppaturi is the author of Nothing but the Plane Truth: Revelations by a Flight Attendant)
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