Exit high heels and pencil skirts for these air hostesses! The Ukrainian airline SkyUp Airlines allows flight attendants to wear sneakers and wide trousers, for more comfort.
In the majority of airlines, flight attendants must wear a strict uniform, consisting of a blouse, a pencil skirt and high heels. This traditional uniform, favored in many countries, represents the perfect stereotype of the air hostess. However, one airline has decided to break away from this symbol.
This is the case of SkyUp Airlines, a private company based in Ukraine, which has offered new clothes to flight attendants . From now on, the latter will be able to wear a T-shirt, sneakers, wide pants and a silk scarf if they wish.
This change came after complaints from flight attendants, who could hardly do their job because of their clothes.
“The heels are nice, I don’t dispute that, but the feet hurt and swell at the end of the flight. The sneakers are absolutely cool! If a crew has to make a water landing and an evacuation, the heels can damage the ladder, and it will not be very comfortable to swim in a skirt,” remarked Alexandrina Denysenko, stewardess of the SkyUp company. Airlines.
The airline company SkyUp Airlines judged that the outfits worn by flight attendants were “conservative elements”, and that it was time to abandon them. These outfits, now sexist, reinforced the stereotype present in Ukraine according to which flight attendants were dismissed only by their physical appearance.
“The job of a flight attendant is not so romantic. It’s hard. We understood that our flight attendants didn’t want to be perceived as sexualized ,” said Marianna Grygorash, marketing manager at SkyUp Airlines.
The new flight attendant uniform, still orange, was made by Ukrainian brands. Thanks to this more comfortable alternative, women will be able to relieve their feet, which were victims of injuries due to high heels.
“Twelve hours up, by plane from kyiv to Zanzibar. If you wear high heels, you are barely able to walk after them. Many of my colleagues are permanent clients of podiatrists. Their toes and nails are constantly damaged by high heels ,” said flight attendant Daria Solomennaya.
The hostesses can also change their hairstyle if they wish, and opt for a bun, a ponytail or braids. Finally, they will no longer be required to wear make-up on board the plane .
A new uniform is also in preparation for the men. They can wear a T-shirt instead of a shirt, a vest and black sneakers. The new women’s uniform will be officially worn as of October 22.
