Shocking 1950s flight attendant requirements go viral after ‘glamorous’ job description is revealed
A shocking list of requirements for women wanting to work as flight attendants in the 1950s has gone viral.
Hundreds of social media users reacted to a list posted on Reddit this week of 19 ‘qualifications’ women must have to be a stewardess in 1954 for the now-defunct Chicago and Southern Air Lines.
Several requirements focused on a candidate’s physical features, including her height, weight, skin, and teeth.
Potential flight attendants needed be between 100 and 120 pounds, have a ‘good figure’ and ‘slender legs,’ ‘nice hands’ and ‘good carriage.’
The airline also insisted its flight attendants have the ‘ability to carry on a lively conversation’ and be ‘willing and anxious to please.’
‘”Willing and anxious to please” wtf? – Something about that feels so manipulative,’ one commenter responded.
‘This reads like a bunch of dudes sitting around a typewriter with one of them occasionally saying: “oh and don’t forget ______,”‘ another added.
‘In a surprisingly progressive turn of events, hiring based on marital status, natural appearance, etc. is in fact super illegal now,’ a third chimed in.
Several requirements focused on a candidate’s physical features, including her height, weight, skin, and teeth
Woman were also required to have the ‘ability to carry on a lively conversation’ and be ‘willing and anxious to please’
Several responded with stories about relatives or acquaintances they said were flight attendants during that era.
One explained that their mother was required to follow a strict diet, weigh and measure daily, and was encouraged to smoke while she was a flight attendant in 1964.
‘They were told how to walk, including the old “pile of books on the head” walking test,’ the user continued.
‘Walk down stairs with legs and feet sideways. Graceful everything. Impeccable manners. That’s what it meant they meant by carriage.’
Another explained that their mother got the job with only a high school education, despite the the list requiring ‘at least four years of college or two years of college and two years business experience.’
‘My mom managed to get in because she was very pretty, and smart. She was 19, nothing beyond her HS education,’ the person wrote.
‘She had a good head on her shoulders, passed their difficult training, and quit after a few years because it was disgusting being grabbed all the time by passengers and pilots.
More archival images showing requirements of other airlines were attached to the post.
Several people responded with stories about relatives or acquaintances they said were flight attendants during that era
Many Reddit commenters were disgusted by the rules
Applicants for ‘TWA Air Hostess’ positions with Transcontinental & Western Air in 1945 needed to be single, between the ages of 21 and 26, between 5’2 and 5’6 tall, and weigh between 100 to 130 pounds.
They were also required to have attended one year of college or be a registered nurse.
Former pilot Dan Bubb told Newsweek that the Chicago and Southern Air Lines requirements ‘look accurate’ and that those standards were normal at the time.
He said that flight attendants’ uniforms were ‘military inspired’ before evolving through the years.
‘As the decades passed into the 1950s and 60s, flight attendant uniforms still looked professional, however, they looked more glamorous and feminine and were created by famous clothing designers,’ Bubb said.
By the 1970s, the uniforms featured bright colors and patterns, he explained, but that faded in the years ahead.
‘They became more relaxed and practical to fit the long shifts and many responsibilities that flight attendants have,’ Bubb said.
By the 1970s, the uniforms featured bright colors and patterns, he explained, but that faded in the years ahead.
Transcontinental & Western Air and United Air Lines had similar requirements
A former pilot said that flight attendants’ uniforms were ‘military inspired’
‘They became more relaxed and practical to fit the long shifts and many responsibilities that flight attendants have,’ Bubb said.
He added that airlines recruited registered nurses, believing they could calm down passengers feeling sick or uncomfortable during flights.
The former pilot explained that the standards changed because they were ‘perceived as discriminatory.’
‘Flight attendants still must look and dress professionally, and pass rigorous training and tests,’ he said, ‘but the height and weight restrictions have largely disappeared.’
