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ASU demands change in Qantas flight attendants' uniform: Ditch heels and makeup bias

The ASU's demands include allowing Qantas badges to display preferred pronouns

Women flight attendants being asked to wear make-up and heels to look pleasant isn’t a new thing. The topic has been brought up several times before, quite often with a fair amount of success too. Now, the Australian Services Union (ASU), one of the largest trade unions in Australia, has taken up the issue. On February 28, 2022, ASU wrote a letter to Qantas asking them to ditch heels, makeup bias, and other necessities that deprive the rights of its attendants.

The letter urged Qantas airways to change its uniform policies to foster a diverse and inclusive country. According to Qantas’ regulation book, called ‘Style on Q’, female flight attendants are required to wear makeup and high heels, whereas male cabin crew members are prohibited from wearing makeup or growing beards. Additionally, crew members are expected to wear watches while on duty, and ladies are not permitted to wear watches with large faces. The guidelines haven’t been revised in years.

To be fair, Qantas has come far from its pencil skirt traditions to the current outfit. In the letter that was sent to Qantas, Eminline Gaske, assistant national secretary of the ASU, said, “While airline uniforms have come a long way since the age of miniskirts and towering heels, there’s still a long way to go”

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ASU's letter was addressed to Alan Joyce, CEO of Qantas. The letter argued that, with Women’s Day and Mardi Gras coming in march, this is a good time to bring in a change. The letter also stated, “Qantas promotes itself as a leader on matters important to women and LGBTQI+ Australians,” pointing at Alan, who is a strong LGBTQIA+ ally. Alan, who is also openly gay, is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world. The letter added that the rules that made it mandatory for women to wear skirts, dresses, and heels must be ditched as they bring in gender bias. Additionally, ASU demanded that men should be allowed to grow beards and wear makeup, if they so prefer, and that everyone also display their pronouns on their badges. 

While the demands of ASU seem to promote the attendants' right to choose, many people are not really happy with it. When ASU posted the Facebook letter to Twitter as well, several people opposed it in the comments section. One user wrote, “Losing the rich history and culture so a couple of people don’t feel left out? Uniform, make up etc is part of the job. About all the staff who want to keep it that way ? they may enjoy working in that style environment.” while another said, “I really don't know if all that is necessary. Perhaps some relaxation of the standards but not all of that. I do believe that maybe allowing males to have some (properly looked after) facial hair and a limited amount of piercings (lobes for example) wouldn't be a bad start.”

Some people straight up showed their dislike by saying, “Seriously a business has the right to ask their employees to wear a certain uniform and to look what they want their brand to represent.. if people don't want to follow ..find another job..we don't want flight attendants looking a washed out just got out of bed person who does” Another user wrote, “This is really rubbish and irrelevant to running a professional respectful business! Why is Qantas even considering this c…?”