Hostesses fight sexy image

There is not an airline out there that has not at some time sought to exploit the notion that air travel includes being served by a physically attractive 'hostess'. And there are few women cabin crew who have not at some time suffered some form of harassment, whether it be touching, verbal insinuation, sexual power play, or even assault from a passenger, blares a statement issued by the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) at the launch of its campaign against airline sexism on March 8.

Many passengers regard being served by a young, beautiful woman during their flight to be an unquestioned privilege, but to a large number of flight attendants working for different airlines, they are being exploited because of the way they are portrayed in the public eye.

Prompting the campaign, thousands of women airline workers who met at an ITF Asia-Pacific region seminar last year complained of employment discrimination or harassment.

With the aim of drawing attention to the common portrayal of female cabin crew as something akin to sex objects, the ITF designed a poster of an inflatable sex doll in cabin crew attire for its global campaign.

A tag line next to it reads: 'If an airline treats its employees like this, what must it think of its passengers?' The international union is leading an inevitable battle against the long-held perception of what many consider a glamorous profession. In an age when personal dignity is supposed to triumph over gender, airline workers think it is time cabin crew no longer be judged by their looks or femininity.

First and foremost, says ITF's women's officer, Sarah Finke, people's overriding concern should be how they fare as safety professionals. But particularly in Asia, she notes, airline advertising campaigns tend to omit such a role, highlighting instead personal service by attractive, young women, in order to appeal to male sexual fantasies.