"It's humiliating to be weighed like a cow." What requirements do leading airlines have for their flight attendants?
Not so long ago, a scandal erupted at Aeroflot, Russia's largest airline, after several flight attendants filed a lawsuit for discrimination based on age and appearance, as well as violation of labor rights. The company was accused of setting standards for appearance and dividing flight attendants into special beauty groups.
As it turned out, all the flight attendants of the airline were forced to take a full-length photo, they took a large face and measured it with a centimeter, eventually dividing everyone into several groups. The first group included young, slender and tall, and the last - those who are already over 40 or who wear clothes larger than 46. The flight attendants who disagree with this approach have already filed a complaint with the prosecutor's office and even written to President Putin, and now they have decided to go to court.
One of the initiators of the lawsuit was 41-year-old flight attendant Evgenia Magurina. Until recently, Magurina was a senior flight attendant, she flew mainly abroad and received encouragement from management for good work, but since last summer, the sky has been open to her only over Russia. And about 400 flight attendants found themselves in the same position as Magurina, who, by age and appearance, did not fit into the new unspoken rules of the airline.
We were all told that only young and thin people would now fly abroad with Aeroflot. We were all massively photographed and measured, some were even weighed - this was done under the pretext of rebranding the airline and ordering new uniforms for employees. My life has changed since mid-August, but many have suffered earlier. Everyone who was over 40 and whose clothes were larger than 46 was no longer put on foreign flights. We were all gathered in department No. 1, having arranged a real torture for us: they left only night and short morning flights. When I asked what was actually happening, they told me that these are the new rules of the game and I was removed from international flights because of the size of clothes - now it should be no more than the 46th, and I had the 48th, - said Magurina.
Stewardesses suspended from foreign flights have dramatically lost their salaries, since payments for flights outside of Russia are several times higher than those for those in the country. At the same time, the workload has only increased due to frequent night flights, and it is very difficult to work in this mode.
According to the company's employees, uniforms of sizes 50-52 were taken out of the warehouse, and the doctors of the VLEK (medical flight expert commission), as part of the rejuvenation trend, were instructed to get rid of employees who do not meet the new appearance standards under any pretext.
However, as it turned out, not only Aeroflot makes strict requirements for flight attendants. Here are the flight attendants recruited at Aeroflot and other popular airlines:
Aeroflot
1. Relevant higher education.
2. Excellent health, which is checked by a special medical commission.
3. Youth, because after 30 years they do not take this job.
4. It is desirable that the candidate for this position be small in stature, of medium build and with a pleasant appearance.
5. Clear speech and diction, pleasant voice.
6. Knowledge of two languages (native + English).
7. Pretty and smiling.
Delta Air Lines
1. Not older than 25 (we still allow some concessions regarding age, in America - for nothing. If you are at least a month older than 25, you will not be hired).
2. Height not less than 165 cm, weight not more than 65 kg (at the interview you will be weighed and measured).
3. Ability to swim (a reasonable requirement, but we do not have it).
4. Education must be related to medicine (education requirements are the most stringent of all, if your education is not suitable, you will not even be invited to an interview).
Emirates
1. Know the history of your country.
2. Have a breast size of no more than 75C (that is, girls with a size larger than the third do not get to work).
3. Place of birth - United Arab Emirates (only those who were born in the country are hired).
Lufthansa
1. The color of the nail polish. Only French, red lacquer and colorless are allowed (if you show up for an interview with black lacquer or pink, you will not be hired).
2. Be unmarried.
3. Clothing size no more than 46th.
China Southern Airlines
1. National appearance.
2. Straight teeth (when applying for a job, they will look at the shape of your teeth, if they are uneven, you will be refused work or advised to correct them).
3. Foot size no more than 36 (Chinese women already have small legs, but this is a requirement).
4. No scars.
5. Height not less than 1.67 m. 
Air France
1. No tattoos (at all, even if you have a small dolphin on the back of your head, under your hair, you will not be hired).
2. Lack of piercing.
3. The volume of the hips is not more than 100 cm.
4. No allergies.
british airways
1. Lack of children (this is understandable, air travel is associated with risk).
2. The absence of a criminal record and in general any problems with the law.
3. Hair not below the shoulders, democratic color.
4. You must come to the interview as if you had already arrived on your first flight.
5. Minimal makeup.
Background
At first, passengers on the plane were served by the co-pilot when he had free time. The position of a flight attendant appeared only with the development of aviation. At first, only men were accepted for this position, since they needed to carry heavy loads, and the comfort requirements of the first passengers were not the same as they are now. Ellen Chen was the first flight attendant. She herself offered her services to the airline.
The company's managers, just at that time, who were going to introduce the position of a steward on passenger flights, following the example of German air carriers, decided that female stewards would be a good move: the presence of young girls on the plane, who are not afraid to fly all the time, would reassure both passengers and them relatives on earth. In addition, the skills of a nurse could come in handy in flight, especially considering that the then low-flying planes were shaking and rocking a lot, and many passengers did not feel too well. As a result, together with Ellen, the company hired 7 more nurses no older than 25 years old, who would weigh no more than 52 kilograms. Then the planes could not yet carry a lot of weight, so every kilogram counted.
The first flight attendant in the USSR was 20-year-old Elza Gorodetskaya. In the staff list then there was no flight attendant position, so the girl was issued a storekeeper, but was called a barmaid. She had to carry 40-kilogram suitcases with cutlery, so the work was not easy.
In 2015, British feminists staged a rally about the demands on women. At this rally, many opposed the strict requirements for flight attendants. The women at the rally assured that such demands were illegal and should be cancelled. Now many companies hire not only stewardesses, but also stewards so that the girls do not have to carry heavy loads and help passengers fold their luggage. This is what Aeroflot does on many flights.