Back in the golden age of travel, flying was glamorous and luxurious and the young, attractive women working on those flights were supposed to be, too. These days we call them flight attendants, but back then they were known as stewardesses and to get the job, you had to meet some very specific requirements.
A Reddit user recently posted a document showing the requirements for stewardesses in 1954, shocking and even horrifying some social media users. Unlike today’s flight attendants, these young women didn’t get a lot of training, but they were a symbol of the elegant mode of travel and were supposed to have a certain look to show it.
To get the job as a stewardess for both Chicago and Southern Air Lines, they had to meet this list of qualifications:
- Be “single - not engaged”
- Be “between the ages of 22 and 28, between 5-foot 2 and 5-foot-5 and between 100 and 120 pounds”
- Have “good eyesight (no glasses)”, “good teeth (no gold showing when smiling)” and a “good figure” with “slender legs”
- Have a “natural color to hair”
- Have “at least four years of college or two years of college and two years of business experience” and the “ability to carry on a lively conversation”
- As well as “good carriage,” “an even temper” and be “willing and anxious to please”
- Be “willing to transfer” and a “citizen of the U.S.” in “excellent health” with “clear skin” and “nice hands”
While the list is long, Redditors were blown away that the qualifications don’t have anything to do with the actual job. “Looks like a Tinder profile,” comments one, while another adds, “In short: be eye candy.”
Source: NY Post