Looks like some airlines are allowing males to choose their own uniforms. This is Virgin Atlantic from a few years back. Maybe a new market for hosiery companies. I wonder what Carrie thinks?
Male Flight Attendants
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Even Jet Blue.
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https://luxurylaunches.com/travel/virgin-atlantic-inclusion.php
Here's the orginal article as it appeared in 2022.
Since you asked...I'd be totally fine with it as long as the person looks classy and professional in whatever their chosen uniform. I think it works really well on the Virgin crew member but not so much on the Jet Blue flight attendant. The Virgin F/A has an adrogynous look to begin with, but the Jet Blue guy looks a bit too rugged to be wearing a skirt and heels, in my view. He looks less convincing and it comes off as a bit comical, if not utterly ridiculous. Just imagine all the pointing and giggling as he struts his stuff through the airport terminal in his heels to his next flight. He becomes a spectacle, as a result. Whereas the Virgin F/A looks a lot more natural and less odd looking.
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Yes, that is a pretty good assessment. The Jet Blue male does stand out and would most likely attract plenty of attention. He must be pretty brave to choose his attire realizing how people may react. The Virgin Atlantic attendant does seem to look more professional. His legs look smooth, he's wearing a pair of pantyhose that compliment his uniform and he actually looks fine wearing a skirt and heels. I've seen a few men online who wear pantyhose, heels and skirt out in public. It is bit unordinary and shocking to most people but I think both males and females with nice looking legs can look pretty good wearing this combination.
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@SheerMark I think it's the androgeny that sells it for the Virgin F/A. It keeps people guessing, and a lot wouldn't even question the gender. There are very butch looking women, and there are effeminate looking men out there. There's an entire spectrum. But when you get a guy who looks very macho or "rugged" was the word I used, I just don't think that sheer hosiery on his legs, along with a skirt, is something that most of the public is expecting, nor ready to see. And if he chooses to wear a pair of heels to complete the look, well, I think that's just going to push it all over the edge for most people. For that reason, the Jet Blue attendant sets off alarm bells as something not quite right.
I'm not judging his preferences or how he/she identifies. I'm just saying that it doesn't fly under the radar, so to speak. And as such, creates a bit of a controversy that he/she and the company they represent doesn't need as part of their corporate image. That's why I don't think it works in that scenario.
I've seen lots of guys wearing opaque tights (usually athletes) but I,m just not sure that a guy wearing very sheer hosiery that embellishes his legs for the purposes of attractiveness is something that most people can get behind. Certainly, every woman can appreciate a guy who has well toned or muscular legs. Even guys can appreciate the work it must have taken the guy to get his legs in that shape and admire him for the effort and results. But it's always primarily been the domain of women to display and portray our various physical attributes as beautiful or attractive, through various means...that usually being clothing or make up. That's never been the case for the males in modern society. As a result, I think it is going to require a paradigm shift in order for men in skirts and sheer hosiery to become accepted by the general public at large.
I give full marks and cudos to Virgin Atlantic for their progressive and industry leading policies with respect to a more inclusive company culture, but I'm not sure that society on a whole is even close to accepting seeing men in skirts as a regular thing in everyday life.
Think of it this way. Women's fashion, for the most part, has often been all about portraying our parts and the sum of our parts in the most flattering, if not provacative, ways possible within a loosely interpreted realm of propriety. Women always have to balance and weigh the sexual attractiveness versus propriety of our clothing and choices. Men rarely if ever have the need to consider that. I think everyone will agree that a beautiful sheer pair of stockings or pantyose is infinitely more sexually interesting to the viewer than a thicker opaque pair of tights. It's also been the traditonal role for women to be the objects of desire or l'objet d'art, in society. We are conditioned to be physically desireable through whatever means we can employ to achieve that goal.
Men's roles in society are viewed quite differently, and are only very rarely valued for their looks or sexual allure. At least that holds true in traditional hetro society. I'm not sure where any of that lands in gay society. So, all bets are off in terms of me being able to speak to that aspect of it.
With respect to the original post and accompanying photos, I applaud Virgin and Jet Blue for their pioneering spirit and showing respect and inclusion for all people who work for them. But I'm not convinced or confident that the rest of the airline industry will be in a hurry to follow suit in the spirit of fairness and equal treatment for all. Companies are always very cautious and shrewd when it comes to marketing themselves. Until they see this sort of inclusion as a positive for their corporate image, I'm not certain many airlines will be adopting a similar policy with respect to their uniform and grooming regulations for their public contact employees. Having spent some 30 years in that industry, I have some sense of how they "operate". Not wishing to be a Debbie Downer for all those here who would love to be able to wear sheer hosiery on a daily basis in the general public, but that's my take on how society tends to view things with respect to gender, roles and how each of us is perceived and expected to fit into a general mold.
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Very interesting perspective on the topic. Carrie you are probably spot on. The Jet Blue F/A is definitely going to attract attention as he walks through the airport whereas the Virgin Atlantic F/A is going to blend in easier. Like you said the Virgin Atlantic F/A looks androgynous and people will most likely default to a female when questioning gender.
I find it interesting that not just one but two major airlines are both accepting of this choice. Yes, corporate image could definitely become an issue, look what happened to Budweiser when they used a transgender person for one of their ad campaigns...devasting! Aside from corporate image, this could also be a big problem from an earnings perspective as customers protest or refuse to fly these airlines. Also, another potential issue is how fellow employees feel about this. Carrie you say you would be fine if the person looked classy and professional but what if Jet Blue F/A was part of your flight crew in the past? I know you say he looks comical and ridiculous, would you refuse to work with him? What is it going to be like walking to the gate with your crew members with all the unwanted attention, how many people are going to be staring, is this going to be a distraction to the professionalism and duties the job requires? I'm sure a common and frequent question is going to be..."Why is he dressed in a female uniform?"
These articles where a bit shocking to me, primarily because it is so unusual to see a male wearing female attire in a professional setting especially heels, pantyhose and skirt/dress. I don't know what the motivation was and how this came about, whether it was employee driven or a decision by management. The photos show men so I will question that. Do these males just like the look and want to experience wearing the traditional female uniform? Do they want to push gender norms? Do they identify with the opposite gender? Yes, our society is not quite ready for this look, I think most people will be surprised if they have interaction with these crew members, some may not be bothered and others will probably be too distracted by their phones.
I don't think you are being a Debbie Downer in regards to the acceptance of men wearing sheer hosiery in public. I would say most hosiery wearing men wouldn't view this as a new opportunity or openness. Although you are always going to have a few who want to push boundaries, I'm sure most men are perfectly fine and comfortable wearing in private or hidden. Myself, I was so nervous the first time a wore pantyhose. I felt like I was doing something so unordinary, something only reserved for women but I really loved how the smooth silky fabric felt and looked on my legs. As I got older I was also curious about wearing pantyhose with stilettos and a skirt, something I thought looked amazing on women. Once again I felt really odd wearing something so feminine. Looking at myself in the mirror was kind of mind bending, here I was a male wearing something so foreign. It wasn't my intention to transform myself into the opposite sex but obviously from the waist down I did look very womanly. Wearing pantyhose, stilettos, and a skirt in public would terrify me even if it became acceptable. I wouldn't even wear something like this on Halloween. In fact the only time I might feel comfortable is if it was with an attractive female who suggested it in privacy. I'm sure most men would probably feel the same way but they would have to chime in.
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Usually, airlines offer two options for uniforms: one for males and one for females. It's not like ladies have to wear a uniform while guys get to wear something smart casual.This shift definitely opens up a new conversation around what’s considered professional or acceptable in a uniform. It also got me thinking about how businesses are adapting to be more inclusive. Personally, I think as long as someone looks neat and professional, it shouldn’t really matter what they wear. Just like flying business class, it’s all about comfort and how you feel at the end of the day.
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