Last month in Iran, the police cracked down on women wearing revealing attire and men with Western hairdos. This type of fashion policing doesn’t go on in America - right?
Well, it depends on where you happen to be. If you are a female and have a preference for tight fitting outfits and fly Southwest Airlines, there is a chance you will be targeted by a flight attendant doubling as a dress code cop. It certainly happened to a 23 year old San Diego co-ed, who boarded a Southwest flight to Tucson, Arizona. Kyla Ebbert was confronted by a male flight attendant concerned about her “revealing attire”.
If I had been on the flight I would have been more concerned about possible explosive devices and shifty eyed fliers with bulky looking jackets. An attractive young woman attired in a chic outfit would rank somewhere last on my list of concerns. Dress code issues wouldn't even come into it. How are 20 something co-eds supposed to dress during the summer?
Ms Ebbert was on a one-day round trip and had a doctor’s appointment scheduled. She wasn’t carrying additional luggage with a change of clothes. Nonetheless, the male flight attendant who asked her to leave her seat for 'dress review', had the gall to suggest she go to a gift shop to buy clothes prior to boarding a later flight.
Ms Ebbert was understandably mortified that she had been targeted in this high handed manner with other fliers looking on, even though the 'dress review' was conducted in a walkway leading back to the terminal. Embarrassed by the flight attendant’s unwelcome attentions, she offered to pull the top of her sweater over her breasts and pull her skirt down as far as possible. A compromise that was finally agreed upon.
Southwest is an airline that caters to clients who like to save money, many of them students. This episode happened at a time of year when a lot of co-eds opt for casual outfits. There was nothing about Ms Ebbert’s outfit that could be regarded as offensive, except perhaps to really sheltered folks who don’t get out much. The flight attendant was clearly making an arbitrary judgment based on his personal prejudices.
His decision to ask Ms Ebbert to ‘adjust’ her attire wasn’t part of any clearly defined dress code policy on the part of Southwest. It couldn’t be, because on the return flight, far from receiving the same treatment, Ms Ebbert was in fact complimented on her outfit by a different attendant.
Kyla Ebbert hoped for an apology from Southwest that wasn’t forthcoming. She is presently considering a lawsuit.
Well, it depends on where you happen to be. If you are a female and have a preference for tight fitting outfits and fly Southwest Airlines, there is a chance you will be targeted by a flight attendant doubling as a dress code cop. It certainly happened to a 23 year old San Diego co-ed, who boarded a Southwest flight to Tucson, Arizona. Kyla Ebbert was confronted by a male flight attendant concerned about her “revealing attire”.
If I had been on the flight I would have been more concerned about possible explosive devices and shifty eyed fliers with bulky looking jackets. An attractive young woman attired in a chic outfit would rank somewhere last on my list of concerns. Dress code issues wouldn't even come into it. How are 20 something co-eds supposed to dress during the summer?
Ms Ebbert was on a one-day round trip and had a doctor’s appointment scheduled. She wasn’t carrying additional luggage with a change of clothes. Nonetheless, the male flight attendant who asked her to leave her seat for 'dress review', had the gall to suggest she go to a gift shop to buy clothes prior to boarding a later flight.
Ms Ebbert was understandably mortified that she had been targeted in this high handed manner with other fliers looking on, even though the 'dress review' was conducted in a walkway leading back to the terminal. Embarrassed by the flight attendant’s unwelcome attentions, she offered to pull the top of her sweater over her breasts and pull her skirt down as far as possible. A compromise that was finally agreed upon.
Southwest is an airline that caters to clients who like to save money, many of them students. This episode happened at a time of year when a lot of co-eds opt for casual outfits. There was nothing about Ms Ebbert’s outfit that could be regarded as offensive, except perhaps to really sheltered folks who don’t get out much. The flight attendant was clearly making an arbitrary judgment based on his personal prejudices.
His decision to ask Ms Ebbert to ‘adjust’ her attire wasn’t part of any clearly defined dress code policy on the part of Southwest. It couldn’t be, because on the return flight, far from receiving the same treatment, Ms Ebbert was in fact complimented on her outfit by a different attendant.
Kyla Ebbert hoped for an apology from Southwest that wasn’t forthcoming. She is presently considering a lawsuit.
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