Shocking ‘qualifications’ for cabin crew in 1954 resurface: ‘Slender legs and clear skin’

Appalled social media users called the outdated list a call out for ‘eye candy’

Airlines in the UK and US had strict stewardess rules in the 1950s (Getty Images)

Single with slender legs, clear skin and a “good carriage” – the requirements for 1950s flight attendants have horrified social media users.

A Reddit user shared a resurfaced document outlining the restrictive criteria for a “stewardess” flying with Chicago and Southern Air Lines in 1954.

“Qualifications” to become an attractive symbol of air travel included being single – specifically “not engaged” – and between the ages of 22 and 28 alongside a list of physical attributes.

A stewardess had to measure from 5”2 to 5”5 in height and weigh between 100 and 120 pounds with a “good figure” and “slender legs” to take off with the airlines.

The women were also forced to forgo glasses and braces while showing “good eyesight” and “good teeth” with only “natural” coloured hair permitted under the hostess hats.

“Good carriage”, “clear skin” and “nice hands” were also among the attributes listed to be a stewardess in the 50s.

Chicago and Southern Air Lines was formed in 1933 as a US trunk carrier and merged with Delta in 1953.

Not all of the “qualifications” were physical, and a woman would have to have “at least four years of college or two years of college and two years business experience” for a career in the sky.

An agreeable temperament was a must, with “lively conversation” and an “even temper” (not “provoked by the demands of passengers”) required from the “willing and anxious to please” cabin crew.

Reddit users called the unverified document a call out for “eye candy” that “reads like a 21st century incel listing what they demand in a woman unironically”.

One commenter wrote: “This reads like a bunch of dudes sitting around a typewriter with one of them occasionally saying: “oh and don’t forget...”

Several called out that “everything is superficial” on the list adding, “All about looks and such. And then, oh ya, 4 year college degree required lmao.”

Another mocked: “Ah yes, the golden age of aviation—when you needed a modelling contract, Olympic-level patience, and zero gold fillings to hand out peanuts. Safety? Nah. Slender legs? Absolutely essential. Imagine getting rejected because your hair wasn’t ‘natural’ enough. Wild times.”

More than 70 years later, cabin crew face far less restrictive criteria to start a career with airlines, although staff guidelines on etiquette while flying can still be strict.

In 2022, British Airways overhauled the company’s strict uniform rules, giving its crew the choice of what make-up or accessories they want to wear, regardless of their gender.

The same year, Virgin Atlantic relaxed uniform rules, ending its policy on gendered designs so that male employees may wear skirt suits to work.

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