Heather Poole is a former flight attendant and the New York Times bestselling author of Cruising Attitude. She revealed that the reason cabin crew members wear bright lipstick on flights is, “so passengers can read your lips during an emergency.”
The reason behind a natural look in the make-up department is to maintain professionalism. The most iconic and known beauty standard for a flight attendant is the red lipstick. As stated before, it is not required by all airlines but is by some.
Although the red colour is really hard to apply and to make it look perfect, most of the times it stood by me, encouraging me as a good friend.” Because at our courses we like to respect all the grooming rules of flight attendants, we asked our colleagues about their favourite red lipsticks.
The answer is simple: because beauty is part of the job. Of course, every woman has a set of beauty secrets that they use but flight attendants stand among a thousand women through perfect makeup, hairstyle, and finally because of their elegant outfits.
The female team members must wear lipstick in Emirates' signature red, along with clear or red nail polish, neat hair and no visible tattoos. Emirates reportedly offers an "Appearance Management Programme" for cabin crew that have put on weight, which includes measurement checks, diet and exercise plans.
This clearly makes a bold fashion statement and matches with the uniforms – but the makeup also serves an important purpose. Heather Poole, who was a cabin crew member for 20 years, says vibrant lippie helps passengers to “read your lips during an emergency”, which could make a big difference in keeping them safe.
"Emirates likes to keep uniformity. Your nails can be nude, light pink, or you can have a French manicure. We also have different variations of red nail polish that are outlined by the Imaging and Grooming Department. An 'Emirates red' lipstick with lip liner is required.
In a note sent to female crew members, Virgin Atlantic said that crew members were no longer required to wear any makeup, but were welcome to wear the lipstick and foundation recommended in the company's guidelines.
She explains that the airlines consider their flight attendants and cabin crew as a PR 'product', which they polish to make sure people think that their airline is good. “Some airlines have grooming/image 'checkers' at the airport,” Ms Brown explains.
For instance, an employee's hair can be worn down, but must be shoulder length or shorter and tattoos can only be visible as long as they are smaller than the size of their work badge. Still, it's a major step in an industry known for having strict dress codes.
There is no specific dental requirement such as 'perfect teeth' to become a cabin crew, but airlines typically look for candidates with good and presentable teeth and a healthy smile.
There is no one answer to the question of what the beauty standard is for flight attendants, as it can vary from airline to airline. However, there are some general things that most airlines look for in their cabin crew. These include physical fitness, grooming standards, and age requirements.
While women are not mandated to wear skirts, they often must request to wear trousers. On top of that, work still needs to be done regarding footwear options.
Whenever you sit or stand for long periods of time, as flight attendants do, gravity pulls on your blood, slowing your circulation and decreasing its efficacy. Compression pantyhose provide gentle, graduated pressure that keeps the blood moving through your veins and helps fight against gravity's adverse effects.
AirAsia employees wear bright red outfits comprised of tailored blazers, pencil skirts, gray tights, and black shoes.
Princess Kate
Kate looked stunning in her red dress coat, and even wore a red lipgloss for the occasion; something she rarely does. The mother-of-three is more of a subtle, natural nude kinda royal.
Throughout her reign, the Queen sported her favourite lipstick shades, as well as a number of other bright pinks, and reds. She was pictured reapplying her lipstick at the Highland Games in 2011, Commonwealth Games in 2014, and at the Windsor Horse Show 33 years into her reign in 1985.
The bedroom is known as the 'crew rest area', and has a number of either flat beds or bunk beds, depending on the airline. “It is used solely for crew to rest in as there are regulations that crew must get a proper rest period on long haul flights over a certain length,” the source says.
For aspiring flight attendants, Delta Air Lines, ranked by its employees as one of the best places to work, is also one of the most difficult places to get a job. It's harder to get invited to Delta flight attendant training than it is to get into Harvard University.
“When you're standing there going 'bye, thank you, take care', when you see someone you fancy, you say 'cheerio'.
Tattoos must never be visible while in uniform. Chewing gum when in uniform is not permitted.
Now, flight attendants of all genders can wear makeup and nail polish.
Under the new policies, flight attendants of all genders can now wear nail polish and “natural-looking” makeup, as well as have visible tattoos—provided they are the size of the employee's work badge or smaller. Previously, male-identifying employees were not allowed to wear any kind of makeup or colored nail polish.