Watch Akasa Air Female Crew Ditch Heels And Donning Sneakers On Flight

For centuries, women have been largely used for their face value by organisations and companies. They want pretty faces to be their representatives and attract and please male customers, a clear example of this being the uniforms of female flight crew which were impractical considering that they have to travel long distances.

Clad in pencil skirts and heels as they make their way through the narrow aisle of flights, female flight crew have always been the victim of the society's beauty standards and company beliefs. A refreshing move in ditching the toxic standards of beauty for female flight attendants was taken by Akasa Air, a lost-cost Indian airline backed by Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, the late stock market investor.

Akasa Air Crew Wearing Sneakers

Last year the airline revealed its new uniform for the entire flight crew which included sneakers and pants instead of the conventional heels and skirts for the female crew.

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The sneakers incorporated in the uniform are comfortable as they are lightweight and eco-friendly with soles made from rubber and not plastic. The new uniform aims at representing the friendly, warm and comfortable approach of the airline towards serving its customers. Recently a social media user posted a picture of the crew wearing the new uniform and praised the airline for the 'well-deserving change' in the standards set for flight attendants.

The uniform of female flight attendants has always been a topic of discussion as the mandatory heels were contradicting to their work in flight. For the unversed, flight attendants have to move a lot, walk through narrow aisles, and remain standing for most of the journey which is often many hours long. These responsibilities are made more difficult to manage when it is mandatory for women to wear heels. Although they receive rigorous training to walk in heels for long hours, it is simply uncomfortable in practicality.

However, such harsh standards arise from the airlines' motive of presenting female staff as a sight for sore eyes for passengers and to attract more customers. Heels are considered to enhance the poise and grace of female flight attendants which is a toxic beauty notion. Akasa Air's new uniform is an example that airlines and organisations need to ditch toxic beauty standards and prioritise comfort and practicality over glamour.