Ben O. sent us this vintage airline commercial for Braniff International. In it, a “stewardess” models new uniforms to stripper music and narration. What struck Ben was the final uniform and commentary. The commercial ends with the assertion that Braniff International “believes that even an airline hostess should look like a girl.” Sexism aside, Ben argues, and I agree, that what she is wearing is hardly feminine at all given today’s standards. The commercial, then, nicely demonstrates how norms for gendered appearance shift and change.
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Lisa Wade is a professor of sociology at Occidental College. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
Comments 7
Tintin LaChance — October 3, 2009
How weird that she's going to have different outfits for different parts of the flight. That strikes me today as overly formal and possibly quite difficult, given how little space flight attendants have to prepare food and so on.
Braniff Would Like You To Fly The Extremely Friendly Skies [Badvertising] | GOSSIPGOSSIP.INFO — October 4, 2009
[...] BRANIFF WOULD LIKE YOU TO FLY THE EXTREMELY FRIENDLY SKIES [BADVERTISING] In this selected Braniff airline commercial, a stewardess performs “the Air Strip” in sequence to arrangement her assorted in-flight uniforms, as Braniff “believes which even an airline stewardess should demeanour similar to a girl.” [Sociological Images] [...]
Braniff Would Like You To Fly The Extremely Friendly Skies [Badvertising] by Funny Celebrity . info — October 4, 2009
[...] In this vintage Braniff airline commercial, a stewardess performs “the Air Strip” in order to display her various in-flight uniforms, as Braniff “believes that even an airline hostess should look like a girl.” [Sociological Images] [...]
Village Idiot — October 4, 2009
It was amazing how she kept taking off clothing but never looked like she ever had any less clothing on than when she started.
Kevin — October 5, 2009
Hahaha...Braniff...
Tiffani W — October 5, 2009
Haha Village Idiot good point.
This commercial is just so...ridiculous. If I were alive back then, I would have thrown my shoe at the TV. And then at the end when they say "Flights to Houston" it reminds me that this is NOT some ancient misogynist culture...it was very recent, and things like this (albeit with different norms, as you mentioned) are so prevalent even today. :(