Would you be happy to wear this to work?

Qantas flight attendants have contacted their union to protest about the airline’s new uniforms which are being introduced on December 12. They say they’re too tight and are only flattering on Miranda Kerr. There are 12,600 domestic and international flight attendants who will be expected to wear the new uniforms with the vast majority being women, some of whom say they are inappropriate for the work they’re expected to do.

Here’s what they’re talking about:

Watching that video, I’m confused. Miranda Kerr is model, right? An underwear model predominantly. So how come Qantas chose her to launch their new uniforms and be the signature face and body of this important new look for the company? No wonder flight attendants are unhappy. Miranda Kerr is not a flight attendant and her body type is not in any way representative of most flight attendants. While she just has to sashay down a catwalk and smile, flight attendants have to lift, reach, bend and stretch, all in extremely tight spaces in close proximity to passengers and each other.

“The uniforms are really tight and they are simply not practical for the very physical job we have to do,” said one domestic short-haul flight attendant according to News Ltd reports.  “The uniform looks fantastic on Miranda Kerr but unfortunately we don’t all look like her,” said another attendant.

“Hosties range in age from their 20s to their 60s and a lot of the older ones don’t want to wear tight-fitting uniforms. We like the current Peter Morrissey-designed uniforms. They are really comfortable,” she said.

Comfort is not something a model has to worry about. They are paid simply to make clothes look good – and Miranda Kerr is indeed at the top of her game where this is concerned. Not to bag Miranda – it’s her job to be skinny and look a certain way. That’s how she makes her living. But flight attendants – while they have to look polished and represent their brand – are employed based on things other than their bodies.

A spokeswoman for the Flight Attendants Association of Australia National Division told News Ltd that union members had contacted them about the tight-fitting uniform. “We have asked the airline to tweak the uniform a little to accommodate some concerns,” the spokeswoman said. “Once it comes in and the crew are wearing it we will be having more discussions. If there are more issues, obviously we would expect the company to iron them out.”

Other rules for female flight attendants include no eyeliner, no lip gloss, no eye shadow. A choice of three Napoleon lipsticks. Plain watch. One ring. No bracelets or necklaces, unless they’re for religious reasons. It is not known whether flight attendants are also objecting to these new restrictions.

But back to uniforms. If the police or the army introduced a new uniform, would they hire supermodels to showcase them? When the Olympic uniforms are revealed every four years, do they hire supermodels to wear them? Come on Qantas. You employ some amazing, capable women who are good at their jobs – were none of them good looking or skinny enough to model your uniforms? Well, that’s a pity.

Click through the gallery below for more images of the new uniform.

So what do you think of the new Qantas uniform? Would you wear it, or is this something that only Miranda Kerr could pull off? 

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