Nope. I am arguing that because you are flying for free, you willingly submit to a dress code.
It may be sexist, airlines and the male gaze went hand in hand for generations after all, but arbitrary it isn’t. At the end of the day, the airline wants the people who it fills empty seats with to be as bland as cold oatmeal. It’s not a paid ticket. It’s an empty seat that they choose to fill, or not, at the discretion of the crew. An airplane is a little autocracy.
If it were a paid seat, I might have a different opinion. But that isn’t this topic, so I won’t pretend it is.
Also, he was referring to actions in his car (I am guessing gender) which would adversely affect the driver and other passengers - smoking; putting feet up (safety). Let’s focus on the fact that this is a story about 10 year old girls wearing leggings. This is harming nobody at all except for people who, presumably, have either OCD or OAS* so badly that they worry about the clothing - decent clothing - of children. Can I say straw man argument for the second time on this thread? And can I also observe a surprising number of people who seem to be on the side of the arbitrary rules of corporations?
*Occupational Asshat Syndrome, known in the UK as “Jobsworth”.
Fortunately old traditions are always changing and evolving. When I started working it was expected that men wore suits and ties and women wore dresses. I still see this at some customers I visit, especially in other countries.
Over time, dress codes have became more and more relaxed and less restrictive. My current attire is described as “business casual” - dress slacks and a clean button down or polo shirt. For some, even this level of dress code is too restrictive. Some minimal dress code standard must be enforced otherwise someone is always going to take it too far and wear their ass-less chaps on Hawaiian shirt day.
Other airlines have adopted a less specific dress code and appeal instead to “good judgement” - which as we all know can be interpreted in a lot of different ways:
Delta has a relaxed dress code for pass riders, including Buddies. The standard is based on respect – for our customers and for you. Delta trusts your good judgment when traveling on a Buddy Pass. Just remember, Delta has a relaxed dress code for pass riders, but that doesn’t mean a sloppy appearance is acceptable. You should never wear unclean, revealing or lewd garments, or swimwear or sleepwear on a fliight.
Actually, I have a current example of this sort of thing. My daughter is going to the Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama this summer. Here’s the dress code:
While attending the program, trainees are required to dress in an appropriate and conservative manner.
Swimwear – one-piece suits for females are recommended. If two-piece suit is worn, will be asked to wear a t-shirt.
Females will wear shorts with their swimsuit.
Males should wear board-type swim shorts.
Campers will be asked to refrain from wearing the following:
Shorts that do not cover the upper thigh
Dresses/skirts without shorts
Low-cut tops
Tank tops that have straps that measure less than one inch in width
Any clothing that reveals undergarments
Shirts that reveal the midriff
Clothing (including hats) that display risqué, offensive, inappropriate logos, mottos or art. This includes, but is not limited to, logos advertising or advocating the use of alcoholic products, tobacco products or drugs.
All of the rest of it seems reasonably unisex to me, but girls have to be basically fully dressed to swim. And if you don’t come prepared and have to put on an actual (cotton) t-shirt, it will cause more drag in the water; meanwhile, all the guys are naked from the waist up. It’s the sort of thing that puts the girls at a slight disadvantage just for being girls.
In the 80s and 90s denim was taboo. Khakis were specified as baseline, no athletic shoes.
That list doesn’t seem too sexist. Airlines do though, for sure. To point out that they’re paternalistic and patriarchical, which airlines are and have been, I guess I don’t see the dress code as a backdoor to addressing that with an eye on structural change.
It’s somewhat ironic that they ban people for what they used to dress their cabin crew in, though.
Everyone knows I live in Chicago, which is a common place to visit, and so over the years I’ve met quite a few Happy Mutants and had some wonderful times.
The opera in question was one that I already had tickets for when a couple of Mutants were planning on coming to town for a different musical concert, so I offered to take whoever was still going to be in town by that date to the opera with me. @japhroaig apparently thought starting a new job was more important than going to Chicago (crazy, no?) and so cancelled his trip at the last minute.
