Airlines Need to “Lighten” Up
I’m not the biggest fan of airplanes. For starters, I’m afraid of heights. I scream at the slightest hint of turbulence. I also find the cheap chairs cramped and uncomfortable. Above all else, I don’t enjoy sitting next to complete strangers who, with my luck, are frequently gassy.
If someone told me I could never board a plane again, I’d happily oblige. Goodbye and good riddance! I’m perfectly content with trains, boats, or even pimped-out golf carts with fire decals.
But I suppose that’s not the case for everybody.
Ten stewardesses at Air India are fighting for their right to soar the skies after being unexpectedly terminated from their positions. According to BBC News, the airline stated that the women failed to meet company weight restrictions calculated by height and age. In layman’s terms, the women were deemed too fat to fly.
The stewardesses fought back, but unfortunately, they failed to get the policy declared unconstitutional by the Indian High Court. Talk about a heavy defeat!
Frankly, I’m appalled by the airline’s decision. Where do they get off saying someone is not of the right body type for a job that requires little to no physical exertion? I mean, it’s not like they’re building houses or running marathons. They only have one job: distribute overpriced peanuts.
Well, I suppose they have two jobs. They’re also responsible for sliding those fancy blue curtains a few times to remind us common peasants that we’re not first-class royalty.
But I digress. The fat shaming is an outrage. If we’re going to ban overweight people from having jobs that require movement, we should at least be consistent. Stop hiring pudgy mall cops!
But I don’t really support that either. We shouldn’t discriminate against anybody. I fail to see Air India’s logic. If a plane crashes, people are going to die regardless of whether they’re fat or not.
Heck, it might even be beneficial to have an obese person on board. In case of emergency, a one-thousand-pound carcass could be used as a flotation device.
Maybe the airline’s decision had nothing to do with efficiency? Maybe they just wanted their stewardesses to be hip and sexy? Well, if that’s the case, I object even more.
People of all shapes and sizes can be beautiful. We don’t need cliché super models running our flights. Besides, most super models aren’t well-versed in plane safety. The airline industry and the fashion industry couldn’t be more different. One involves a runway, and the other involves… well, you get the picture.
I don’t know what else to say. I feel so bad for these women. Apparently, not all cows are sacred in India.
142 Comments
Stephine
I'm not sure if I agree with Air India or with your opinion. While they should <b>not</b> not hire a person because of weight, think of how much walking they'll be doing, how thin the isles on the plane are (I've never been on one, but I've seen movies!), and how they have to make the passengers as comfortable as possible. It's sad that that's what it comes down to, but it does. I do agree is discriminations, but they have a reason for it. I guess is depends on how "heavy" the people are that the airlines were turning down.
Jay
I actually heard about the same thing in my town. Flight attendants have to 'look' a certain way or else they can't fly (get hired). Wtf!
I don't see how the two correlate either. And the fact that this is happening in India is even more surprising. I guess now everyone who lives there must go on a airplane diet or take a boat.
Shellz
lmao @ the title! 😀
"Talk about a heavy defeat!" – haha, nice wording. x)
Ok, well honestly, if I knew there was someone too big to be riding on the plane I'm on, I'd be a little scared. I've been on a roller coaster and seen someone get denied to get on the ride because they were too fat, and I was glad because I don't want them to be the cause of my death. So, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, they were just looking out for the safety of other passengers. If they let her on the plane, who's to say they wouldn't let 100 more fat people on the plane, I don't think that plane would get to far honestly. o_0
Hmm…airlines and fashion, runways, lol, bad example for this blog, but good example if you want to compare them lmao!
Asterid Starr
btw, XRAY used to be an old message board ran by this woman nyssa, who married way too young to a man who played video games a lot (or something) and I think in the end she divorced him, closed down her sites (without warning, and she was hosting me, so I lost everything), and opened a new site where she rehosted everyone but me (I guess she hated my Bolt layouts, hahahahahaha). No, I'm kidding. I don't think she hosted anyone after that. But still, on he rmessage board was a large gathering of strange people and hundreds and hundreds of awesome posts, stories, etc. Now it's all gone and so are the people.
It was tres awesome. Like the one time we rewrote the script to the first Jason movie, basing it near this cave near where I live (because they found a body in there once). And everybody died, but Berlyn and Ky. I almost survived, but then I drove away really fast at the end, leaving everybody else to die (only it turned out Jason was in the car with me).
The ending scene was of Ky and Berlyn driving away into the sunset in an old red convertible.
XRAY was great.
Asterid Starr
Stewardesses (which is the longest word you can type with your left hand if you type correctly) use to be required to be a certain height and weight in America. I think they still are actually. I'm not sure why. Maybe it keeps the male pilots happy.
Also the nut and bolt pun, while hilarious, is a concrete theory. I shall immediately notify everyone in the vicinity that I am legally crazy. I wonder what gov't benefits you get for that?
Just kidding.
Sarah
Haha, this made me laugh so much. Especially the cow thing.. Nice. 🙂
Nnie
I agree with you. You should tell her about this 😀
Anyway, how are you?
Chelley
i swear. all i have to do when i'm feeling down is read your posts and i crack the slighest smile. you make me happy and warm inside. i love you.
Chrys
We live in perverted times, my friend 🙂
Chrys
Oh, you caught me there!! 🙂 I DO have a dirty mind, I will deny it no longer.
But you, you should be true to yourself. You shouldn't lie to yourself any longer, it's not good for the soul 😉 HAHAHHAHA.
I'm just kiddin' with yah.
Cecelia
I had a friend who is also a stewardess and she also said she had to stay thin and according to her it has something to do with being able to move around.. But I don't know – it sounds kinda crazy.. But I guess it depends on exactly how fat they are..
Lani
Not entirely, I'm sure he's into that sort of thing lol.
And wow…someone better tell Kirstie Allie to avoid AirIndia >.> But seriously… where the hell do they get off saying someone is not the right body type to do a job that requires little to none physical exertion? (unless you could pushing a trolley down an aisle as a workout) … Yeah… that's just messed up. And lol… nice call.
Mary
Oh really?? Tell me what trends have I set. 8)
Chrys
No… You just have a dirty mind!!
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Okay, no you're totally right. I do have a dirty mind. HAHAHAHHAA. Whoopsies. You understood the dirty humour too though… Which means you have a dirty mind too!! :O
I think 🙂
Does that make sense?
Lol, it's actually not that bad… ITGS I mean. I love Philosophy. I want to do it at university next year, so having it mixed in a bit with IT is good. – For me anyway. Good luck trying to avoid it though.
Mary
No did you ever think that I don't want people to think i'm illiterate.
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