The Student News Site of Sonoma State University

Sonoma State Star

The Student News Site of Sonoma State University

Sonoma State Star

The Student News Site of Sonoma State University

Sonoma State Star

United’s sexist dress code

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Columnist Lindsey Huffman

Columnist Lindsey Huffman

Since when are leggings not appropriate for flying? On March 26, United Airlines barred two teenage girls from boarding a flight because they were wearing leggings.

Luckily the mother had a dress for her child in her carry on and the family was then able to board the flight.

After this incident many concerns about sexism arose, because the father was wearing shorts that were two-three inches above his knee, but he was able to board the flight. United Airlines stuck by the judgment call from the flight attendant who would not let the the two teens board.

A woman who was at neighboring gate next to the family noticed the accusations made against these “teens” were unruly, due to the fact the girl who put the dress on was only around 10 or 11 years old. So is this considered sexism or just the policy that United Airlines enforces?

A statement released by Jonathan Guerin, the spokesman for United Airlines, confirmed that two teenage girls were told they could not board a flight because their leggings violated the company’s dress code policy for “pass travelers.”

A pass traveler is defined as when a company allows United Airlines employees and their dependents to travel for free on a standby basis.

So in this regard these ladies were required to dress a certain way in order to board the flight to begin with, because their mother or father was an employee of the company.

But this still goes back to the father being let on the plane with his shorts not necessarily meeting dress code standards for United Airlines. But why were too young girls, which one of them wasn’t even a teen, being targeted?

Guerin then stated, “pass travelers are representing the company and as such are not allowed to wear Lycra and spandex leggings, tattered or ripped jeans, midriff shirts, flip-flops or any article of clothing that shows their undergarments.”

This would make sense if this was applied to all parties of this family, but the policy was not..
“It’s not that we want our standby travelers to come in wearing a suit and tie or that sort of thing,” he said. “We want people to be comfortable when they travel as long as it’s neat and in good taste for that environment,” said Guerin.

Leggings are comfortable for women to wear, and what does good taste for the environment have to do with anything?

It’s almost like United Airlines is holding women to a higher standard of dress than men. Or is it the fact that women who wear leggings are distracting other passengers or employees?

Just because women decided to be comfortable and wear leggings on a plane doesn’t mean they are doing it on purpose to get attention.

Many women in America can vouch that wearing yoga pants is a whole lot better than throwing on a dress on or even jeans.

United Airlines wants passengers to be comfortable, but yet leggings don’t make the cut?

 

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