Tasman Empire Airways Limited

'New Zealand's International Airline'

TEAL Air Hostesses

In the 1950s and 60s a job as an air hostess (later "flight attendant") was considered to be very glamorous. Their uniforms suited high fashions of the time, consisting of decorative hats and tailored suits. It was reasoned that if women were seen to be at ease in the air, this should help soothe the fears of anxious passengers about the safety of air travel.

The woman’s movement had yet to gain momentum and it was accepted without question that only young, single and beautiful women of a certain height and weight need apply. It was written in the personnel manual that a hostess was required to visit the bathroom, to check her appearance, every ten minutes. Air hostesses were expected to be at least 5 foot 2. A 20-year-old woman who was 5 feet 4 could weigh no more than 130 pounds. hostesses were allowed the luxury of gaining a few pounds as they approached the mandatory retirement age of 35.

“….I had to lift my skirt so he could look at my legs; walk back and forth; show him my hands, my nails, my hair and my teeth. You were being studied like a horse"
(A description of an interview in 1954 for a position as an air hostess).

No air hostess could wear more than one ring. Early retirement was enforced if the young woman had the audacity to become pregnant or get married. The uniform had to be crisp, lipstick the specified hue of red and hair cropped above the shoulders. Girdles were required to encourage good posture and besides; when you fly, the air pressure could make your belly swell and this would never do!

Former air hostess Jean Freer said she almost lost her job on the Coral Route during the 1950s, when the company accused her of "fraternising with the locals". An American film producer invited her to spend time at his Tahitian holiday home, where she dressed in a traditional Tahitian costume "for fun" with a girl who lived locally.

"A photo was taken of the two of us and it appeared in the Weekly News. I nearly got the sack."

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