#Throwback Thursday
This gem came from the March 7th, 1957 issue of the UWM Post. It is the first instance of a flight hostess job advertisement that we’ve found, and it’s a DOOZY! Trans World Airlines is no longer in operation but was a major American airline company from 1924 - 2001.
In the 1950′s, a woman’s age, marital status, and appearance were all accepted (dis)qualifiers for employment. Acceptable standards were particularly stringent in the aviation industry, so much so that the advertisement above outlines their requirements explicitly:
Age 20-27
Height 5′2″ - 5′ 8″
Weight 100-135 lbs
2 years college, or equivalent in business experience
clear complexion
good vision without glasses
unmarried
Yes, you read that correctly.....there is only one qualification that would pass muster today....at least, we hope.
A little more history:
Dorothy Franklin, an African American woman, applied to work for TWA twice— twice she was rejected. Ms. Franklin was told these rejections were on the grounds of “poor skin complexion, unattractive teeth and unshapely legs.” At the time, these would have been considered acceptable reasons but Ms. Franklin knew that these were not, in fact, the case with her and that her rejection was racially motivated. She filed a discrimination lawsuit with the New York State Commission against Discrimination. Meanwhile, Mohawk Airlines, a regional airline based out of New York, was the first to hire an African American stewardess in 1957. Carol Taylor, who was employed by Mohawk, is a particularly noteworthy activist, educator, and public intellectual!
TWA followed suit a few months behind Mohawk and was the first of international carriers to begin integrating when they hired Margaret Grant. Unfortunately, this move came only because of Dorothy Franklin’s case against them. Cheers to the courage and tenacity of black women fighting for justice.
