Rachel U. sent us a 1968 American Airlines ad (larger available at Modern Mechanix):
The text:
She only wants what’s best for you.
A cool drink. A good dinner. A soft pillow and a warm blanket.
This is not just maternal instinct. It’s the result of the longest
Stewardess training in the industry.
Training in service, not just a beauty course.
Service, after all, is what makes professional travellers prefer American.
And makes new travellers want to keep on flying with us.
So we see that every passenger gets the same professional treatment.
That’s the American Way.
Rachel says,
Before I read the headline of the ad, my brain registered the woman as a typical “sexy stewardess” image that seems to be standard industry fare when air travel started booming: knees bent up toward the face, one hand touching her face…extremely focused gaze that seems a bit “come hither.”
Of course, that’s what the pose is. It’s just that being sexually attractive doesn’t mean women weren’t also supposed to also take on a caretaking role. It’s one way we’ve constructed femininity over the years: women were supposed to be nurturing and supportive in a “maternal” way, while also sexually alluring enough to keep their men from wandering (because if he wandered, it was definitely their fault for not keeping him happy at home).
Notice also the implicit denigration of stewardesses in general: at American Airlines they get real training, “not just a beauty course.” At first reading that could seem as though they were saying they emphasize skill, not physical attractiveness, but the image makes it clear you can look forward to getting both.
Gwen Sharp is an associate professor of sociology at Nevada State College. You can follow her on Twitter at @gwensharpnv.
Comments 11
Rosemary — December 12, 2009
The first words out of my mouth when I saw the title of this post were "Oh Jesus" and it didn't disappoint. Yikes, that whole ad just hits on all sorts of -isms.
I do recall one time I got sick on a transatlantic flight and had several stewardesses (and one steward) keep an eye on me, which I was grateful for since I was traveling alone, but this ad is just insulting to pretty much everybody.
Jane — December 12, 2009
I would also tend to think that this was an admonition against being an asshole to your stewardess. You know, would you want some guy to grope or talk disrespectfully to your mother? But maybe I'm being too hopeful.
Sarah — December 13, 2009
I'm not sure that I see the "sexy" in this pose - she's quite covered, and her body language is completely closed - not satisfied with merely a coy crossed-legs, she has her legs crossed and pulled up to her chest, with a hand firmly holding them there. As for the "come hither" eyes - maybe my interpretation of "come hither" is a little backwards, but those look more like "do you really think you're going out in this weather without a hat?" to me.
What "sexy" cues am I missing here?
Eduardo — December 13, 2009
I wasn’t particularly turned on by this picture; I’d say she’s rather modest in her pose. To me, this is what come-hither looks like:
http://insidecelebrityworld.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/c544e_58080EM_FOX_B-GR_04.jpg
ralston — December 13, 2009
I'm tempted to agree--I don't see much in the way of "sexy" and "come hither" in the pose. Yes, she is an attractive woman, and I know part of the problem is that many of us guys are conditioned to instantly think "SSSSEEEEXXXX!!!!!" upon viewing a pretty woman, but...honestly, she *does* kinda look like a younger version of my mom. My mom actually sits like this all the time (granted, in a more comfortable chair, and not in her work clothes).
That aside, the text and tone of the advertisement is pretty ridiculous, and kind of amusing. And even kinda cool when you think about it. As weak as it is, they were at least *trying*, you know, in that "we try to go beyond providing mere eye candy for our passengers and give our female employees real actual professional honest-to-god TRAINING!". Granted, they're being trained to be your mommies, but still...
md — December 13, 2009
I'm sure I recently saw a Singapore airlines commercial where the stewardess actually pulled up the passengers blanket and "tucked them in".. all that was missing was the motherly kiss on the cheek...
Shannon — December 16, 2009
I see sexy in the "standard attractive female" sort of way. She kind of looks "off work", which maybe implies a bit of sex.
However, I immediately thought she looked like a tired, over-worked, slouching stewardess that just got off work. ? Sure, sexy. But, sexy in a working woman sort of way - not the usual helpless lady sort of way.
It's like the "Barbie owns her own business" stuff.
As a long time waitress, I feel bad for the stewardesses who were expected to "baby" an entire flight.