The Great Stewardess Rebellion: How Women Launched a Workplace Revolution at 30,000 Feet
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- Create Date：2022-04-20 16:21:41
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Nell McShane Wulfhart
- ISBN：0385546459
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Summary
The empowering true story of a group of spirited stewardesses who "stood up to huge corporations and won， creating momentous change for all working women。" （Gloria Steinem， co-founder of Ms。 magazine）
It was the Golden Age of Travel， and everyone wanted in。 As flying boomed in the 1960s， women from across the United States applied for jobs as stewardesses。 They were drawn to the promise of glamorous jet-setting， the chance to see the world， and an alternative to traditional occupations like homemaking， nursing， and teaching。
But as the number of "stews" grew， so did their suspicion that the job was not as picture-perfect as the ads would have them believe。 "Sky girls" had to adhere to strict weight limits at all times; gain a few extra pounds and they'd be suspended from work。 They couldn't marry or have children; their makeup， hair， and teeth had to be just so。 Girdles were mandatory while stewardesses were on the clock。 And， most important， stewardesses had to resign at 32。
Eventually the stewardesses began to push back and it's thanks to their trailblazing efforts in part that working women have gotten closer to workplace equality today。 Nell McShane Wulfhart crafts a rousing narrative of female empowerment， the paradigm-shifting '60s and '70s， the labor movement， and the cadre of gutsy women who fought for their rights--and won。
It was the Golden Age of Travel， and everyone wanted in。 As flying boomed in the 1960s， women from across the United States applied for jobs as stewardesses。 They were drawn to the promise of glamorous jet-setting， the chance to see the world， and an alternative to traditional occupations like homemaking， nursing， and teaching。
But as the number of "stews" grew， so did their suspicion that the job was not as picture-perfect as the ads would have them believe。 "Sky girls" had to adhere to strict weight limits at all times; gain a few extra pounds and they'd be suspended from work。 They couldn't marry or have children; their makeup， hair， and teeth had to be just so。 Girdles were mandatory while stewardesses were on the clock。 And， most important， stewardesses had to resign at 32。
Eventually the stewardesses began to push back and it's thanks to their trailblazing efforts in part that working women have gotten closer to workplace equality today。 Nell McShane Wulfhart crafts a rousing narrative of female empowerment， the paradigm-shifting '60s and '70s， the labor movement， and the cadre of gutsy women who fought for their rights--and won。
Reviews
Anna
，
This was a fantastic read。 I basically didn't put it down。 It was inspiring， it included humorous details， and I learned history of labor movements， feminist movements， and individual women that I'd known nothing about before picking this up on a whim。 This was a fantastic read。 I basically didn't put it down。 It was inspiring， it included humorous details， and I learned history of labor movements， feminist movements， and individual women that I'd known nothing about before picking this up on a whim。 。。。more
Melissa
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As a frequent international flyer， I've always wondered how US based flight attendants seem to have more rights and job security than those based in other countries。 This book was excellent for telling the story of how those rights came to be and really included a lot of rediculousness that made me embarrassed just to hear about （esp。 the racoon skin hats and other uniform misses）。There are photos of the adds that were run so you can see how they really walked the line sometimes between professi As a frequent international flyer， I've always wondered how US based flight attendants seem to have more rights and job security than those based in other countries。 This book was excellent for telling the story of how those rights came to be and really included a lot of rediculousness that made me embarrassed just to hear about （esp。 the racoon skin hats and other uniform misses）。There are photos of the adds that were run so you can see how they really walked the line sometimes between professional and racy。 Overall， fascinating to see and read about。 。。。more
Biblio Files （takingadayoff）
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The Great Stewardess Rebellion combines social history with labor history to tell the story of how stewardesses （soon to become flight attendants） fought for recognition as vital members of flight crews。 Long exploited as eye candy for male passengers， they battled against repressive weight and appearance regulations， rules against getting married or pregnant， and the mandatory retirement age of thirty-two。 Important and fascinating！ Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital review cop The Great Stewardess Rebellion combines social history with labor history to tell the story of how stewardesses （soon to become flight attendants） fought for recognition as vital members of flight crews。 Long exploited as eye candy for male passengers， they battled against repressive weight and appearance regulations， rules against getting married or pregnant， and the mandatory retirement age of thirty-two。 Important and fascinating！ Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital review copy。 。。。more
chels marieantoinette
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I remember when I went to flight attendant training in 2015， I had to dye my hair all one color and buy makeup because I didn’t even own the lipstick we were required to wear。 I had friends and family who thought this was insane and sexist， but I didn’t really mind。 I knew I wanted to be a flight attendant， so I attended “image” class to ensure I was properly groomed and wore my uniform as expected （though it’s kind of a joke in the industry that once you leave the training center- often called I remember when I went to flight attendant training in 2015， I had to dye my hair all one color and buy makeup because I didn’t even own the lipstick we were required to wear。 I had friends and family who thought this was insane and sexist， but I didn’t really mind。 I knew I wanted to be a flight attendant， so I attended “image” class to ensure I was properly groomed and wore my uniform as expected （though it’s kind of a joke in the industry that once you leave the training center- often called the “Charm Farm” by more senior flight attendants- that imagine standards are no longer necessarily adhered to）。 That being said， the industry has obviously changed drastically and I’m very grateful for the flight attendants before me who fought for all this leniency。 I personally still take pride in how I present myself on the job and I want to represent my company well， but since I’m now married， on the verge of “aging out” according to the old standards， and can’t imagine feeling comfortable being referred to as a “C。R。 honeybun，” I’m so happy I’m not forced to say goodbye to my incredible career。This book is very interesting and educational while also ensuring an entertainment quality that is necessary when reading historical accounts。 There’s a focus on the union which is good knowledge to obtain about the industry in general and， while some of the employee treatment & expectations may be somewhat shocking to those outside the airlines， it’s a quick read and I’m glad I was able to review it。 I’d highly recommend it to anyone interested in the aviation industry and any current or former flight attendants as well as feminists and general history buffs。 （Also all the photos were SO fun to see。） 。。。more
Bookoholiccafe
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review to come
Pattie
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Very interesting history of how the profession of stewardess evolved。
Laura Solar
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As a flight attendant myself， this book was deeply personal for me， and it really brought to my attention how hard the stews that came before me worked to give me all the benefits and workers’ rights I have today。 While I did know about a lot of the darkest parts of the industry already， I couldn’t believe just how scrutinized these women were and the things they were forced to endure from the company and passengers alike。 The book itself is incredibly well researched and written in a really str As a flight attendant myself， this book was deeply personal for me， and it really brought to my attention how hard the stews that came before me worked to give me all the benefits and workers’ rights I have today。 While I did know about a lot of the darkest parts of the industry already， I couldn’t believe just how scrutinized these women were and the things they were forced to endure from the company and passengers alike。 The book itself is incredibly well researched and written in a really straightforward way， without sacrificing the truly human part of the story。 If you have an interest in feminist history or labor movements， this is a book you’ll definitely want to read， and I’m forever grateful to the incredible women in this book for allowing me to have the career I do today！ 。。。more
Linden
，
Surprising and disturbing， this well-researched history of the flight attendant profession starts out in the 1950's and early 1960's--the stewardesses were young women selected for their appearance and cheerful personalities。 Their training facility， nicknamed the "charm farm，" covered hair， makeup and the social graces。 They were weighed weekly （and fired if they were over the limit）。 They could not marry， were dismissed from the job at age 32， and were subject to random inspections by supervis Surprising and disturbing， this well-researched history of the flight attendant profession starts out in the 1950's and early 1960's--the stewardesses were young women selected for their appearance and cheerful personalities。 Their training facility， nicknamed the "charm farm，" covered hair， makeup and the social graces。 They were weighed weekly （and fired if they were over the limit）。 They could not marry， were dismissed from the job at age 32， and were subject to random inspections by supervisors to ensure that each was wearing a bra， girdle， and slip at all times。 Their union， the TWU， was happy to collect their dues， but marginalized the stewardesses and dismissed their concerns。 They endured harassment from many of the passengers and pilots， and the airlines' advertisements， replete with sexual innuendos， just made things worse。 Recommended for anyone interested in history， particularly women's history。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC。 。。。more
Online Eccentric Librarian
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More reviews （and no fluff） on the blog http://surrealtalvi。wordpress。com/This is a very well researched and well written story about gender inequality and the fight for equal rights in the 1960s and 1970s。 The author uses 4-5 women's stories to give a picture of the struggles at the time and how sexist and elitist the airline industry especially operated。 The author doesn't just cover women but also focuses on racism and even the problems men encountered trying to be flight attendants。 Wha More reviews （and no fluff） on the blog http://surrealtalvi。wordpress。com/This is a very well researched and well written story about gender inequality and the fight for equal rights in the 1960s and 1970s。 The author uses 4-5 women's stories to give a picture of the struggles at the time and how sexist and elitist the airline industry especially operated。 The author doesn't just cover women but also focuses on racism and even the problems men encountered trying to be flight attendants。 What makes the book so successful is the tone and pace: the book never bogs down and the author does an excellent job of making the facts entertaining and informative。 The book is chronological and focuses on the women who made the changes in the airline industry in the 1960s and 1970s。 Nearly all started out as stewardesses but some would move on to union jobs and try to affect change there。 At its heart， the story is about the huge gender inequality issues: from pay differences to gender-specific job requirements。 It is inconceivable today that a flight attendant would have to quit or be fired if she: was over 30， was over 125 lbs， got married， had a child， did not wear a girdle or false eyelashes， or did not style her her in a certain way。 All for 3/4 less pay than a male counterpart who had no restrictions at all。Although the women were to be admired， the author had a great way of making each one extremely likable （despite the unlikelihood of them being very unlikeable in real life）。 The women had very strong personalities， were driven， and even had differing ideals at some points （e。g。， whether to use the power of existing unions or to create a new one for flight attendants only）。 I found every single woman's story engrossing and appreciated that we got more than just their job info but also stories about their personal life。A good writer can really elevate the subject and Wulfhart does that here。 This is a highly entertaining read that brings great insight into how bad things were at the airline industry （and for women） at the time。 The women were candid about their mistakes and about their successes and the era of the 1960s and 1970s is well realized throughout。 I honestly could not come up with any criticisms of the presentation， research， or subject matter。 Especially for those who recently watched the TV series Mrs。 America， you will recognize a lot of the names in here when the book reaches the 1970s。In all， highly recommended。 And a great testament to the women who managed a lasting change against so much resistance。 Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher。 。。。more
Pooja Peravali
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Though the post of flight attendant was long touted as a glamorous and enviable one， it was also incredibly tough during the Jet Set age。 Called stewardesses then， the women had to put up with low pay， sexualized stereotyping， and age and weight restrictions that had nothing to do with their suitability for the job and everything to do with being eye candy。In this book， the reader is taken through how flight attendants fought for workers' rights， often going to war over things that depressingly Though the post of flight attendant was long touted as a glamorous and enviable one， it was also incredibly tough during the Jet Set age。 Called stewardesses then， the women had to put up with low pay， sexualized stereotyping， and age and weight restrictions that had nothing to do with their suitability for the job and everything to do with being eye candy。In this book， the reader is taken through how flight attendants fought for workers' rights， often going to war over things that depressingly should never have existed， such as restrictions stating women had to be unmarried and under the age of 35 to keep working。 I liked that the author told this story through the efforts of specific women but made sure to demonstrate how it was a group effort still。 It was interesting to contrast this with Fly Girl: A Memoir， as Hood enjoyed many of the rights won by flight attendants of the generation discussed here。In the first half of the book， Wulfhart goes over how the passage of Title VII changed many of the regulations around flight attendants， though battling sex discrimination cases was still an uphill battle when prosecutors did not find such cases worthy of attention。 I was interested to learn that flight attendants were on the forefront of the implementation of this act， setting precedents in sex discrimination cases for generations to come。In the second half of the book， the author focuses on unions and the organization Stewardesses for Womens' Rights， battling sexist messaging about flight attendants and trying to gain the privileges that their male counterparts， in this role and otherwise， held。。 The book ends with the story of how flight attendants broke away from the Transport Worker's Union to form their own union， advancing the tale into the present day。I found this a really informative read about a subject I knew little about， and appreciated how information was relayed in an easily digestible way。 However， I wished that we could have learned more about how women of color fit into 'the Great Stewardess Rebellion，' which was touched upon but not really elaborated。Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley。 This is my honest and voluntary review。 。。。more
Heather
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This ARC was provided to me via Kindle， Doubleday Books and by #NetGalley。 Opinions expressed are completely my own。 Fascinating tale of the women who were the trailblazers。 The ones who set the stage for the future。 The rebels。 The ones who stood up for their rights and won。
Julie
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