Mail Online

Men in skirts take flight for Virgin

By Izzy Lyons

IT’S a big step – in heels or otherwise – from the airline’s days of its Flying Lady figurehead and its strict make-up and uniform policies for air hostesses.

For Virgin Atlantic is to allow male pilots and cabin crew to wear skirts as part of a major shake-up to help staff ‘express their true selves’.

Men will be able to opt for the iconic figure-hugging red suit and heels, while women can also choose a burgundy two piece with a grey waistcoat, red tie and black shoes.

The gender-neutral uniforms, designed by Dame Vivienne Westwood, are a first for the UK aviation industry and are part of a raft of new inclusion policies introduced yesterday.

Customers’ tickets can now feature gender neutral titles such as ‘Mx’, and all staff will undergo ‘mandatory inclusion training’. Virgin Atlantic said its ‘fluid’ approach will ‘cement its position as the most inclusive airline in the skies’.

The airline recruited the help of Michelle Visage, a judge on hit show RuPaul’s Drag Race to announce the changes. She said: ‘People feel empowered when they are wearing what best represents them, and this gender identity policy allows people to embrace who they are and bring their full selves to work.’

The measures are a U-turn from the airline’s previously strict policy on uniform which saw female cabin crew expected to wear a full face of make-up until 2019. That year, it also replaced it’s iconic figurehead with diverse ‘Flying Icons’.

Standards were loosened again earlier this year when the airline lifted restrictions on visible tattoos.

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2022-09-29T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-09-29T07:00:00.0000000Z

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