New reports reveal that Norwegian Air requires its female flight attendants to provide a doctor’s note if they want to avoid wearing high heels while on duty. The strict 22-page dress code, which surfaced this week, is garnering criticism for being old-fashioned and stuck in the past.
The airline’s policy states that its female employees must have “a doctor’s note at all times and update it every six months if they want to wear flat shoes.” Additionally, female staffers are made to wear eye makeup as well as light face makeup, while men are banned from using any — unless its to cover any distracting blemishes.
Ingrid Hodnebo, women’s spokesperson for Norway’s Socialist Left Party, told VG, a Norwegian newspaper: “It is almost comical that we face these issues in 2019. Whilst the rest of society has moved on, Norwegian is stuck in the ‘Mad Men’ universe from the 1950s and 1960s.”
On top of her comments, Norwegian Labour Party’s Anette Trettebergstuen said: “Uniform requirements are one thing, but to impose heels and makeup is going too far. The year 1950 rang and wants its rulebook back. This is super-embarrassing, and they should have progressed further.”
However, a spokesperson for the airline told The Independent a slightly different story.
“Like all global airlines, Norwegian has a comprehensive set of uniform guidelines to ensure that our flying crew represents our brand in a smart and consistent manner. The guidelines were drafted with input from our pilot and cabin crew colleagues, and have been well received, sharing many gender commonalities in addition to some specific male and female requirements.”
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