Abstract
This study, starting in 1930 and ending in 2014, takes an in depth look at how flight attendants have evolved over the last eight decades. In the beginning, the women employed by these airlines were all unwed, petit, and registered nurses. In subsequent years, nursing requirements were dropped, and before long, stewardesses became a sex object. Initially, stewardesses helped airlines to show the general public that air travel was a safe mode of transportation. This spanned from requiring nursing credentials to portraying a motherly, domesticated image. Once the safety was proven/ accepted, the stewardess became objectified and became a sex symbol. Then, as equal rights emerged, the flight crews became more diverse and representative of a professional career. The objective of this study is to show in what ways airlines used women to create business, and how that affected different areas of the job, including, branding, comfort, service, safety, and security. These criteria were viewed as key components of the job duties and function of a flight attendant. Each area has evolved from outside factors, and in the last 84 years, flight attendants have become what they are today because of the discoveries of my research.
Semester/Year of Award
Fall 2014
Mentor
Randi L. Polk
Mentor Department Affiliation
Languages, Cultures, and Humanities
Access Options
Restricted Access Thesis
Document Type
Bachelor Thesis
Degree Name
Honors Scholars
Degree Level
Bachelor's
Department
Language and Cultural Studies, Anthropology, and Sociology
Department Name when Degree Awarded
Languages, Cultures, and Humanities
Presentation
http://prezi.com/jir4mnuwdn2x/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share
Recommended Citation
Manning, Spencer A., "From Stewardess to Flight Attendant: How 80 years shaped one of America's most glamourized careers" (2014). Honors Theses. 194.
https://encompass.eku.edu/honors_theses/194
