Flight attendant made to wear mask and gloves after manager disliked her makeup

A flight attendant said she was forced to wear a surgical mask and latex gloves for an entire long workday on a plane because her manager did not like her lipstick shade and nail polish. She wrote on Reddit, “I was forced to fly with a mask and gloves just because they did not approve of my lipstick shade and nail polish.”

She did not identify her employer, but later said she works for an airline in India. She described the episode as “a bit embarrassing,” though she said it was still preferable to being sent home. According to her, the lipstick and nail color would normally have been acceptable, but on that flight an employee from the airline’s operational compliance checks unit was present and focused on her appearance.

“They said my lipstick was one shade too dark. But my nail polish was silver, and that is completely within our grooming standards. They simply gave me no explanation,” she said. She also said removing the lipstick would have led to her being sent home, because lipstick is mandatory under the company’s grooming rules.

The report noted that some flight attendants from countries with less strict grooming rules were shocked, with one saying, “American crews would never agree to this.” The article then compared the case with stricter airline policies elsewhere, including Singapore Airlines, where flight attendants are assigned approved hairstyles and must keep them throughout their careers, and Emirates, where grooming officers can check staff at the airport, remove crew members from flights over weight issues, and enforce makeup rules so strictly that any violation can lead to disciplinary action or being sent home. Some Gulf airlines also reportedly suspend staff over temporary acne, and some require new applicants to disclose scars that might be visible in uniform.