‘I’m not stewardess Barbie!’: Iberia flight attendants push back on high heels rule

Flight attendants at Spain’s Iberia airline have launched a petition to protest their employer’s compulsory high heels rule, following the carrier’s first uniform revamp in 15 years.

When the new uniform policy was unveiled, women working for the airline found that, although they could wear trainers while in the air, they were still expected to wear high heels in airports and while boarding.

“I’m not stewardess Barbie!” reads the Change.org petition, started by Maria Fernandez. “Iberia: DO NOT force us to wear heels. Let us choose!”

“In the presentation of the new uniforms they appeared to be modern,” writes Ms Fernandez.

“They showed that the cabin crew will finally be able to wear flat shoes (sneakers). What they didn’t say is that we will only be able to put them on from takeoff to landing.

“Are male flight deck crews really going to be walking around in flat loafers while we’re having to tear our feet apart?

“It is 2022. Enough sexism.”

More than 56,000 people have signed the petition. The new uniform comes in on 1 June and Fernandez and her supporters hope that they can have the compulsory heels rule amended before then.

“At Madrid airport we walk an average of 6-8 kilometers a day or spend more thantwo to three hours on foot,” wrote flight attendant Maria Jesus Serrano Huertas in the petition’s comments.

“This plus the hard ground of the airport makes wearing heels insufferable. We have the right to choose how to take care of our feet.”

“In addition to being sexist and discriminatory, the use of heels harms health,” commented Concha Diaz.

In an official response added to the petition, an Iberia representative wrote that female staff will be able to choose between three shoe types, but did not clarify or answer the point about which parts of the job they may be worn in.

“Cabin crew will be able to choose two pairs of footwear from three options: a shoe with a six-centimetre heel, another with a lower heel of three centimetres and ergonomic sports shoes; All of them will be able to try them on when they are given the endowment.”

They appeared to say the policy is still in development, adding: “right now we are working with the representatives of the workers… on the uniform guide where all these details will be defined.”

Many airlines the world over are only just beginning to update their uniform and grooming policies, scrapping archaic rules around heels and make-up for female staff.

Last week, one of Australia’s largest trade unions wrote a letter to Qantas’ CEO demanding that gendered and outdated uniform rules for staff be amended.

Virgin, British Airways, Japan Airlines and KLM have all added the option for trousers to be worn by female crew in recent years.

in 2021, Ukraine’s budget airline SkyUp unveiled comfy new slouchy trouser suit uniforms for female flight attendants, to be worn with smart white trainers.

At the other end of the scale, multiple former Emirates employees have spoken out about the airline’s strict grooming, make-up and weight policy, with regular weigh-ins conducted by what flight attendants call the “weight police”.

The Independent has contacted Iberia for comment.