(OPINION) Alaska Airlines said in a recent statement that it’s developing “new, gender-neutral uniform pieces” for flight attendants and other frontline workers and allowing all employees to use fingernail polish and makeup, as well as to wear two earrings per ear and single stud nose piercings.
It’s all about making sure “everyone can bring their best and most authentic selves to work and to be an inclusive and welcoming environment for employees and guests alike,” the airline said. In its statement, the airline introduced readers to Jason, a “flight attendant by day and drag star by night.” Jason — who uses “they/their” — wore a dress to senior prom and came out at the event.
The official announcement went further to state: “I didn’t do it to make anyone uncomfortable or to be the first,” Jason told the airline. “I did it for me, and that’s all that matters.” In partnership with our employees, we have updated our uniform guidelines, effective today, to provide more freedom and flexibility in individual and gender expression.
We are also developing new, gender-neutral uniform pieces for our frontline employees, including flight attendants, customer service agents, and uniformed lounge employees, working with Seattle designer Luly Yang and with input from employees.
With these changes, fingernail polish, makeup, two earrings per ear, and a single stud nose piercing are expression options available to all employees. We’ve also updated our grooming policies to allow tattoos in more locations, and more hairstyle options and are adjusting the names of our uniform kits to be focused on fit vs. gender identifications.
“This is so important not only for the well-being of our employees but also as a company,” said David. “It allows us to focus on what we can do for each other and what we do for our guests while being the best employees that we can be.”
This is an important step on a continued journey to be more inclusive, and there’s more work ahead. We will continue to look at our policies, programs, and practices to ensure we live our values and create a place where everyone feels they belong.
